Mary Beth Johnson is a wife and mum to four schooners, as she’s dubbed her children. On a normal afternoon, you would find her in moccasins, skinny jeans and a comfortable tee, camera in hand. Recently moving to the suburbs of Atlanta, Mary Beth spends her days homeschooling, sneaking away to the bookstore, trying to act the part of a southerner, and sifting through recipes in The Vegetarian Times. Food is her love language.

There are certain grocery items I’m terrified I’ll run out of. One of mine is quinoa. No matter how many times I tell myself I’ve got plenty, my hand reaches for the shelf in the grocery store to grab a package…just in case. This makes no sense because my pantry is already bursting with half-opened packages of tri-colored and yellow quinoa that got stashed in the back corner and now spill over into the basket that holds my jello and m and m’s.

Thus, my quinoa problem.

I have other “unnecessary” items in my pantry that are perfectly good and usable, I just don’t get around to actually using them. It’s way easier to go buy boxes of cereal for breakfast than use up the huge bin of Old-Fashioned Oats that scream at me from the kitchen counter, “Make me into a hot pot of oatmeal on the stove with fresh blueberries and chopped almonds with a bit of coconut sprinkled on top!” But no. I go buy cereal. And another tub of oats.

Part of my meal planning goals and budget goals for 2015 is to get smarter about using every last bit of our pantry. I don’t want my produce going to waste and having to throw it away. I don’t want hoard piles taking over the kitchen while I think we have nothing to eat. I can do better. I can be more intentional.

And here comes what I made for dinner the other night. I searched for quinoa recipes on Pinterest and up came this Winter Veggie Tart with Quinoa. It was the perfect use-up-your-pantry meal and so savory! I used veggies I had in my refrigerator…onions, mushrooms, squash, and carrots…and chopped them up to roast in the oven with a little olive oil and generous amounts of salt and pepper. Meanwhile, I cooked the quinoa on the stove in some vegetable broth and it made THE best flavor that I had to restrain myself from eating the whole pot before dinnertime. Using refrigerated pie dough from Wal Mart cut down on the time to make this, so now it will become a regular weeknight meal in our house. My husband is hard to please with vegetarian meals, but he absolutely loved this!

//WINTER VEGGIE QUINOA TART 

 
Makes 2 Tarts

2 store bought pie dough, thawed (I found a pack of two in the refrigerated section in Wal Mart)

 2 tablespoons olive oil 

3-4 cups winter veggies (parsnip, carrot, turnip, squash, onions, mushrooms) 

2 cups quinoa, cooked

 1 egg

 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

 2 tablespoons Mozzarella
Parsley, garnish
Sage, garnish
salt and pepper to taste

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Chop veggies and place on the baking sheet, tossing with olive oil and salt & pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Spray another baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, toss cooked quinoa and winter veggies. Roll out pie dough into a 9 inch round. Pour veggie mixture into the center. Take the pie and fold the dough border over the filling to form a 9-inch round, leaving the veggies exposed in the center. Brush the pie edges with egg wash (egg whisked with a little milk or water) and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheeses, parsley, and sage. Serve hot and enjoy!!!!

 

Source: Slightly Adapted from Climbing Grier Mountain 

(All photography in this post is my own.)