An Uncommonly Delicious Way to Enjoy Beautiful Produce!
Sometimes a recipe comes into being because I get a taste for something and can’t get it out of my head until I’ve made it and eaten my fill. Other times, like now, I find myself with several ingredients, decide they’d be delicious if they were combined and then go from there.
I had a couple bunches of really nice broccoli and a bag of small sweet orange bell peppers. I bought both of these items because their quality was superb, not thinking about any specific recipe. But once I got them home I realized they’d be delicious roasted together and then off I went.
By doing nothing more than tossing the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then giving them a 20-25 minutes roast in a 425° oven, the high heat did all the work for me. The natural sugars start to caramelize, and you get a little char on the edges of the individual pieces. So much flavor, for so little effort.
Although it’s been decades since most of us started roasting vegetables, I’m still startled by how much flavor is coaxed out of them with such a simple method. I was particularly impressed with the peppers. I’d never seen this particular type of small pepper, called Tatayoyo. They were incredibly sweet which worked well with broccoli. I put the pan of cooked veggies to the side and let it cool while I got on with the rest of the dish.
While the vegetables were delicious all on their own, I knew I wanted more out of this dish and got to thinking about how to complete it. I’ve been on a black quinoa jag lately. I really like how it retains its texture better than white quinoa and I also appreciate its more earthy flavor. I thought it would be great with the roasted broccoli and peppers.
I like to cook my quinoa as you would cook pasta – in a large pot of salted water, except for one difference. I add the rinsed quinoa to the pot of salted water before turning on the heat. After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
It’s important to taste the quinoa when it gets close to being done because it can differ in doneness level depending on the particular quinoa. I don’t like to wait until it’s fully soft. I want a little snap left when I bite into it and don’t want it to be mushy. I then drain it, rinse it in cool water, and spread it out on a sheet pan to dry.
I then made a dressing of soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice and zest, and peanut oil. Just a basic, but delicious dressing. I only wanted a dressing that would enhance the roasted vegetables, not overtake them in flavor.
When I was ready to serve it, I tossed together the veggies, quinoa, plenty of sliced scallions, and salted peanuts. I could go on and on about how the textures and flavors turned out so well, but suffice it to say that all it needed was a little kick of heat from something like gochugaru or Aleppo pepper flakes.
The color of that dark quinoa is so gorgeous with the peppers and broccoli, but, of course, that’s not the most important aspect. If it doesn’t taste great, who cares what it looks like?
What began as beautiful produce ended up being so much more than its individual parts. It’s substantial enough to serve as a meatless main dish, as a side with simple roasted or grilled meat, on top of crisp fresh greens, or use it to top a rice bowl. It is so so very good. No matter how you serve it, you’ll be happy.
Black Quinoa with Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Peppers
6
servingsRoasted broccoli and sweet peppers are tossed with black quinoa, sliced scallions, salted peanuts, and a dressing made with soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice and zest, and peanut oil. Gochugaru flakes are sprinkled on top and you're good to go. Incredibly delicious!
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Ingredients
2 pounds broccoli (2 bunches) trimmed into florets
1 pound sweet bell peppers, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Extra virgin olive oil
Fine salt
1 cup quinoa (I used black quinoa, but any color will work)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 scallions, trimmed and sliced thinly on the diagonal
1 cup roasted and salted peanuts, lightly crushed, using a mortar and pestle or chopped with a knife
Gochugaru or your choice of red pepper flakes, such as Aleppo
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425° with a rack in the center. Place the broccoli and peppers on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, and plenty of black pepper. Toss everything together with your hands and spread out evenly in the pan. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. This can be made hours in advance.
- Rinse the quinoa under cool water in a fine meshed strainer. Stir the quinoa into a large pot of water. Add salt to season (as you would for pasta) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer until the quinoa is fluffy, but still retains a bite, about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse under cool water. Spread it out on a sheet pan and set aside in order to let it dry. This can also be made hours in advance.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice and zest, and peanut oil until well combined.
- In a large bowl gently toss together the quinoa, roasted broccoli and peppers, sliced scallions, dressing, and 3/4 of the peanuts. Place on a large platter, scatter the remaining peanuts on top and sprinkle with as much gochugaru as you’d like.