quinoa with roasted eggplants

i’ve been trying to incorporate more healthful stuff into my diet this year. vegetables that i normally don’t take a second look at: e.g. kale, leeks, broccoli rabe. earlier this year, i made quinoa for breakfast. but i didn’t like the recipe and the bag i bought got pushed to the back of the cupboard.

now, when i asked you if you’ve ever had quinoa, you said “what’s that?” quinoa, according to wikipedia, is a grain-like crop. note: it’s not a grain. what we eat are the seeds. it was first cultivated by folks in the andes (south america). it’s gaining popularity lately because it’s supposed to be more healthful than rice.

anyway, a couple of weeks ago, at a potluck party at work, a colleague brought a quinoa dish with eggplants. it looked really good, and so i took a spoonful. after a single bite, i promptly went back for more. it was THAT good. when i got the chance to corner my colleague, i asked for the recipe. it’s fairly simple but i changed it up a little when i made my own. what do you think? ready to abandon white rice? 😛

ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups broth (vegetable, or chicken)
3-4 chinese eggplants
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan
1/4 cup scallions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil

directions
wash eggplants and slice lengthwise. sprinkle pepper and salt, then place skin side up on a cookie sheet or shallow roasting pan. place in a pre-heated oven (400 degrees) and roast for 20 minutes then remove from oven and set aside. slice crosswise into bite-size pieces when the eggplants are cool.

in a regular-size stock pot, add oil and saute garlic and scallions over medium heat. add the broth and let boil, then add the quinoa (wash it, drain it first). when the broth boils again, reduce to a simmer and cover. cook for about 20 minutes. fluff the quinoa and toss in the sliced egg plants. top with the parmesan and serve.