Harvest Grains with Spinach and Blue Cheese

 I came home from work and a post-work workout this morning exhausted and starving. I hunted for something I could make that would stick to my bones and keep me delightfully full while I slept. I found this bag of Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend and my decision was made!

Each bag contains “a savory blend of Israeli style couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa.” Sounds great, right? You can’t really see the quinoa, but they’re buried in there somewhere. I’ve never had Israeli couscous before, so I was really pumped to get cooking!

I wanted to beef up the grains a little, so I chopped up 1/4 of an onion, one celery stalk, and one medium carrot.

  

I sautéed the veggies in a saucepan on medium-high for about 8 minutes. I also added a little salt and pepper.

I decided to cook the grains in vegetable broth instead of water to give them a little more flavor. This is a little over a cup of broth.

  

I followed the directions on the package – bring liquid to a boil, add grains (I added 1/2 cup), bring to a boil again, turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. It turned out wonderfully! I also added a handful of spinach and a few crumbles of blue cheese. This made the grains super creamy and more voluminous! The more the better, right?

 

Ohhh man this was so good. Everything was smooshed together in a creamy mound. The small amount of blue cheese added the perfect amount of tang and creaminess! I also loved the variety of textures. The slight crunch of the veggies and the chewiness of the couscous. Also, the quinoa didn’t cook all the way, so it added a wonderful crunch as well.

 

I roasted some asparagus to accompany the grains. This was such a great meal. Easy, filling, delicious!