Mexican Quinoa Casserole

The vegan Daiya-brand cheese doesn't melt too well....

After weeks of procrastinating, last night I finally prepared this Spicy Mexican Quinoa Casserole. I found the recipe on TakePart.com, which posts meat-free recipes as part of the popular Meatless Mondays campaign, but the recipe is originally from another blog, The Iron You.

My overall take? This dish is healthy (quinoa is high in protein and in fibre!) and simple to prepare. Its required ingredients are not obscure, and the dish is such that you can easily modify and adapt it, adding or subtracting spices and produce to accommodate your preferences or to make its flavors reflect a different cuisine (e.g., use a curry spice mixture, subtract the cheese [or use paneer] and jalapenos, and perhaps add some cauliflower or okra...and you've got an "Indian" Quinoa Casserole!).

The real test of a recipe is whether or not it becomes a part of your repertoire. I do not think I will be making this again anytime in the near future; the recipe, if followed precisely, is a bit bland for my tastes and not "spicy" as the title states. A major issue was my decision to use vegan cheese substitute as opposed to dairy cheese.