Quinoa Casserole

My talented and beautiful friend Joelle made this casserole when we were visiting her recently. I've made it 3 times in the past few weeks.

3-4 cups cooked quinoa
2 cups grated cheddar cheese, preferrably sharp cheddar
3-4 eggs, beaten
1-2 T. soy sauce
2 bunches kale, cleaned, destemmed, and chopped
glug of olive oil
several chopped cloves of garlic

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat some olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Saute the garlic over medium heat until fragrant and golden. Add kale and stir quickly for a minute or two, until bright green, wilted, and tender. Add a splash of water if the kale seems dry or is sticking to the bottom of the pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Let kale cool slightly.

In a big bowl, mix quinoa with cooled kale and 1 c. cheese. Taste, and add 1-2 T. soy sauce. You may need more or less depending on how much you salted the kale and how salty your cheddar is. After seasoning is corrected, mix thoroughly with beaten eggs.

Spread mixture into a large casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.

I also tried this with finely chopped raw broccoli instead of kale, and nutritional yeast in place of part of the cheese mixed into the casserole. Still good, but not AS good. I'd like to do a Tex-Mex version of this, with salsa, black beans, bell pepper, and so forth.

I never actually measure any of the ingredients, but that's the beauty of a casserole.