I love experimenting with my gluten and dairy free lifestyle, and this is my latest creation. This quinoa and broccoli casserole makes a great side dish, or can be eaten alone as a main meal as it is very filling and crammed with great nutritional value.
I have just discovered raw sheep’s milk cheese in Waitrose, and although this recipe has cheese in it, it can still be classed as ‘dairy free’ as sheep’s milk is not considered dairy. Also it is far easier to digest than cows milk so some people like me who have a chronic intolerance to cows milk can often enjoy this dairy free alternative no problem!
Sheep’s milk is also more nutritious than cows milk, more closely resembles the structure of human milk, plus because it is raw – most of the nutrients remain intact compared to cheese that has been burnt to death in the pasteurisation process. If you are a vegan, or cannot have any type of animal based cheese – simply replace the sheep’s milk cheese in this recipe with a vegan based one. Simples!
Ingredients:
- 1 organic onion
- 500g dry organic quinoa
- 1 medium/large organic broccoli head
- 1 teaspoon organic paprika
- 1-2 organic eggs
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 cup of finely shredded raw sheep’s milk cheese / or a vegan cheese
- 1/2 a punnet of organic mushrooms
- 2-3 organic garlic cloves
***Serves 2-4 people
Recipe:
- Begin by rinsing the quinoa in a very fine holed sieve, under clean purified water. Then place it in a pot ready for cooking, with double the amount of water to quinoa. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for 15minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
- Whilst your quinoa is simmering, finely chop your onion and cook it in a little coconut oil on the hob until it has gone transparent. Two minutes before they look ready to come off the heat, add the mushrooms (chopped finely) and the paprika. Remove after two minutes.
- Then take a medium sized baking bowl, and beat the eggs. Then add all the ingredients listed to make this recipe and mix thoroughly through together.
- Next, place all the contents of the bowl in a large pre-greased (with coconut oil) baking dish, top with extra cheese if desired, and bake at 200 degrees centigrade for 15 minutes.
Serving suggestions:
- With a healthy raw salad
- With a meat or vegetarian dish
- With a quiche
I know you are going to enjoy this delicious cheesy quinoa and broccoli casserole, and will feel great afterwards too as it is not heavy like some casseroles can be.