"As Comforting as it Gets" Quinoa Mac 'n' Cheese

Being a student there is one thing that I have come accustom to and that’s Kraft Dinner. There’s nothing better and nothing cheaper than a huge pot of creamy, cheesy, pasta goodness. Expect maybe one thing – creamy, cheesy, quinoa goodness. 

This year I tried out quinoa mac 'n' cheese for the first time and I not only impressed myself but I impressed a few of my friends as well. When I explained how easy it was, everyone was on board. I made it from memory by watching my mom make homemade mac 'n' cheese when we were kids. She’d start with a roux (pronounced "roo") and then would add the cheese. So when I first made this recipe I basically eyed everything on my own. This made things quite difficult when I tried to explain to roommates and friends how to make it. “What’s a roux?”, “How much flour?”, “How much butter?”, “How do I know when it’s done and I can add the cheese” and my all time favourite “How much milk?”. All I could say was, “add everything so it’s all a thick consistency” or the straight up answer “I have no idea, Google, how to make a good cheese sauce.” I’m brutal, I know. I'm sorry...

This recipe is so good and to be honest I love it even more than classic mac 'n' cheese. The texture is fun and when it’s fresh out of the oven, it’s gooey and cheesy and the best reason of all – it’s a lot better for you. I figured something so good could be made even better if I added some fun ingredients to it. I decided I’d add canned tomatoes and green onion –  who doesn’t love those things? 

Pack down tight before you top with parmesan and breadcrumbs 

                                                 
Quinoa Mac 'n' Cheese

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups  quinoa
3 cups water
1 cup milk
1 tbsp butter
1 ½ cups of cheese
1 can diced tomatoes
2 chopped green onions
¼ cup parmesan cheese *
¼ breadcrumbs *
a couple dashes of hot sauce*
salt and pepper to taste 

* - OPTIONAL

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add quinoa and water to a pot and boil until the quinoa has doubled in size and water is gone. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add butter and flour. Keep whisking until a thick paste forms. Add the milk and continue whisking. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Keep whisking the whole time. Once it reaches a boil add salt, pepper, hot sauce and cheddar cheese. Strain tomatoes from the can. Add cooked quinoa, tomatoes and green onion to the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into a baking dish and top with bread crumbs and/or breadcrumbs if desired. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!                                     

There was only three of us and this is how much was left. SORRY, we like to eat! 

             ***I apologize for the lack of photos this week. We were a hungry bunch of girls.***
                                                   

"Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Quinoa Granola Bars

I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but TOOT TOOT! These are amazing my friends, AMAZING!

Who doesn’t love a sweet chewy granola bar? I literally don’t know a single soul who doesn’t. Biting into a sweet, yet salty, chocolate chip granola bar that fills the soul with joy, there’s nothing better. Okay… maybe granola bars aren’t that great but they make life a whole lot easier when you’re someone who’s constantly on the go. Finding a granola bar that was jam packed with Quinoa was my quest and I totally succeeded when I stumbled upon a Quinoa granola bar recipe from Mouth Watering Eats . It’s simply divine.

                                       

To find my ingredients for these bars I decided I’d take a trip to Bulk Barn. When I got there I went completely buck wild and bought a ton of ingredients that would make a personalized granola bar that I, myself would love. So I hope that when you make these, you do the exact same. Add any ingredients you want. Personalize it and make it yours. Dried fruit, chocolate chips, nuts and/or coconut – whatever you think would be perfect for you. Do it and don’t look back because it’s going to rock!

Make sure to pack the mixture tightly

Here are the Quinoa Granola Bars with, you guessed it, my suggestions/changes in the brackets. Enjoy!!

Quinoa Granola Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup quick oats 

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/4 cup oat flour (I used regular flour)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup nut butter of choice (I used peanut butter because peanut butter is simply the best)

1/2 tsp vanilla

*optional: add-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit (DO IT! DO IT NOW! I used pecans, dark chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut and dried cranberries)*

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, mix together oats, quinoa, oat flour, and cinnamon.  Add honey, applesauce, nut butter, and vanilla.  Mix until a sticky mixture forms.  If you want to use any add-ins, throw in a handful now, and mix them in.  Press mixture into prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Once cooled, cut into 8 bars.  Store in an airtight container.  For traveling, put bars in a blastic bag or wrap in aluminum foil.

Finished product tastes amazing

The "Blonde Moment" Apple Quinoa Bake

While I was at school this week, one of my classmates approached me with a recipe for an Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bake. I was instantly intrigued and couldn't wait to make it, so of course I made it that weekend as a lovely breakfast for my roommates and myself.
The bake didn't take long to prepare but being a relatively new cook, and one who is far from bad but far from amazing, I (of course) did not read the instructions through carefully... What!? I was excited! Apparently I was supposed to cook the bake the night before I served it. Oopsie...I realized this about halfway through the preparation process so I made the conscious decision to only add about half the milk the recipe called for, otherwise I would've had a lake…not a bake (cue “joke” drums).
Luckily the bake came out the perfect consistency, and I saved breakfast. I really enjoyed this bake but I think with the lack of milk compared to that which was called for, the spices were very overpowering. 
I really want to make this recipe again, but make sure I make it the proper way. So I thank my classmate for handing over this recipe and I apologize for having a HUGE blonde moment.
So with that said, what did we learn this week folks? Always read the ENTIRE recipe beforehand. I don't think I can stress that enough, can I?
Here is the Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bake with a couple of my personal changes, as usual, in the brackets.

The Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bake 

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Quinoa

1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2 apples, peeled and diced

¼ cup raisins ( I didn’t use raisins because I didn’t have any but I’m sure they’d be great)

2 eggs

2 cups vanilla soy milk (since I didn’t make it the night before I only used one cup – the liquid from the apples, eggs and maple syrup would make up for the rest of the milk)

¼ cup maple syrup

1/3 cup almonds, chopped

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 7 by 11 inch baking dish (an 8 by 8 works too). In a small bowl, mix the uncooked Quinoa with the spices. Pour into a greased dish. Sprinkle the apple and raisins (if you use them) on top of the Quinoa. In the same small bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in the soy milk and maple syrup. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the top of the fruit and Quinoa. Lightly stir to partially submerge the fruit. Sprinkle the chopped almonds on top. Bake for one hour or until the casserole is mostly set with only a small amount of liquid left. Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate. In the morning, cut a square, microwave it on a plate, and enjoy alone or withhh a few dollops of Greek yogurt.