Since I eat quinoa all the time, I get asked a lot what recipe should somebody who’s not really a fan of quinoa try to get themselves to like it. This is that recipe.

I made this last Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas Eve since it was such a hit. If you’ve never seen 80 year old aunts nudging each other to get the serving spoon for more quinoa, it’s quite hysterical. The only difference I made this year was using oil in place of butter and vegetable broth for chicken broth so that this was both vegan and gluten-free. You won’t miss the white bread in this untraditional stuffing.

If you want to save some time and chopping, you can buy pre-diced mirepoix at most grocery stores like Trader Joe’s nowadays.

The Best Quinoa Dressing

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 8 servings):

• 2 cups quinoa, rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable broth(or chicken broth)
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon rosemary
• 1/4 cup cane sugar

Method:

1. Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil in a large pot. Cover the pot and turn off the heat, letting the quinoa sit to absorb the water.
2. In a pan, sauté the onion, celery, and carrots in 2 tablespoons of oil until the onions are translucent and the carrots have cooked through.
3. When the quinoa is fully cooked, add in the sautéed vegetables, sugar, and herbs. Mix those in while fluffing the quinoa.
4. Move to a serving bowl and serve warm.

I’ve never been so happy for Thanksgiving leftovers.

I think you can tell a lot about people based on what they love to eat: If they go to bed dreaming of bagels slathered in cream cheese, or wait each year until grilling season for authentic BBQ, or haunt the same local restaurant week after week for all-you-can-eat sushi.

A few years ago if you asked what my favorite comfort food meal was—the dinner I couldn’t get enough of—I’d say buffalo wings and pizza. It was the same thing we got every Tuesday night from a downtown restaurant where the pizza was particularly doughy and greasy and the wings drenched in batter and hot sauce. It wasn’t a particularly gourmet(or even good) meal but just the sight of it was familiar and inviting.

A lot’s changed since then. Having to stop eating gluten and becoming a vegetarian have opened my eyes up to a whole new set of foods. Most of all it’s shown me that there are healthier options than greasy pizza and fried chicken that can be just as familiar and comforting at the end of a long day.

When I was little I spent most of my Summer at my grandparent’s apartment since both my parents worked and they lived 1.5 miles away. My grandmother knew how to cook a few things, one of them being scrambled eggs that she cooked with a large wooden spoon and served with buttered toast. Now whenever I need that taste of home I go straight for the scrambled eggs—occasionally made with a wooden spoon—and served next to buttered home fries and a bed of steamed kale for color.

A lot of people will tell you the secret to good scrambled eggs is adding milk to the batter. I don’t think that’s it. The key to making good eggs is to take them off the heat before they’re finished cooking—when they’re mostly cooked but still have a glossy, wet shine on top. Eggs, like any protein, continue to cook even when they’re cooling; if you cook them fully on the stove, they’ll dry out as soon as you take them out of the pan.

And the secret to good potatoes? Time. Time in the oven, and then time on a hot pan on each side to get a brown crust. Oil, butter, and sliced onions never hurt either. 

And of course there’s nothing more comforting than the whole plate covered in tangy, salty-sweet ketchup, coarse sea salt and fresh black pepper.

What’s the one meal that feels like home to you?

Over the weekend I saw two recipes for quinoa pecan stuffing that caught my eye. I loved the presentation and photos from this recipe on For The Love Of Food(just try looking at it and not getting hungry). And I loved the addition of butternut squash and pecans in this recipe from The Cooking Channel, but I didn’t love the choice of seasoning. Instead I worked from both recipes, picking what I think is the best of both and making a different quinoa stuffing.

Is it the best I ever had? Not really. But it’s the best I ever had that cooks up in 20 minutes in one pot. If I made this again I’d sauté some onions and celery and perhaps mushrooms like one of the original recipe has to develop the flavor a little more.

Quinoa Pecan Stuffing With Butternut Squash

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

• 1 cup quinoa, washed and drained
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth*
• 1 cup cooked and diced butternut squash
• 3/4 teaspoon savory herbs like thyme and rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup crushed pecans plus more for garnish

*Since there’s very few seasonings in this recipe, using broth and not water is important to add deep flavor.

Method:

1. Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil over the stove. Cover the pot and turn off the heat, letting the quinoa absorb the liquid for 15 minutes until it’s fully cooked.
2. Add in the diced squash, herbs, salt, and pecans and mix those in while fluffing the quinoa.
3. Serve hot and garnish with extra pecans if desired.

I was worried using so few ingredients the recipe wouldn’t hold up to either of the originals, but the broth adds a ton of flavor(I used Rapunzel’s vegan bullion cubes in case you’re wondering). A fun variation on this would be substituting cubed sweet potatoes in for the butternut squash.