i threw a little something together last night to use up the produce i just bought. i was pretty happy with the result. next time i will sautee the squash first and make the spinach layer a lot thicker. i’d also like to use black beans instead of the canned refried ones i used this time. other than that, this was a perfect way to use a lot of ingredients and have plenty of leftovers for the week. and quinoa is good.
i started with a layer of beans.
then i added the quinoa. it was only a 1/4c. (and i of course prepared it beforehand in boiling water).
uh, for some reason i didn’t photograph the next two green layers. i have nothing against my greens, these were both my favorites. i just got excited layering and skipped the photo… whoops. first it was a modest sprinkling of diced jalapenos from the can. i remember how friggin’ hot they were last time i used them with a grain (the bulgur bean stuffed peppers) so i went easy on them this time in order to take advantage of all the flavors i would be using. then i threw the spinach on after them. i really wish i had made a thicker layer of it.
next up was the squash. you can see the spinach underneath. again, i really i shoulda sauteed them first.
then i added a generous helping of corn.
a fresh diced yellow bell pepper…
and finally two fresh diced roma tomatoes.
here are all the layers before going into the oven.
i stuck it in there for 20 minutes at 450 and got perfectly roasted peppers and tomatoes and perfectly wilted spinach. had i made the other modifications it would have been perfect all around but it really was tasty just like this. i sprinkled the last of my shredded mozz right when i took the whole dish out of the oven so it melted very nicely.
here’s my portion topped with avocados and some of mom’s salsa with the leftover corn on the side.
