This Roasted Veggie Quinoa Casserole comes from Stephanie Weaver’s newest book The Migraine Relief Plan: An 8-Week Transition to Better Eating, Fewer Headaches, and Optimal Health.
The plan provides a gradual and customizable approach to reducing inflammation and relieving migraine pain. It includes over 75 delicious recipes that suit a number of dietary needs including gluten free, sugar free, vegan, vegetarian and paleo diets.
Try this roasted veggie quinoa casserole recipe:
This dinner recipe is both easy-to-make, budget friendly and perfect for plant-based diets. It’s rich in protein and fiber from the black beans and quinoa used. You can easily mix up the vegetables that you use in this recipe to suit your personal taste preferences.
To increase the anti-inflammatory benefits of this roasted veggie quinoa casserole, choose a curry powder that contains turmeric. Turmeric contains a powerful compound called curcumin that has been proven through research to help reduce pain naturally.
Roasted Veggie Quinoa Casserole
Notes
You must use a casserole dish with a lid, or cover your dish tightly with foil, or the quinoa will dry out and not cook properly. Choose pre-prepped or frozen butternut squash to shorten prep time. You can prep all the vegetables a day ahead. It’s important to cut them uniformly; the small dice allows them to cook through.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (175g) quinoa, any color
- 1 cup (250mL) filtered water
- 1 (1.5–2 pound [680–900g]) butternut or other fall squash
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1/2 cup chopped kale, stems included
- 1/2 cup cooked no-salt-added or low-sodium black beans, drained (optional)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup (60mL) organic extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons no-salt-added medium–hot curry powder
- 1 1/2 cups (375mL) low-sodium vegetable stock
Instructions
- Put the quinoa and filtered water in a glass bowl and set aside to soak while you are prepping the vegetables.
- Peel the squash, cut it in half, remove the seeds and strings, and cut into a 1/2-inch dice. Add to a large mixing bowl, along with the carrots, celery, kale, black beans, if using, and garlic.
- Drizzle the oil over the vegetables and toss. Sprinkle with the curry powder and toss until evenly coated. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Spray or oil a large lidded casserole dish. If you don’t have a lid, cut a piece of aluminum foil to cover. Set aside.
- Drain and rinse the quinoa.
- Add the drained quinoa and stock to the casserole dish. Gently agitate the dish to distribute the quinoa evenly, while keeping it submerged in the liquid.
- Carefully add the vegetables evenly on top, spreading with a spatula and keeping as much of the quinoa in contact with the liquid as possible.
- Bake, covered or wrapped tightly in foil, for 35 to 45 minutes, or just until the vegetables are fork-tender.
- Remove from the oven, uncover, and let rest for a few minutes before serving.
Reprinted with permission from The Migraine Relief Plan, copyright 2016 Stephanie Weaver. Published by Surrey Books, an imprint of Agate Publishing, Inc. Recipe photography copyright 2016 by Laura Bashar
Chew on this
The food you eat can increase or decrease the pain that you feel because of its effect on inflammation. Plant-based foods tend to have an anti-inflammatory action in the body, while animal-based foods such as red meat are generally more inflammatory. This roasted veggie quinoa casserole is rich in plant-based nutrition perfect migraine sufferers or those dealing with any inflammatory conditions.
What is your favourite way to use quinoa? Tell us in the comments below.
