Crock Pot Quinoa & Veggies

Recently, Ben got us a crock pot, which as opened my mind to looking for a whole new set of recipes. While scoping out Pinterest like usual, I would spot lots of slow cooker ideas, and just toss them aside since I didn't have the means to cook them.  I wish I had saved them because now I find myself searching for ideas.  I found this recipe for quinoa and veggies which gave me two firsts to try out: cooking in the crock pot, and cooking quinoa.



I have heard wonderful things about the super food, but have only a little bit of experience with quinoa.  I have only eaten it twice, and I have never cooked it.  Finding a recipe to make quinoa in the crock pot inspired me to try it.  I was always a little unsure about cooking it myself, but if it could be as easy as dumping it in a crock pot, I thought I should be brave enough to try it.

What you need:



2 cups of quinoa
4 cups of veggie broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
About 5 cloves of garlic, minced
About 2 cups of your favorite veggies (I used broccoli, peas, and carrots)
Basil
Pepper

What to do:
Put your quinoa into the crock pot.
Stir in olive oil.
Mix in the veggie broth, veggies, pepper, and garlic.



Cover and cook for about 4 hours.



Once quinoa is done cooking, fluff it with a fork.
Serve hot topped with some basil.





Then I decided to get fancy.





The quinoa had a mild but grainy taste with a nice texture which gave this meal a nice bite. The broth added the perfect mix of flavors, a little vegetabley and a little salty. I love that this lets you add whatever veggies you want. Its really customizable! The only thing I wish came out differently were the carrots, they were just a bit under cooked.  The basil was so fragrant, and went well with the garlic.  I felt like I was eating fancy food from an elegant restaurant, plus it was super healthy and vegan. I can't wait to make this again!

What is your favorite crock pot meal? How else do you like to make quinoa?

Bye from the veggie side!