Cheezy Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables

Apparently you can make a “cheeze” sauce without having any real cheese in it. That sentence makes my brain hurt.

But it also intrigues me.

Man, I’m complicated.

I tried it in this awesome casserole bake thing and it left me feeling meh. I need to give it another shot, though. I improvised last minute because I didn’t have any veggie broth handy. A lot of recipes I’ve seen have milk in it, so I threw a tablespoon or two in. The latest batch of soy milk I bought [8th Continent] sucks to put it mildly. It’s so sweet. Then again, I’ve been drinking a lot more almond milk lately. Who knows. Regardless, sweet soy milk is no bueno in a “cheeze” sauce. Did that stop me from eating the whole thing? Nope! I’m insane a die hard, I know. It wasn’t that bad. Just not what this dish was looking for at all.

The quinoa and roasted veggies, though? Awesome x 100.

Sidenote: I made more cookie dough balls with a new [to me] food processor [thanks, Grammy!]. It worked like a champ. They were way better with a great consistency.

Inspiration: Newlywed, Newly Veg [whose website doesn’t exist anymore, apparently]

Ingredients

• 3 cups broccoli florets [about three bunches]
• 3 small carrots, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Herbs/spices of choice [I used an Italian blend]
• 1 cup quinoa [red or regular, but I used regular]
• 2 cups water
• Salt
• 1/3 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 small red pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/3+ cup veggie broth [Do NOT use 8th Continent soy. Yuck.]

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Toss veggies with olive oil and herbs.
3. Roast for 20-25 minutes. They’ll still be crunchy but you’re baking them later.
4. Combine quinoa, water, and pinch of salt in a pot.
5. Bring to a boil, then simmer until liquid is absorbed—about 15 minutes.
6. Blend remaining ingredients to make cheeze sauce.
7. When veggies and quinoa are ready, combine them with the cheeze sauce in a bowl. Use only 1.5 cups of quinoa.
8. Pour into a baking dish [I used an 8×8 glass dish].
9. Salt and pepper to taste.
10. Cover with another layer of cayenne pepper [optional, but I totally did it]
11. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.