Baked Quinoa with Figs and Lemon

I admit that I am a fig addict. I make excuses for myself: "They're only available for a short season." "I love them, and people should eat what they love." "I can walk right by a stand selling figs without even stopping. Or whimpering." 

Okay, that last one is a lie. I admit it. I can't get enough of 'em. This is day 7 of my week of Fig Obsession. I'm no where NEAR the end of my supply of fig recipes, though, so there will be more before the season is truly over! 

¾ cup cooked quinoa

1 lemon, half juiced, and the other half sliced thinly

4 TBLSP brown sugar

1 TBLSP rice vinegar

1 TBLSP water

3 fresh figs

Salt to taste

1 TBLSP parsley or cilantro, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, sugar, vinegar, and water.
2. In a single-serving baking dish (about 4” square), put the quinoa in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Arrange the figs and lemon slices on top of the quinoa, and pour the vinegar mixture over them.
3. Sprinkle the top with salt and parsley.
4.  Bake for 30 minutes, basting the figs with the vinegar so they don’t brown too fast.

Makes a nice side dish, or you could add seitan, Tofurkey dogs, or some other faux meat to give it some protein. You could also replace the quinoa with noodles or cauliflower. Yum!