It’s hard to believe that this past weekend was one in August. In Indiana. It was absolutely gorgeous! Normally at this time, we are sticking our heads in the freezer, but we had mid-70s for highs this weekend and it dipped down into the 50s at night. With absolutely no humidity. It felt like October! I even had to pull out the sweatpants and sweater to sit outside in the morning. It was glorious.
Even though I know we still have a ton of hot and humid weather in our future, I really chose to embrace the Fall-like days we had this weekend. I had no less than thirteen dozen cups of hot coffee. I wore jeans and boots. And I made bakey, cheesy comfy food.
I think this quinoa bake is a really fun combo of typical “health food” and typical “not-health food”. Yes, it’s chock full of protein-packed quinoa and the veggie superfood cauliflower (fiber! vitamin C! antioxidants!). But it’s also got buffalo sauce and a hefty amount of two different cheeses. It’s cheesy, spicy and incredibly flavorful. I love foods like this. It’s proof that eating healthy doesn’t mean steamed broccoli and baked tilapia for dinner every night.
I can’t wait until it’s actually Fall and we can eat this in front of a football game with a nice bottle of ice-cold pumpkin ale. With maybe a Pumpkin Spice Latte for dessert. Who else is ready for October?
Buffalo Blue Cheese Quinoa and Cauliflower Bake
I think this quinoa bake is a really fun combo of typical "health food" and typical "not-health food". Yes, it's chock full of protein-packed quinoa and the veggie superfood cauliflower (fiber! vitamin C! antioxidants!). But it's also balanced out with buffalo sauce and a hefty amount of two different cheeses.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup quinoa
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 large head cauliflower, chopped roughly
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (add more if you want more spice)
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray six ramekins with cooking spray, or an 8x8" baking dish. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine quinoa and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
- Mix quinoa with cauliflower, garlic, onion, blue cheese, buffalo sauce, yogurt and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese until well-combined.
- Spoon mixture into ramekins or baking dish. Sprinkle tops with remaining cheddar cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until cheese on top is browned and bubbly and cauliflower is softened.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 252Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 1172mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 15g
At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.
