Gluten-Free Quinoa Mac 'n Cheese

The idea for this came from a friend of mine, who wanted to make quinoa, but also loved mac 'n cheese. Combining the best of both worlds, we decided on quinoa mac 'n cheese. And, what better time to make it than for a post-finals lunch? Fresh out of the oven, it was gooey, hearty, and of course very cheesy. 
I had found a recipe for spinach quinoa mac 'n cheese from Tasty Kitchen, and played by ear from there. To be honest, I was not intentionally trying to make this recipe gluten-free. 'Gluten-free' seems to have become a buzzword associated with all things healthy, which isn't necessarily true. While some dishes/desserts are quite conducive to being made gluten free (i.e. using oat flour in this chocolate cake added moisture and sweetness), this is certainly not the case for all dishes. Some gluten-free products can be highly-processed with high amounts of sugar and little fiber.  The reason I ended up making a gluten-free quinoa mac 'n cheese was because I didn't like the ingredients I saw in the bread crumbs at the store. I know I was being pretty picky, but I figured bread crumbs wouldn't be too hard to replace with something else without compromising the flavor. I also conveniently remembered I had shredded coconut flakes at home waiting to be used. To add an additional crunch, I included sliced almonds as well. By sheer negligence, I forgot to use Parmesan cheese; but luckily the dish overall still turned out well! In no time, we had ourselves a little feast:

While typical mac 'n cheese recipes are quite literally just mac 'n cheese, I was surprised while looking for recipes that the majority of them were for spinach quinoa mac 'n cheese. Intrigued, I used one such recipe (as previously mentioned) and made sure to add a generous amount of spinach. As it turns out, in addition to making the mac 'n cheese a more complete meal, the texture of the spinach complemented the dish and kept it from being too monotonous.  

Coconut-Almond Crusted Spinach Quinoa Mac 'n Cheese--serves 8-12
~Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

 Ingredients:

For the mac 'n cheese~

• 3 Tb. coconut oil
• 3 Tb. flour
• half head of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped 
• 1-1/2 cup milk (whole, 2%, even skim)
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. paprika 
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 oz. (1/2 lb.) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or in 1" cubes*
• 3 cups quinoa, cooked 
• 2-1/2 cups (packed) chopped fresh spinach

 For the filling~ 

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup sliced blanched almonds

 *I used extra sharp cheddar cheese. While store-bought shredded cheddar cheese is more convenient to work with, there's oftentimes only one flavor (mild). I would recommend buying the block cheese and shredding or chopping it up yourself.
  
 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2.  In a medium saucepan, combine coconut oil and flour over medium heat, stirring continuously to form a paste. 
3. Add milk and bring to medium-high heat while continuing to stir as the mixture comes to a boil. 
4. Add the nutmeg, paprika, salt, and cheddar cheese. Continue to stir until mixture thickens and becomes smooth.
5. In a large heat-proof bowl, combine the quinoa, spinach and cheese mixture. Pour into a baking dish (I used an 8"x8" glass dish). Top evenly with Parmesan cheese.
6. Chop the sliced almonds coarsely. This can be done by placing the almonds in a plastic Ziploc bag with most of the air removed and using the backside of a knife.
7. In a medium skillet, sauté the coconut over medium high heat until browned. (I also added a dash of paprika and nutmeg). Remove from heat and sprinkle evenly over quinoa. 
8. Bake for about 20 minutes--the mac 'n cheese should be bubbly. 
9. Serve and enjoy!