lemony roasted broccoli and tempeh with quinoa

Batch cooked quinoa comes together with lemony roasted broccoli and tempeh for a quick, easy, and nourishing make-ahead meal.

Sundays are perfect for weekday prep, so let’s do some batch cooking, shall we? Let’s whip up a batch of something fast. Something jam-packed with goodness. Something that’s good when it’s warm but equally good when you get home from work all tired and the best you can do is eat it straight out of the container in the fridge. Let’s make this!

Broccoli and tempeh get a lemony olive oil bath. We add some lemon zest too. Heck, let’s throw those spent lemon halves on the tray and roast them too. They’ll make for a pretty garnish – Ina Garten says a plate should always look like what’s in it, and who am I to argue with Ina? While the broccoli and tempeh are roasting we’ll boil up some quinoa in a nice veggie broth. And we’ll toast some sunflower seeds. And then we’ll toss everything together in that pretty bowl we always forget we have, and we’ve got our meal. Just like that. Or we’ve got packed lunches for a few days.

I’m calling for just one lemon in this recipe, to be juiced and zested and tossed with the broccoli and tempeh before roasting. But not all lemons are created equal, nor are all taste buds. If your lemon isn’t all that juicy, you may want to use two. I juiced and zested one one lemon prior to roasting, and once I tossed everything together with the quinoa and tasted it, I decided I wanted more lemon flavour and ended up adding the juice of one more lemon and another glug of olive oil. Along the same lines, I didn’t add any salt to the dish until the very end. If your broth is very salty you may need none at all, or just a little. Taste, and decide.

You already knew broccoli is good for you, right? It is a great source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, and high broccoli consumption is thought to be beneficial in the prevention of heart disease and some cancers. Tempeh is a good source of protein, is high in dietary fiber, and the fermentation process makes digestion easier and nutrients like zinc, calcium, and iron are more bio available than in non-fermented soy products. Quinoa not only has a very high protein content (about 18%), but it also contains a complete set of essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. It’s a great source of dietary fiber, phosphorous, and is high in magnesium and iron. Sunflower seeds are rich in linoleic acid, vitamin E, B vitamins, and are a source of dietary fiber. They’re fatty though, people, so remember to moderate.

Print Pin

No ratings yet

lemony roasted broccoli and tempeh with quinoa

Batch cooked quinoa comes together with lemony roasted broccoli and tempeh for a quick, easy, and nourishing make-ahead meal.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 424kcal

Author Katie Trant

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large head broccoli
• 250 g package of tempeh
• juice and rind of 1-2 lemons
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F.
• Combine quinoa and vegetable broth in a large saucepan and set, covered, over high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork when it has absorbed all of the liquid.
• Meanwhile, chop broccoli into small florets and chop the stem into chunks about the same size. Dice tempeh into 2.5cm / 1 inch cubes.
• Toss broccoli and tempeh onto a large baking sheet, then pour lemon juice, olive oil, and sprinkle lemon zest over top. Use your hands to mix everything together so you know it’s well coated.
• Pop into the oven for 20 minutes, until tempeh and broccoli are both starting to brown just a bit. Stir once part way through.
• Place the sunflower seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast until just browned. Careful not to burn them!
• In a large bowl combine quinoa, broccoli and tempeh, and sunflower seeds. Give everything a good toss and then decide if you need to add any more seasonings. Salt? Pepper? More lemon juice?
• Serve.

Notes

This salad can be stored for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Makes great packed lunches!

Nutrition values are an estimate only!

Nutrition

Calories: 424kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 550mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 4.1mg

 This post was originally published on February 17, 2012