I had never tried quinoa before testing this recipe, and my verdict is that the grain with the funny name is good. The combination of vegetables and quinoa is so delicious that I would be happy with a big bowl of just that. This is even better though, because stuffing it into the onion makes an awesome and impressive dish.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 2
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Up to 6 hours before mealtime, place the quinoa in a stainer and rinse under cold running water for 1 minute. Fill a saucepan with water, add the quinoa and bouillon cube, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender. Drain in a strainer and set aside.
Step 2
Peel the onion and cut about 1 inch off the top. Pop out the center of the onion, leaving just the 2 outer layers. (Cut an X in the center few rings of the onion from the top to the bottom and wiggle the knife around to remove the middle of the onion. It doesn’t matter if the center of the onion gets broken up because you are chopping it anyway. Once you have the center out, use your fingers to remove the remaining rings, keeping the 2 outer layers intact.) Chop the inside of the onion into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut the ends off the mushroom stems, discard, and cut the mushrooms into quarters. Peel the carrot, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Trim and discard the ends of the celery, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Step 3
Place the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, chopped onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Stir together the quinoa and mushroom mixture and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4
Carefully separate the two large onion layers, keeping both intact, and place them in an 8-inch square baking pan. Spoon the quinoa mixture into each of the onion layers and cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 5
Cut the thick red stem out of the red chard leaves and rinse the leaves well. Place the still-wet chard leaves in the skillet and cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, or until completely wilted. Remove from the heat, cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 6
One hour and 15 minutes before mealtime, preheat the oven to 350°F. Leave the aluminum foil on the onion shells and bake for 1 hour, or until the quinoa is warmed through.
Step 7
Five minutes before mealtime, remove the plastic wrap from the chard and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until hot.
Step 8
Place some of the chard in the center of each plate and, using a spatula to keep in the quinoa, carefully top with a quinoa-filled onion shell. Serve immediately.
food for thought
Step 9
Quinoa is a seed, not really a grain, though it’s cooked and used like whole grains. It’s very high in protein, and unlike wheat or rice, it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it an unusually complete vegetarian source of protein. It’s also a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Plus, it’s gluten free and easy to digest. It has a nice mild, nutty flavor, too. What more could you want?
