Quinoa & Cheese

2 tsp. olive oil
1 med. leek, white and pale green parts halved and sliced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup diced red or green bell peppers
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 tsp. minced garlic
3 cups water
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups grated cheese
Toppings - Panko, crushed red pepper, French fried onions
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in frying pan over med. heat.  Add leek and peppers.  Cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in quinoa and garlic.  Cook uncovered 3-4 minutes.  Add 3 cups of water, salt and pepper.  Cover and reduce heat to med-low.  Simmer 20-25 minutes or more (depends on what kind of quinoa you use) or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.  Whisk eggs and milk in a large bowl.  Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese.  Pour into baking dish.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until browned around edges.  Sprinkle with toppings and bake another 5 minutes, watching carefully so toppings don't burn.  Serve with salsa, scallions, sour cream, hot sauce, etc.  Serve with a side of steamed broccoli or a salad and a slice of bread.  Serves 6

Comment:  On Doctor Oz's show he talked about quinoa.  I had never heard of it before and had no idea as to what it might taste like, how it was served nor what it even looked like when cooked but he said it was one of the healthest foods and a total protein so I decided to give it a try.  I went to my local health food store and bought some a couple of weeks ago.  It's been in my pantry since buying and then I ran across this recipe.  The dish was posted on Pinterest by Around the Table and it's delicious!  I made a few changes to fit my own taste.  She used tomatoes and I used green peppers.  She added seasoning salt which I omitted and my cheese was a blend instead of cheddar.  This is a dish that I would make even if it weren't healthy.  It's that good.

Baked Cabbage

1 head cabbage cut into 4 equal pieces
6-8 pieces pre-cooked bacon
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place cabbage on top of a large piece of foil (big enough to wrap completely, may even take 2 pieces depending on size of cabbage.).  Sprikle bacon over cabbage.  Drizzle with oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Place in a baking dish.  Bake 45-50 minutes or until cabbage is soft but not mushy.

Comment:  I found this recipe on Pinterest where it had been submitted by food.com.  Their method of cooking was to grill, I decided to bake.  They used uncooked bacon, I opted for the pre-cooked and a small amount of olive oil.  Using the pre-cooked cut down on the grease coming from the bacon but still gave flavor throughout the cabbage.  The dish is delicious and really pretty when served.  It's also a great dish to cook while the oven is already in use with another dish.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, fresh or frozen (thawed)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup Romano cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a bowl toss all ingredients.  Pour into a baking dish big enough to have a loose single layer.  Bake 30 - 35 minutes stirring frequently until tender.

Comment:  The original recipe did not include the cheese.  That was my idea.  You can also use Parmesan cheese instead of the Romano.  You might even want to try this with broccoli instead of the Brussels sprouts.