roasted vegetable quinoa and teryaki chicken

i have been experimenting with quinoa a lot lately. it's really tasty, and goes very well in the place of rice. it's also super-easy to make, and it's good to mix up the grains in your diet a bit! wheat and rice are good, but variety is the spice of life!

 
*please note, only the veggie and quinoa portion of this is gluten free!!*



ingredients: 

6 c veggies (i used asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onion and peppers)
2 bulbs garlic

2 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 t sambal olek or other hot sauce
1 t grated ginger
2 t sesame seeds

3/4 c quinoa
1 1/4 c water
1 t salt
1 t coconut oil (or olive oil, butter, etc)
2 t garlic powder

2 PC fake chicken breasts*
1/3 c teryaki sauce 

*these can be found in any store that sells President's Choice brand, in the freezer section near where real chicken breasts would be. there are also other brands that can be purchased refrigerated at health food stores.

to make:

chop veggies! you want them to be bite sized. peel garlic and chop the rough ends off the cloves. throw the whole cloves in with the veggies and toss. 
 

mix sauce for veggies: soy sauce, sesame oil, sambal olek, ginger and sesame seeds. pour over veggies in an oven-safe dish and toss to coat. if you have the time, it's nice to let them marinate for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally. 

cover the dish with a lid or tinfoil, and bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes, until the veggies are soft. remove from the oven and leave covered while preparing the rest of the meal. leave the oven on!!

take your chicken breasts (frozen), and brush both sides with teryaki sauce. bake, uncovered, at 375 for 15 minutes, then flip them with a fork, and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes. 

while the chicken is baking, mix quinoa, water, salt, oil and garlic powder. bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, and cover. allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes (or until all the water is absorbed), stirring every 5 minutes. 

let the quinoa sit, covered, for 5 minutes, then mix it in with the veggies. 

pull the chicken out of the oven, and serve!