Creamy Broccoli Quinoa

Today was a crazy day at work, a one-thing-after-another day that at least flew by quick. And I came home to a quieter house since we’re no longer dog sitting my dad’s dog. I think Miko is a little sad to lose his buddy for the last two weeks though.

He perked up for an intense toy-throwing session followed by dinner and seems to be back to his happy self. But I was craving a little comfort food after a stressful day and am a sucker for one-pot quinoa meals. I adapted this recipe from a very non-vegan version I came across awhile back and added a little more spice flare and found that garlic and nutmeg work great with broccoli.

Since the broccoli breaks down and blends nicely with the quinoa during the simmer process, a sloppy rough chop is fine.

The mixture looks a little watery at first.

But turns into a fluffy party after simmering.

I topped my serving with Trader Joe’s Vegan Mozzarella shreds which melted nicely into the quinoa.

The texture of the quinoa is just right, slightly firm with chunks of broccoli and onion blended in. And the flavor is savory with a slight spice from the nutmeg and garlic that isn’t too strong, just enough to be comforting and unique. And that would probably make this a kid-friendly recipe that can easily be flared up with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or fresh ground pepper.