Did you eat Macaroni and Cheese as a kid? Well that is a silly questions, of course you did! Who didn’t? And I am sure you still enjoy it on occasion, right? It pretty much is the quintessential kid food, am I right? Quick and easy to throw on the table on a busy day. Unless you had one of those food loving moms or grandmas that would make homemade mac and cheese baked in the oven with mass amounts of gooey cheese, breadcrumbs, the works. All bubbly and browned to perfection. Well I know I didn’t, but I was just fine with my fake powdered cheese packets dumped in to the pot after my cardboard box pasta was cooked 😉 A little splash of milk and it was ready to eat. And we can’t forget to mention the innovative shapes and colored mac and cheeses used as a ploy by marketing to get a mother’s child to jump up and down in the grocery until they bought their Spongebob shaped mac and cheese. I know, the good old days, right? I was also one of those kids that enjoyed some ketchup on my macaroni and cheese as well. Haha, that is nutrition right there!
Well don’t worry, now that we know the scary things that are used to manufacture those wonderful boxes of chemical, man-made, “cheese” and noodles, we can remedy the situation. You can have you mac and cheese and eat it too! Most importantly you can have your non-gmo, clean, real-food, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan mac and cheese and eat it too! Haha, I know I am excited too! However, let’s make things more interesting and not use a traditional pasta or just plain old vegan cheese. No. Let’s make this a fancy grown-up side dish delicacy packed with wholesome ingredients and nutrition.
Full of warm roasted veggies, including eggplant, artichokes, portobello mushrooms, and pearl onions. With our superfood base ingredient of quinoa. That little powerful seed of gluten-free protein happiness. All mixed together with the wonderful nutty cheezy taste from my favorite, nutritional yeast!
Cheezy Roasted Vegetable Quinoa
Ingredients: (serves 4-6)
For the Roasted Vegetables:
+ 9oz of (Thawed) Frozen Sliced Artichoke Hearts
+ 2 Cups of Sliced Eggplant
+ 2 Medium Portobello Mushroom Caps (sliced)
+ 6 Pearl Onions (peeled and roughly chopped)
+ 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
+ 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
For the Quinoa:
+ 1 Cup Dry Quinoa (+2 Cups Water for Cooking)
+ 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
+ 1 Tsp Turmeric
+ 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
+ 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
+ 1 Tsp Chopped Chives
+ 1 TB Dried Parsley
Directions:
+ For the roasted vegetables, preheat the oven to 415°F. Prep all the veggies and spread them out on a foiled and lightly oiled baking sheet. Toss the veggies with the pepper and garlic and roast for 20 minutes, stirring half-way through.
+ For the quinoa, rinse off your quinoa under cold water, bring a large pot of 2 cups of water to a boil, add the quinoa and cook for about 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
+ When the quinoa is done, add in the roasted veggies, nutritional yeast, turmeric, parsley, smoked paprika, Dijon, and chives. Give everything a good stir until everything is coated and incorporated.
Grown-up “mac and cheese”? I think yes!
This was so delicious and also perfect the next day reheated! Great for a quick lunch option or a side dish to dinner. Or It could be a dinner within itself 😉 You may not be able to stop eating it. I had this three days straight it was so good!
The only thing I did not do was add ketchup! Hm….I may have to test that out 😉 Then we will really be talkin’!
So tell me:
Were you a macaroni and cheese lover as a kid?
Ketchup? Yay or Nay?
*Recipe linking up for the week! WIAW, Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, #RecipeOfTheWeek, Ricki Heller’s Wellness Weekend, #StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Whole Food Fridays!*
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Kirsten
Rebecca,
Thanks for this recipe!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks!
Carmella
I’m not a super huge fan of nutritional yeast so I usually omit it but I really love eggplant. And I’m totally gaga for smoked paparika
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Can’t omit it here!
Farrah
Nomnomnom. I need to stop by the store when I’m back in WV to pick up some nutritional yeast! (I ran out! :[!)
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
O no! You can never be without NOOCH!
Erica
You always make the most delicious looking dishes! I love quinoa! I’m not a big eggplant fan. It really depends on what ingredients it’s paired with, so this may do it for me.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I assure you it will 😉 Thank you so much Erica! XOXO
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl
Yum!! Thank goodness for nutritional yeast and turmeric, right? 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
The two BEST yellow foods around 😉
Ruth
this looks sooooo amazing and I am staaaarving right now!!!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Hahaha! I don’t know what time zone you’re in (it’s breakfast time here!), but if you make this right now….you are so awesome! Savory breakfast!
Emily @amummytoo
That looks crazy delicious and so much nicer than anything you get out of a packet! Thanks so much for linking up with #recipeoftheweek. I’ve pinned and tweeted this post and hope to see you linking up again soon! 😀 x
Strength and Sunshine
Haha totally! Thanks girl!
vegetarianmamma
YUM! This looks great! I see some cheesy quinoa in my future! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Thank you for linking up! Its because of awesome bloggers like you that our link up is a success!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Cindy!
Deborah Smikle-Davis
What a healthy, hearty replacement for Mac n Cheese! I grew up loving Mac n Cheese, but now I prefer healthier, whole grain, high fiber dishes like you marvelous quinoa creation.
Strength and Sunshine
This is definitely a nutrition powerhouse!
Jo-Lynne {Musings of a Housewife}j
I totally want to try this. Pinned ya!
Strength and Sunshine
Woohoo! It’s a great dish, you’ll love it 🙂
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets
Homemade macaroni and cheese is still one of my favorites, and I can be pretty picky about it! This recipe looks awesome! I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe!
Strength and Sunshine
Great! Thank you Janelle 🙂 You don’t have to worry about this one, it it awesome!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast
Ooh, with eggplant and artichokes- that sounds delicious! I occasionally make my daughter the Annie’s mac and cheese and confess to sneaking a few bites. 🙂
Strength and Sunshine
I’ve had that once or twice when I first went gluten-free! A little indulgence is good 😉
Marla
Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays Blog Hop. Pinned. Sounds like a delicious healthy recipe.
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Marla!
Julie
Looks very delicious and healthy too.
Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Julie 🙂
jillconyers
This looks like a dish I would love and the leftovers would be a bonus to take to work for lunch.
Strength and Sunshine
Totally! Dishes like these always taste even better the next day 😉
MCM Mama (@mcmmama)
This sounds yummy!!! I’m betting no one else in the house would eat it, but that just means more for me!!
Strength and Sunshine
Haha, there you go! But I bet they will love it 😉 Just serve it up and don’t say anything!
lovenataliemarie
I have been loving quinoa lately! This is perfect. 😀
Strength and Sunshine
I went on a hiatus of quinoa a few months ago, but I am totally loving it again!
veggiedancer
Wow, that looks delicious! It is very creative as well, and is a nice twist on the classic “mac and cheese” recipe. I love cooking with nutritional yeast, and I am sure it adds a great “cheesy” flavor to this dish. I definitely enjoy roasting vegetables as well, since it gives them a richer and even more delicious flavor. Roasted eggplant is particularly delicious, though I know the texture tends to bother some people. I’ve honestly never been a huge fan of ketchup, and I prefer using other condiments such as Dijon mustard, hummus, guacamole, and others.
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks! You should try homemade ketchup 😉
Melissa @ Completely Eclipsed
Looks delicious! I’m always looking for a new way to cook quinoa. I wonder if I could use spaghetti squash in place of the quinoa if I felt like switching it up a bit.
Strength and Sunshine
Give it a try!
alovelysideproject
Yum!!!!!!!! This looks delicious!
Strength and Sunshine
Thank you 🙂
Kris
Oh my goodness, that looks absolutely delicious! I love nooch and roasted veggies, so it sounds like a winner in my book 🙂 I used to be a ketchup fan, but since becoming vegan years ago, I haven’t really enjoyed the salty sweet taste anymore. I guess it just tastes a bit too ‘artificial’ for me now? I’m still a huge fan of tomato sauce, though!!
Strength and Sunshine
I just bought this awesome “ketchup” that is made for tomato allergy sufferers and those with acid reflux! It is made with carrots and tons of veggies….totally clean! It is called nomato! And its not a salt or sugar bomb! I haven’t tried it yet but I’m thinking of cracking the bottle open tonight!
Kris
Oooo, I’ve never heard of that product before–I’m intrigued 🙂 Definitely let me know how it goes!
Strength and Sunshine
It was delicious! It tasted like the real thing…only better! Crazy 🙂
EatGreatBEGreat
Quinoa and roasted veggies are literally two of my favorite things! This looks fantastic Rebecca!
Strength and Sunshine
Yes! Thanks Holly 🙂
Linz
this looks AWESOME!!
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks lovely! 🙂
jessielovestorun
I always get so excited when I see a recipe involving quinoa & roasted vegetables since the hubs not a fan =) How’s the leftovers taste btw?
Strength and Sunshine
The best! Like I said, I ate the leftovers for three days till it was sadly all gone :/
jessielovestorun
Oh my gosh, I totally missed that part when you mentioned it. Whoops!