Fall Vegetable Hash and Quinoa with Poached Eggs

Here is another seasonal recipe to add to your repertoire.  It is a fantastic combination of pumpkin, root vegetables, leeks, beet greens, and quinoa. I like to think of quinoa as a miracle food.  Though quinoa is grain, it is also a complete protein!  A complete protein is a protein that contains all the essential amino acids, and it is truly amazing to be able to get this from a non-animal source.  Of course, in this recipe, you also get a complete protein from the egg.  In other words, this is a great meal for vegetarians....and anyone else who is trying to reduce meat consumption.  Besides that, it is truly delicious! Enjoy!

Fall Vegetable and Quinoa Hash with Poached Eggs

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 small pie pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 small or 1 medium turnip (larger turnips tend to be woodier, so look for small ones), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 beets, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (rinse and reserve beet greens)
2 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
1 (additional) Tbs olive oil
2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch half-moons, then rinsed well
3/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/4 tsp dried)
1 Tbs white vinegar
4 large eggs

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Stir in quinoa, cover, reduce heat and cook for 12 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed.  When cooked, fluff with fork and set aside.

Meanwhile, coat the turnips, pumpkin, and beets with the 2 Tbs olive oil.  Spread out on two baking sheets and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, stirring the vegetables and rotating the pans halfway, or until all the vegetables are tender.  [Note: I noticed that the beets took longer to cook, so you could put the beets on a separate sheet from the pumpkin and turnips, so that they could stay in the oven a little longer, if needed.  I simply cooked mine longer.  The pumpkin was over-soft, but it tasted great, anyway!]

While the vegetables are roasting, thinly slice the reserved beet greens.  Heat the other 1 Tbs oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the beet greens and the leeks and season with about 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Cook until tender, approximately 8-10 minutes.  Stir in the cooked quinoa, the thyme, and the roasted vegetables.  Cook 2 minutes or until all ingredients are warm.  Turn the burner off, but leave the skillet on the burner to keep warm while you cook the eggs.

In a large saucepan, heat a couple inches of water until almost boiling. [If you don't know where almost boiling is on your stovetop, just bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat until it stops.]  Add the vinegar to the water.  Crack an egg into a small bowl or teacup.  Lower the bowl until it is slightly in the water and slide the egg, very gently, into the water.  Use a spoon  to push the whites back toward the yolk if the the egg separates too much.  Repeat with the rest of the eggs.  Cook for about 3 minutes, until the whites are cooked, but the yolk is still runny.  Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon.  Divide the vegetable mixture onto 4 plates and and top each with a poached egg!

*Though I changed this recipe significantly, it was originally a Martha Stewart recipe on wholeliving.com