Quinoa is a very late addition to my diet and home menu. Since being introduced to this gluten-free, protein-rich South American staple, it has become a favored item on the dining table — for myself and for occasional guests.

For the most part, I never thought of quinoa as a main dish.  Occasionally, aside from substituting for my rice, I use it to make cold or warm salads.

This recipe started as an experiment.  I thought of preparing a main dish that blends sautéed ground pork with the nutty texture of quinoa and the freshness of raw broccoli and carrots, then throwing in some other ingredients like pecan, cranberries, and finally garnishing the dish with fresh onions and tomatoes.

To seal together the “cacophony” of flavors and texture, I mixed in some oyster sauce.

Pork Quinoa Casserole (Photo by Rene Astudillo)

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package instructions

1 cup grated fresh broccoli

1 cup grated fresh carrots (peeled)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 large white onion, peeled and chopped

1 large tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onions

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 cup ground pecan

2 tbsps Olive oil

3 tbsps Oyster sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat Olive oil in a medium pan.  Add in garlic and cook until lightly browned.  Add half of the onions and cook until fragrant. Add ground pork and sauté until browned.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the quinoa, broccoli, carrots and pecan.  Stir-fry for about 5 minutes.  Add in Oyster sauce and continue to cook for another three minutes.  Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish.  Garnish with the remaining white onions, green onions, tomatoes and cranberries.