A new household favorite

I love when I try a new recipe and it is such a hit that it becomes one of our staple meals.  This recipe is really simple to put together, delicious, and very healthy.  I found it on my mom's pinterest, and you can find the link to the original website here. It is a broccoli, mushroom, and quinoa casserole.  You can also add chicken or other vegetables that sound good to you.  It is a lot like a broccoli and rice casserole with quinoa instead of rice.  If you have never tried quinoa, you should give it a shot.  It is a great source of protein, calcium, and folate, and fiber.  It has more protein per ounce than meat, and one cup of it contains 15% of the recommended daily allowance of iron.  You can read more about it here.

One 10 oz can condensed Cream of Broccoli soup (or mushroom), low-sodium if you prefer.  You can use fat free soup to make it a little healthier.

1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise 

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, etc)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash freshly grated nutmeg (I don't use the nutmeg in it.  But give it a shot if you want.)

2 cups cooked broccoli

1 cup baby portobello mushrooms (diced and sauteed)

3/4 cup cooked, shredded chicken (if you want)

1 1/2 cups  COOKED quinoa

Feshly grated Parmesan cheese

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To cook quinoa:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

To cook quinoa:
Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear.  In a small saucepan combine the quinoa, water, and salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and the white ring/tail is visible.  Fluff with a fork.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a shallow (8×8 in or 5-6 cups) casserole dish – or individual ramekins – with vegetable cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine the soup, mayonnaise, milk, shredded cheese, Splenda, pepper, and nutmeg until well mixed. Stir in the quinoa, mushrooms, and broccoli.
Spoon mixture into prepared casserole.  Sprinkle on a couple tablespoons of Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for ramekins) or until bubbly on the edges and golden.  Makes 8 generous 1/2-cup servings.