Happy Monday! How was your Thanksgiving holiday? Did you overdose on stuffing, turkey, pie, and so much more good stuff?

I certainly did. I mean, it’s only natural, right? Thanksgiving for me means food, family and friends – and a lot of all three, if possible. So now that I’m back to work and back from a Carnoski celebration (my family AND B’s), I’m ready to get back in the groove. Back into relatively healthy eating (with room for plenty of dessert added in as well 🙂 ), including plenty of veggies and a few meatless meals. So in honor of the first Monday after Thanksgiving, I wanted to share with you a meal my mom and I made when I was in New York last week. She had copied this recipe out of a recipe book and we made a few tweaks and I really liked it. So today, I bring you Quinoa with Apples and Pecans!

Quinoa with Apples and Pecans

Here’s what you need:

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 green apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 c toasted, chopped pecans
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 c. quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 c. low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

Here’s what you do:

1. Melt 1 Tablespoon butter over a pot (you can use the same pot throughout –  use this for quinoa later so make sure it’s big enough) on medium to medium-high heat. Add in diced apple and sugar and cook until apple is lightly browned. Make sure heat is high enough so apple starts to brown and doesn’t just get mushy. Remove apple from bowl and set aside – or even better, add it to your bowl of toasted pecans.
2. Reduce the heat somewhat and add remaining butter. Once butter melts, add in the chopped onion  and cook until onion is translucent and just starts to brown.
3. Add the quinoa and toast for several minutes until starts to smell somewhat nutty (about 3ish minutes). Add in vegetable broth and bring quinoa and onion to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until quinoa is softened and broth has reduced, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove the cover and increase heat to medium and continue to cook quinoa until the broth has pretty much evaporated, about another 3 minutes.
5. Stir in apples and pecans. Add in thyme and parsley and serve!

Some suggested variations:

• Add chickpeas, cannelloni beans or another bean for additional protein
• Like more fruit in your quinoa? Add in dried cranberries, blueberries or dried cherries as well at the end
• Serve quinoa over a salad, such as kale or spinach greens.
• Add in some cheese! I think it would be great with a soft cheese like goat, or even a gouda. Yum!

Some questions for you:

• Do you like fruit in your salads?
• How do you get “back in the groove” after the holidays?
• What would you add to this dish? Or serve it with?