Main Courses – The Inspired Parent

Quinoa Enchilada Casserole

We love quinoa. This gluten-free, ancient superfood has been a staple in our home for several years — it’s a great substitute for pasta, rice or couscous. Mild in flavor, this extremely versatile grain pairs beautifully with all sorts of flavor combinations.

We’ve made quinoa bowls for quite some time (black beans, quinoa, veggies, etc.) and decided to give it a try using enchilada sauce to change things up a bit. Added some of our favorite cheese sprinkled on top & baked it & our Quinoa Enchilada Casserole was born! We’ve cooked it at least once a month ever since. It’s a great dish if you’re feeling like comfort foods — keeps you filled up, reheats beautifully and is just as tasty at room temperature as it is piping hot out of the oven, so it’s great for a party if you’re serving buffet-style.

Best part is that you could easily change things up…maybe try a different bean combination, add some other veggies, make it spicy or keep it mild. The options are only as limited as your culinary imagination. Any which way, this is just one tiny sample of how scrumptious quinoa can be. Happy eating!

Enjoy!

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Originally published April 2016.

Onion Tart

Oh, wonderfully delicious onion tart! The first time we remember being blown away by one was at Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival more than a decade ago. The France kiosk had a version that was perfectly caramelized with a crisp yet light crust — it impressed us so much that we looked through a bunch of cookbooks that afternoon hoping to find a recipe that seemed similar so we could try to make one at home. We purchased a couple of books & tried them when we returned but they weren’t quite the same as the deliciousness we had that day at the park.

Over the years, Mr. The Inspired Parent has tried different versions — he’s nailed it with one that is now a family favorite.

The crust in our version has a bit of corn meal in it, making it a more savory-style crust. We find that this not only adds a great little crispy quality but the flavor pairs perfectly with the onion mixture. Don’t rush cooking the onions — low & slow is the key to increasing the flavor of the onions, softening them nearly to the point of caramelization though you’ll back off on the heat before getting to that point.

As long as you keep an eye on the onions so they don’t brown, this is a simple recipe and quite an impressive one that your friends & family will love!

Happy Cooking!

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Quick & Easy Breakfast Burrito

Sometimes simple, quick breakfasts are necessary, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. We often make breakfast burritos using various leftovers — toss in some scrambled eggs and shredded cheese and goodness awaits!

Simple breakfast burrito using leftovers & a few fresh ingredients.

We had tacos a couple of nights ago — basic taco-seasoned ground pork — and we also had some leftover rice pilaf. Warmed both of those in the microwave while scrambling the eggs. We filled low-carb tortillas with our meat & rice, added the scrambled eggs, sliced black olives, a little diced onion & red bell pepper, a dollop of sour cream and some shredded Chihuahua cheese and our simple, tasty, taco-inspired breakfast burritos were all set.

Though this weekend’s filling was pretty basic compared with some others we’ve made, truly anything goes! What are some of your favorite breakfast burrito fillings?

(Un)Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Stuffed cabbage rolls are great, but making them always seems so time-consuming. After trying several different cabbage casserole recipes over the years, they all had the same issues…either lacking in flavor, were too water-logged, or just plain boring. We wanted a casserole that was full of flavor, not overly watery/wet, easy to assemble, on the healthier side and would reheat well for lunch or dinner the next day.

We came up with a combination that hits all of our requirements and it’s now a family favorite.

Super easy, reheats beautifully in the oven or microwave - definitely a family favorite! — Reheats beautifully in the oven or microwave – you can easily heat up a portion in a skillet over low heat (put a few teaspoons of water in the pan & cover for a few minutes).

It’s super easy and we’ll often make it ahead of time during the weekend and then pop it in the oven after work on Monday for a fabulous dinner (*bonus* — not having many dishes to clean on a busy night).

Hope you love it as much as we do!

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