Happy Monday folks!
Michelle and I are excited to get back into a true routine! Who is with us? Who is ready to stop with the excuses, stop worrying, stop comparing to others, and just do what needs to be done and do it!
once I get all my work done for the day, I am left with one question….
haha, who else is in charge of making dinner in their house?
last week I wanted to make Gary something different for dinner. so I grabbed a bag of quinoa (one ingredient I always on my shelf for quick dinners for Gary) and went digging through the fridge to see want other food I had on hand.
I wanted a dinner that was easy to make, healthy, and made a lot for leftovers.
I looked over all the different spreads and sauces we have shared here on the blog. boy have Michelle and I made a lot. I went back and forth on want one to make, but luckily based upon the ingredients I had on hand I was able to pick one. plus Gary loves peppers so I made our original non-dairy cheezy pepper sauce with minor changes.
a healthy dinner casserole made from wholesome ingredients that everyone in the family would love!
ummm cheezy…could eat this as is, but baking this casserole adds a little more flavor and crunch!
quinoa casserole pre-bake
pure2raw recipe: baked cheezy quinoa casserole (not raw, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, soy free)
prep time: 15 -20 minutes
baked time: 30 minutes, oven preheated to 325
serves: varies, but bakes in a 3 quart 9×13 glass baking dish
ingredients:
- 2 cups quinoa
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups chopped raw yellow squash
- 2 cups steamed cauliflower
- 2 handfuls arugula (or spinach)
directions to make quinoa:
to cook quinoa bring 4 cups water to a boil. then add in 2 cups dry quinoa and bring back to boil. reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or till water is gone.
non-dairy cheezy pepper sauce
ingredients: (raw, dairy free, gluten free, vegan, soy free)
- 1 orange pepper
- 1 yellow squash
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
directions for sauce:
place all ingredients into blender and blend till smooth. adjust seasonings to taste.
directions for quinoa casserole:
once quinoa is done and sauce is made grab a large bowl and pour your cooked quiona into bowl followed by cheez sauce. next add in your vegetables. can use any vegetables. once you have everything all mixed around pour into 3 quart (9×13) glass pan. place in preheated oven of 325 and bake for 30 minutes. or till quinoa casserole is golden brown.
enjoy!
there you have it! an easy, healthy dinner casserole made from quinoa and veggies!
just love how quick and easy casseroles are for creating nice healthy dinner meals. plus I love giving Gary quinoa as it is complete protein and naturally gluten free (I try to rotate gluten free foods into his diet). and casseroles are an easy way to eat more veggies!
I added in arugula because I love the spicy pepper flavor it provides! any dark leafy green would be a great substitution.
other quick healthy dinner meals that I love to make Gary are:
lentil squash pie, quinoa pie, veggie quinoa pie, artichoke tahini pizza, leek zucchini pasta, socca sandwich stack
Twins Question: What is your favorite casserole to make? Do you like making casseroles?
hope I have inspired you to try out some healthy and quick dinner meals for you and your loved ones.
till next time,
xoxo
Lori
{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my gosh this looks amazing! And I love that it’s wheat-free and vegan too so my stomach would approve
Brittany @ Itty Bits of Balance recently posted..The Season of Girl Scout Cookies
thanks Brittany! and oh yes a great one for us to in terms of stomach being happy!
That looks AMAZING. Yes.Please.
Cat @Breakfast to Bed recently posted..Attack of the Kung Fu Fairy.
Yummy! I totally want to try this with broccoli. I’ve been seriously craving some kind of cheesy broccoli concoction, maybe with rice, but quinoa sounds way better!
Heidi @ Food Doodles recently posted..Multigrain Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Heidi broccoli would be wonderful! I am sure it would work with rice.
This looks incredible!! This honestly looks so delicious and so healthy! What a great idea, thanks for sharing!
Chelsea @ Naturally Sweet Recipes recently posted..Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Truffles
Thank you Chelsea!
Wow–this looks great!
I don’t make many casseroles, but I do lean toward roasted veggie based ones. Quinoa is a fave in my house!
Lisa recently posted..Starting Monday with Lists, Hoping it Carries Over to Productivity!
this looks so so good! I love making big casseroles with lots of leftovers. My favorite is doing a mock shepherds pie with a veggie stew and sweet potato topping
perfect comfort food.
Rachel @ Eat, Learn, Discover! recently posted..Back to Basics
Rachel that sounds wonderful!
Souds and looks amazing!
Rebecca recently posted..A Few of My Favorite Things
Thanks Rebecca!
I swear our pantries must look identical – I love how often you use tahini! it is a favorite flavor here, too.
I am not a big casserole person – I have no idea why – I just never think to make them. the closest thing to casserole to me is a lasagna or enchiladas! this sounds amazing, though, so I need to make it!
Kris recently posted..life
Kris we do have similar pantries
xoxo you know we love our tahini!
Looks totally comforting. I don’t make many casseroles because I’m just cooking for myself and would tend to get sick of a dish if I had that much on hand for a whole week.
I made a casserole kind of like this a while back, and I LOVED it!!! Who knew that quinoa lended itself so well to casseroles?! Y’all’s looks great!
Anna @ On Anna’s Plate recently posted..Birthday Weekend + Nursery Update
Mmmmm this looks delicious! I love the cheezy flavors added, but without the actual cheese! Thanks for sharing, I’d take a big bowl right now
Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather recently posted..lunch for the week: bbq turkey burgers
Great recipe and looks tasty and satisfying and easy on my temperamental stomach. thanks
Perfect!!! Sounds totally yummy. I havent made quinoa in a while, i need to pick up a bag. I want that sauce
Erica recently posted..Restaurant Week: Halls Chophouse
Yes Erica you must
this will be dinner tomorrow! thank you it looks fabulous!
jessie ann james recently posted..Saturday Sweat!
We love quinoa big time! Such a healthy and tasty grain. I make all different kinds of quinoa casseroles, but never tried arugula in it. Sounds like a great idea!
thanks Anatasia, we are quinoa fans too! we love arugula, we like the flavor it gives dishes!
Holy moly. WOWIE! This looks like a meal made from heaven.
Heather @ For the Love of Kale recently posted..Be-YOU-tiful
I totally pinned this! I just learned about arugula and I’ve been dying to use squash in a dish AND I’m always told to try quinoa sooo you sold me! 3 for 3.
Julie recently posted..Memories
This looks amazing! I have to try it! Thanks for sharing! I just had a quinoa concotion with lentils chard and cauliflower. I’ll have to try your awesome sounding sauce!
WANT. that looks so good!
lynn @ the actor’s diet recently posted..Unhungry Dragon
this looks so tasty!! esp. the sauce mmmmm
Kelsey recently posted..Bookmarked
I was never huge with casseroles, but boy do they come in handy now! I made enchiladas last week and the boys (and I) went crazy over them! This is definitely going on my list to make this week! That casserole looks amazing!!!
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) recently posted..Enchiladas!
Thank you Sarena! We need to try making enchiladas!
This looks amazing, girls!!!
I NEVER make casseroles but swear I was just thinking I need to come up with some things to bring to amily gatherings…my family always just makes me roasted veggies, but nothing with a protein. This high protein grain and the noosh are great…and turmeric is SO good for you!
Thank you! Pinning!!!
Laury @thefitnessdish recently posted..Homemade Walnut Milk
That looks amazing ladies!
Alisa recently posted..Sweet No Added Sugar Whole Grain Cereal
That looks absolutely amazing!!!! I’ve been looking for some new ways to eat quinoa! Perfect!
Liz @ iheartvegetables recently posted..Spreadable Peanut Butter Cup Filling
This looks super tasty and I can’t wait to make it. But an curious what kind of yellow squash you use in the sauce. Is that a yellow zucchini? Thanks for the great recipe!!
Sara yes yellow summer squash. But any squash/zucchini would work.
What a lovely recipe! I don’t make casseroles often because it makes so much food and we’re really two people with opposite diets, but I love the idea. Arugula and cauli with the quinoa and sauce sounds like a beautiful combo, as well as delicious.
love
Ela
Ela recently posted..Five Things about ME? (final Bliss Challenge)
That looks great! I love using quinoa!
Rebecca @ Naturally Healthy and Gorgeous recently posted..What is BPA?
That looks good! I’d totally make it if I ate grains. The sauce is a good idea, definitely! Sounds super easy too
Also I really like your bowls in the last few shots… where did you purchase them?
Meagan recently posted..Grain-free Lemon Biscuit Cookies
Meagan we got the bowls at Target last year around Christmas, they were on sale. Not sure if still available.
I love quinoa!! This looks simple and delicious…of course healthy! Just my kinda meal! Thanks for sharing!!!
LizAshlee recently posted..New Actions=New Results
WOW this looks incredible! I adore quinoa with nutritional yeast so I know I would LOVE this casserole! Plus I love having leftovers … it’s a win-win! Making this soon!!!
Nora @ Natural Noshing recently posted..Almond Rose Petal Scones (Grain-Free)
Ooh, yummy! Looks so good and I bet tasty. Hmm, thinking YS2 would love some.
hihorosie recently posted..Winter
I made this last night but with rice – it was great! The sauce by itself was so yummy – the sweet peppers just make it so fresh and tasty. Who knew you could make a sauce/dressing by blending sweet peppers and squash?! I get to have leftovers for lunch too – lucky me:> Thanks for the recipe girls!
Maaike awesome so happy to hear you loved it!! we have a lot of sauces/dressings recipes using veggies
here are just some here http://www.pure2raw.com/?s=sauces
Made the sauce tonight minus the tahini, plus a TBSP ACV, garlic powder and onion powder. It was so good over roasted vegetables and scrambled egg whites!
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) recently posted..Chia Jam Addiction…
Awesome Sarena!! glad you liked it
thank you this is great share for me
Owen Sliva recently posted..Hotel
YUM! It’s in the oven as we speak (: I substituted asparagus for the squash… cannot wait to eat this, I’ve been wanting to make it since January and forgot about it. Thanks ladies!
elle potter recently posted..Recap of Last Night’s #FHBC12 Chat
Is this “cheese” sauce like Kraft Macaroni & Cheese? If not, do you have any ideas on how to make it this way? I am trying to make a cheddar sauce like that without cashews. Perhaps tahini, hemp seeds, or chia seeds might work. Any ideas?
Chris honestly this is nothing like Kraft. When you use real food it taste a little different than stuff you get in the store. Sorry. But yes tahini or hemp seeds would be fine, maybe a combination of both. Chia seeds would not work. Sunflower seeds are another option you could use.
Hi Lori, Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made it and everyone LOVED it! Even my picky 6 year old
I am so glad i found your site. Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Glad you find us too Lynda and so glad you and your son enjoyed it!
For the sauce, are the pepper and squash supposed to be cooked first?
Laura not they start raw and then bake in oven.
Making this as I type… the sauce is SO GOOD! Thanks!
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