Roasted Garlic and Herb Quinoa “Fried Rice”

It has been a gloomy and stressful week.  I found myself making one of my comfort foods, quinoa and made “fried rice”.   With all that stress, I wanted to be good to my heart, so I decided to add garlic; plenty of them.  But rather than the typical minced garlic, I settled to roast the garlic cloves whole in olive oil.   I added rosemary to make it more flavorful.

Rosemary and garlic are great combination to any dishes either chicken, beef,  pork, vegetables or rice.  The result is always savory.  A serving of this quinoa “fried rice” gives you 6 grams of protein which is higher than a piece of toast or a bagel.  It’s also comforting to know that garlic is good for you.  It aids condition related to heart and blood system such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and hardening of the arteries.  That’s the primary and one of the reasons why I love garlic.  The other?  Its aroma.  It’s  intoxicating!  There is something about its fragrant that makes me happy. 😀  My husband would always come down to find out what I was cooking  when he hears the sizzling, stirring of the spatula, and the aroma from the garlic.  He would always say, “Mm…smells good!  What are you making’?”  🙂

The  garlic  infused the oil while roasting, so you can really smell the garlic in the oil even after removing them.   Adding the rosemary and seasoning makes this  sophisticated looking dish very tasty and flavorful.  This dish is quite easy to make.  Just roast the garlic and make the fried rice and you have an elegant side dish to serve for your family.   How’s that for easy!

Anyway, I feel really sad for my dear friend, Shanna.  Her mother passed away the other day. My mother is still alive and I would be quite devastated if I lose her.  Mothers are irreplaceable.  They hold a special place in our hearts.  She mentioned that there is something comforting being one with the kitchen and I agree with her.  More often, I find myself  in the kitchen baking something whenever I feel sad or not having a good day.  Well, she made Light Sweet Potato Streusel Buns and oh… my… goodness!  They look so “incredibly” moist and delicious!!  It makes your mouth water just looking at them.   As soon as I get permission from her, I would share it with you, but in the meantime click here to get the recipe.   You are welcome. 🙂

Back to the roasted garlic quinoa, let’s get cooking.

Ingredients:

• 17 peeled garlic cloves
• 2 cups cooked quinoa (see notes)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon Weber roasted and garlic and herbs seasoning
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (see notes)

Roast the garlic

Tilt the pan (very carefully) to submerge the garlic for even roasting.

Remove the garlic.

Cook and marry the ingredients. Stir to combine.

Season with salt, pepper, and roasted garlic and herb seasoning. Stir to combine.

Serve warm.

Directions:

1. Gather your ingredients then read the notes before making this dish.
2. Heat a small saucepan over low heat and add the oil when hot.
3. Add the garlic and roast until lightly brown.  (See notes)
4. Remove from the oil and set aside.
5. Heat a skillet over medium heat.
6. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the infused oil when hot. (See notes)
7. Add the roasted garlic and 1 tablespoon rosemary.  Stir and cook until fragrant (about 5-10 seconds)
8. Add the cooked quinoa and stir to combine.
9. Add the remaining rosemary.  Season with salt, pepper, and the garlic and herb seasoning
10. Stir until well-combined.  Cook until just heated through.
11. Serve warm.

You can also add it to your favorite sandwich with saffron cream cheese spread (recipe coming soon).

Notes:

• You can roast the garlic this way or you can roast it in the oven.  Just peel the garlic, place them in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a 400 degree heat until desired brownness.
• You can use a combination of red and white quinoa or one or the other.  Your choice.
• I used 1/4 cup of oil and very carefully tilted the pan to submerge the garlic for even cooking.  You don’t have to do this.  But if you do, do it at your own risk.  Please be very careful.  You don’t want to set the house on fire.
• If your family don’t like to eat garlic cloves, you can chop them.
• You can use 1 or 2 tablespoons of the infused oil to make the fried rice as desired.  You can save the remaining infused oil and use it for making stir-fry or adding it to your salad dressing.  You can also use it to fry some plantains. Since extra virgin olive oil burns faster compared to vegetable oil, I added just a little bit of vegetable oil.  I also added chopped rosemary, salt and slices of fresh garlic for more flavor.  You have savory plantains.

I added rosemary

and garlic then season it with salt.

Result: Savory plantain.

Be good to your heart and eat more garlic.  ❤  What’s not to like?  Your body will thank you. 🙂

That is all for now.   If you like this post or my blog, don’t forget to Subscribe or Follow to get the latest recipes.  Please link back to source if you plan to use or share any of my recipes.  Thank you.  Until next time.  Happy cooking. 🙂

~Anna