Name of Blog

Author :Blog Editor in Diet for a Tiny House

Here’s a variation on a plate of nachos, but with healthy Quinoa and potatoes instead of tortilla chips. It’s a colorful melange of potatoes, bell peppers, cheese and scallions -- it’s a virtual fiesta for the eyes and feast for the palate.

Quinoa is the newest grain on the block (actually they are edible seeds) and you should try to incorporate it into your cooking because quinoa is packed with protein, calcium, phosphorus and iron, as well as essential amino acids. In addition, one humble potato gives you half your daily recommended allowance of Vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana. So unlike conventional nachos, this is a genuinely healthy and nourishing meal.

Once again it’s got one of my favorite combos: fresh mixed vegetables with cooked vegetables, cheese, and potatoes. The baked quinoa gives you a crunchy nutty taste.

I made this on one of the round Teflon-coated rotating flat oven pans that came with my RV oven. You also need a pot to parboil the quinoa and the potatoes and a large strainer to drain them.

As usual, most of the time is spent chopping up the vegetables in advance.

The amazing Mark Bittman app How to Cook Everything Vegetarian for iPhone is the inspiration for this recipe. (Who has room to drag all the heavy cookbooks around the country, you know what I’m talking about?)

I knew that Nick and I would scarf this up fast, so I made a small tomato and cucumber salad with a light ranch dressing on the side. As expected, there were no leftovers! All we were missing was a game of the Seakhawks versus the 49ers!

Potato Nachos With Quinoa and Cheese
Time: 15 minutes prep, 30 minutes baking
Serves 2

Ingredients

- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound white potatoes (that’s about 2 large or 3 medium), cut into wedges - peel potato if you want, cut potato in half lengthwise, cut off a wedge lengthwise on each half potato, and cut the middle length in half, so you basically get 4 wedges from a half and 8 wedges out of a whole potato
- 3-4 cloves of peeled garlic
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup quinoa (I use the red quinoa variety)
- 3 thinly sliced scallions (I only use the green parts, trimmed)
- 1 bell pepper, either red or yellow, chopped into smallish pieces
- A handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 ounce bag or 1.5 cups of shredded cheese (I use Mexican cheese blend but Mark Bittman recommends a smoked variety, like cheddar, Gouda, or mozzarella)
- 1/4 cup minced parsley for garnish

Directions

Put potatoes and peeled garlic cloves in a pot of water, large enough to cover them, and bring them to a boil.

While this is happening, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease your oven pan with olive oil. (I have a Sharp Carousel RV convection oven and for just about everything I use the “pizza” setting, which heats top and bottom of the pan.) Get the pan nice and hot in the preheating oven. That way the potatoes and cheese won’t stick to a cold surface.

Once the boiling commences, add the quinoa to the potato water and set your timer for 5 minutes. After five minutes immediately drain the potato-quinoa mix into a strainer.

Put the hot potato mixture on the now-hot oven pan, add more salt and pepper, drizzle a little olive oil on top, mix around a little with a spatula to distribute the oil seasonings, and spread them out on the pan again. Do NOT overcrowd the pan. If you have extra potatoes that have to seriously touch or rest on each other, remove them. Hate to throw things out, but your remaining potatoes won’t brown properly if they are overcrowded. The heat must be able to circulate all around each one. Make a second batch if you have too many potatoes.

Allow to roast at 400 degrees or at Pizza setting for about 15 minutes, then pull out and toss around again. Depending on the thickness of your potato wedges you may need to give the mix another 15 minutes until everything is golden brown, the potatoes are soft inside and crispy on the outside.

Then pull the pan out one last time, sprinkle with the fresh veg mixture of scallions, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and one or two shakes of the hot pepper flakes to taste. Top everything off with that shredded cheese and pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is all melted onto the potato mixture.

Let cool for a minute or two, sprinkle with parsley, offer that fresh tomato and cuke salad alongside, and serve.

Cooking doesn't come easier than these potato nachos with quinoa and cheese!

About Blog Author Wendy Gorski: I'm a full-time traveler with my husband Nick, and we live in a 2011 Airstream travel trailer. In 2012, we sold our 4,000-square-foot house with its gourmet kitchen and bought our 100-square-foot tiny Airstream house. In this blog, I'll share recipes, tips, thoughts, and experiences as we careen across the country in search of adventure. All my recipes will be primarily plant-based, fast to cook, easy to clean up, and delicious!

1. Wendy's Superfast Enchilada Bubble Bake
2. Recipe for Mexican Stuffed Peppers
3. Meatless Mexican Layered Shepherd's Pie