Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant

Quinoa hasn't been at the top of my list as things to cook recently.  The last time I made it, I felt like I was eating seeds.Yes...I cooked it right. But the texture is really different from rice or couscous. It kind of pops in your mouth. Plus, I feel like this grain is super pretentious. Look, your name is quinoa, not keen-waah. It's like the name Siobhan. I know that Siobhan is eating quinoa and laughing at me for the year I pronounced both words wrong.

Now that I've trashed the main ingredient in one of my new favorite dishes, I will tell you the reasons that I like it. It's got a decent amount of protein in it. It's cheap and relatively easy to cook And it absorbs any flavor you add really well. Plus it's a a nice change-up to the noodles and rice I make most nights. It's one of the best grains for you and it really does fill you up. If you swap out the meat and cheese protein, quinoa is a great way to add it back in.

I used eggplant but my picky vegan doesn't like eggplant so he got a red bell pepper which is a great stuffing vehicle too. Trust me, if I wasn't being held hostage this eggplant would be stuffed mile high with white rice, pork sausage and cheese. Alas, this is a great healthy second choice. The brown bits of quinoa are really nutty and good. You can also mix it up and try and curried version. Mix quinoa with raisins, chickpeas and curry powder. Or try a harvest version, mix quinoa with butternut squash, apples, walnuts. This is just a classic Italian spin.

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

1 Tbl vegetable bouillon (picture below)

8 mushrooms diced chunky

1/2 onion chopped

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

2 garlic cloves chopped

2-3 Tbls chopped basil

1/4-1/2 cup frozen spinach (or fresh)

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

4 Tbls panko crumbs

Bring water and bouillon to a boil in a saucepan. Add quinoa and reduce to a simmer.I find it takes about 20-25 minutes to cook. You can tell its cooked when the seeds look like they popped. Meanwhile saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes to sweat and then add the mushrooms and some chili flakes if you want heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft and then add tomatoes, spinach and basil. At this point, combine the cooked quinoa into the vegetable mixture. The filling should be wet. The wetter the better. Not soupy, but you want a moist filling because this is about to go into the oven.

Preheat oven to 400. Hollow out the eggplant with a spoon. Go slow so you don't break through the skin. Making an outline with a knife helps. Fill the eggplant up with the filling and top with the panko crumbs. I like to drizzle with a bit extra olive oil so the panko gets brown.

Bake for 20 minutes. This is another dish that goes best with a light crunchy salad.