Quinoa Plus Casserole

I had a jar of Quinoa-Toasted sitting for a while, so since I have been able to do so many things with my Five (Or More!) Ingredient Garlic Quinoa, I decided to try my hand at some different quinoa dishes. Here is my souped up version of a recipe from a vegetarian site. My is quite a bit different....certainly enough to call it my own.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups quinoa, washed and toasted (see Quinoa-Toasted)
• 1 1⁄2 cups wild rice, washed
• 4 1⁄2 cups  low sodium vegetable broth
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 8  slices  turkey bacon, chopped
• 3  medium carrots, peeled and grated
• 3  stalks celery, peeled and chopped (peel ribbed side like a carrot)
• 1  large red onion, chopped
• 3  scallions, sliced (white & green parts)
• 6  medium white mushrooms, sliced
• 3⁄4 cup frozen green pea, thawed at room temp
•  fresh ground pepper, to taste (I use alot)
•  butter, 1 pat
• 2  cooked chicken breasts, cubed (Your choice but extra protein not needed)

Directions

1. Place large saucepan over high heat with 4 cups of broth.
2. Bring to a boil and add rice. Stir and cover.
3. Bring heat to med-low and cook until all the broth is absorbed, about 45 minutes.
4. In the last twenty minutes of cooking, add quinoa with 1/2 cup of boiling water. Stir and cover. Continue cooking on med-low heat.
5. As rice is cooking, fry bacon til crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel.
6. Pour out any extra oil but don't wipe pan clean.
7. Add all the vegetables except peas to coated pan and stir fry about 10 minutes.
8. When rice mixture is done, fold in bacon, all vegetables including peas. (This is where I add the pepper).
9. Use butter to grease your casserole dish. Add mixture to dish.
10. Bake covered, in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
11. If you choose to use the chicken, add with the vegetables.