Quinoa & Parmesan Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

I discovered quinoa about two years ago when I tried it in a delicious soup my uncle made for us. I picked up a bag at Costco and since then have tried it in several recipes with great success. We make Turkey & Quinoa Meatloaf - a healthified meat-loaf that substitutes quinoa for bread crumbs - several times a month and my meat and potatoes husband also asks for more.

I am dying to try this No-Bake Recipe that uses quinoa flakes - protein for my kiddos and me in our chocolatey yummies - yes please! A lady in my neighborhood has tried it and her families loves it! I also have this Pumpkin Quinoa Muffin recipe on file for this week.

Here are some of the health benefits of quinoa -

• Protein Powerhouse
• High in vitamins, minerals and protein, while low in fat and calories
• Internal Cleanser/Detoxifier
• High in Calcium, Potassium, and Magnesium
• High in Iron - Boosts brain power and energy
• High in Vitamin B - keep those moods under control

Sounds awesome, right? It's been fun looking for more uses of quinoa as part of Food Network's weekly Healthy Challenge. This week's challenge was whole grains and quinoa is one of our definite favorites. We made the Quinoa and Parmesan Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes picture above. They were so cute and so easy! The concoction had a Mexican flair and taste that I loved.

Here is the recipe I modified. I took the suggestions from the comments and reviews.

Quinoa & Parmesan Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

Modified from About.com

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small yellow onion, diced small
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
  
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 4-6 Tomatoes
  

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium sized pan, sautee the onion and garlic in butter or olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until onions are just soft. Reduce heat to medium low.

Hollow out tomatoes. Puree seeds and juice in the blender.

Add the broth, puree, and quinoa (I subtracted however much puree I had from the amount of broth I used). Cover, and allow to simmer until liquid is mostly absorbed and quinoa is cooked, about fifteen minutes.

Remove from heat, and gently mix quinoa to distribute any excess moisture.

Place quinoa mixure in hollowed out tomatoes. Season with salt to taste, and top with Parmesan cheese, or, for a vegan version, mix in nutritional yeast instead of the cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350.

Makes 3 servings of vegetarian quinoa.

Linking up with Beauty & Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday :)