Creative in the Kitchen

Since I moved in with Jose, I have been getting creative as best I can when it comes to making us dinner because I try to stick to a vegetarian diet as much as possible and he loves his meat.  And just to make matters worse, Jose has been spoiled by two amazing cooks- his mother and sister.  So needless to say, I need to not only make a meatless dish taste good, but I need to make sure it tastes really good. 

This is a recipe I made up by using basic cooking skills I've picked up watching my mom cook and living on my own, which to me means you can add anything to olive oil, onions, garlic, salt and pepper and it will be delicious.  I have successfully tricked Jose's stomach into thinking quinoa in tomato sauce is basically pasta and meatier veggies are sorta like that beef he'd rather be eating.  

**Disclaimer: I am not a chef- this is a yummy dinner but nothing special.**

Rainbow Carrot, Zucchini, and Quinoa Medley with Tomato Sauce 

Ingredients: 

try keeping it organic if you can! 

3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1/2 of an Onion 

2 Cloves of Garlic 

3-4 Rainbow Carrots 

3-4 Zucchini

1 cup of Quinoa

1 cup of Tomato Sauce
Salt & Pepper

Directions:  

1. Add 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water to a pot and bring to a boil.  Turn the flame down low and put the lid on it.  Let it cook for about 10-12 minutes, until the water is all gone.  

2. Individually, chop the onions, garlic cloves, carrots, and zucchini into small pieces. Salt and pepper all of the vegetables. 

3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat.  Add the onions and garlic. Stir until they start to brown.  Then add the carrots and zucchini to the pan. Mix the ingredients around and then cover for about 2-3 minutes just to soften the carrots and zucchini a little. 

4. Remove the lid and cook the ingredients, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. 

5. Add as much quinoa as you want into the pan and stir.  Then add the tomato sauce and do the same.  Makes about 2-4 servings, depending on it being a side dish or not.