Quinoa Vegetable Paella

(Originally posted by Bekki)

I’ve been browsing the recipes at FatFree Vegan Kitchen lately. Lots of yummy things, most of them, as the name suggests, fat free (well, as SusanV explains in her FAQ, strictly speaking they’re oil and trans-fat free) and vegan. Last night I tried out her recipe forQuinoa Vegetable Paella. Here’s her recipe with my notes.

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup quinoa (I used red quinoa)
1/4 teaspoon saffron, crushed (I didn’t have any, so left it out)
2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika (I used ordinary paprika)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
dash cayenne (I like cayenne pepper, so put in a bit more than a dash)
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 14-ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 3/4 - 3 cups vegetable broth (2 1/2 would have been fine I think)
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas (or mange tout/snow peas)
1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and cut into quarters (Don’t really like artichokes, so left this out)

Put the quinoa into a large bowl. Cover with water and stir well to wash the grain. Pour off the water and then repeat the washing process. You may also put the quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly.

Sauté onion and garlic in a deep non-stick skillet with a little water until soft. (I used some oil here. Susan reckons you can saute things with no oil and a little water. Perhaps I’ll try it next time.) Add the quinoa and saffron and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add paprika, cumin, cayenne, tomatoes, peppers, beans, and 2 3/4 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, and cook covered for 15 minutes. (It was still pretty wet after 15 minutes, so I gave it about 20)

After 15 minutes, check to see if more broth is needed. If it looks dry, add the remaining vegetable broth. Place the zucchini on top of the quinoa and re-cover. Cook for about 5 more minutes, until quinoa is done. Remove the cover, stir in the peas, and cook uncovered until peas are warm and all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Arrange the artichoke hearts on the top and serve. Add salt at the table, if necessary. (It wasn’t)

Makes about 6 servings.

It does indeed make 6 generous servings. I ate some for my dinner and I’m taking the rest to my church small group tonight.

It’s yummy stuff. Not exactly like paella, but with the cayenne and paprika, the taste is sort of reminiscent of the real thing. I added a little grated cheese on top, which destroyed its veganness but tasted delicious.