Quinoa enchilada bake

Do you go to costco? If you do, has it ever happened to you that you see a good deal for 5 lb quinoa and even though there are just two of you, you think “wow so much healthy food for so little”. Then you pick the bag of quinoa and put it in your cart, patting your back. Saving those few dollars made you forget that you don’t even like quinoa that much! Well it’s happened to me.

The good thing is that quinoa is has long staying power. So after sitting in our pantry for a months and months I finally decided to give this recipe a try.

Let me tell you not only does it look delicious, it is! It was yummy and healthy – there are very few dishes that we can put in this category!

I slightly adapted the recipe to what I had on hand and the quantity I had on hand. That is why for some ingredients you would not see a specific quantity just a range. I would encourage you too to use what you have on hand or what you like. We really like stir-fried green pepper, onions and serrano pepper. So that is what I added to the recipe. Use as much or as little cheese as you want.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 8-10 oz enchilada sauce
• 10 slices serrano pepper 
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, sliced
• 1/2 to 1 cup black beans, boiled
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus 1 tbsp for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• 1 Roma tomato, diced

Instructions

• In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook quinoa according to package instructions; set aside.
• Stir fry onion, green pepper and serrano pepper.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8x8 or 2 quart baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, combine quinoa, enchilada sauce, onion-pepper mixture, black beans, 2 tbsp cilantro, cumin; season with salt to taste.
• Stir in half of each of the cheese.
• Spread quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheeses. Place into oven and bake until bubbly and cheeses have melted, about 15 minutes.
• Serve immediately, garnished with avocado, tomato and cilantro.