Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole

I finally had the inclination and the time to make a fancy pants dinner tonight. Truth be told it wasn’t very fancy pants… but it tastes that way. The recipe –festively called, Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole– is from Dreena Burton’s Eat Drink and Be Vegan. It’s exceedingly simple to make: quinoa, red pepper, chickpeas, zucchini, vegetable broth, water and a plethora of spices are thrown into a casserole dish and popped into the oven for nearly an hour.

I used red quinoa, since Jaime mentioned the other day that it exists, and it caught my eye in my local bulk food store. I can’t say it tasted any different than white quinoa, but it sure looks pretty, perhaps a mix of the two would be even more appealing and the dish could aspire to it’s confetti namesake. Dreena also blogged about this dish, and offered some explanation of the name. This dish reminds me of the chickpea ratatouille from Dreena’s other fabulous cookbook, Vive la Vegan, they are both wholesome and healthy meals that satisfy and make you feel warm inside :)