Quinoa with White Beans, Roasted Grapes and Brussels Sprouts

By Genevieve

Whenever I make a salad or grain like rice or quinoa for my meals, I like it to include a variety of components so that it doesn't just feel like a boring side dish.  This quinoa dish that I made recently emcompasses what I like to think of as a complete meal - it has veggies, fruit, legumes, grains and nuts, all in one bowl!

I usually add raisins or dried cranberries as the "fruit" component in my salads, but this time I tried using roasted grapes, which I now love!  Roasting grapes in the oven makes them soft and almost caramelized with a deep, sweet flavor.

I first saw roasted grapes on Two Peas & Their Pod, and I've been wanting to try them since then.  I finally got around to making some crostini topped with roasted grapes a couple of weeks ago, and I liked it so much that I wanted to find more ways of incorporating them into recipes.

So I did some searching and came across this recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Grapes on the blog Jeanette's Healthy Living.  I liked the idea of combining the grapes with brussels sprouts, so I used her recipe as inspiration for this quinoa.

The grapes and brussels sprouts are roasted together with fresh thyme, and since I wanted those flavors to shine, I kept the dressing very simple and minimal.

To bulk up the dish a bit more, I added some canned cannellini beans, which I thought complemented the other ingredients really well. I also added some toasted pine nuts, but another nut like slivered almonds, walnuts or pecans would also work well. 

Altogether, this meal was definitely filling enough for dinner, but also makes a nice lunch!

Quinoa with White Beans, Roasted Grapes and Brussels Sprouts

Inspired by Two Peas & Their Pod and Jeanette's Healthy Living 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed and cut in half
• 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup red grapes
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa
• 2-3 tbsp pine nuts (or pecans or slivered almonds)
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp agave nectar
• 1 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the brussels sprouts with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Spread the Brussels sprouts and grapes on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with thyme and stir to combine.  Place baking sheet in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, until the grapes have softened and the brussels sprouts have browned.

Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Let cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes, until lightly toasted.  Prepare the dressing by whisking the remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, white wine vinegar and agave together

Add the roasted brussels sprouts, grapes, white beans and pine nuts to the bowl with the quinoa. Pour the dressing over everything and toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.

Makes 2 servings.

Quinoa with White Beans, Roasted Grapes and Brussels Sprouts 2022-03-08T18:46:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Admin