Cheddar Broccoli Quinoa

Six weeks. The number has become a mantra. Six weeks. Six weeks. James and I have started cooking dinner together every night again, which we had fallen out of the habit of doing in the summer. We need this. We need to remember, in the pressure of the run-up, that the wedding is just a party. The marriage is the thing. The marriage starts now. It started already, actually, some months ago, in all the small ways. We have been married in all but paperwork for a year.

James cooked Saturday. He made Taiwanese beef noodle soup from scratch — the six-hour version, with oxtail and shank. I sat at the counter and chopped scallions and we talked. He asked me if I was happy. I said yes. He asked me if I was afraid. I said a little, but not about him. I said I was afraid of the wedding itself being too much — too many feelings, too many people I love in one room. He said, "We can leave early if you need to." I laughed. He said, "I'm serious. We can leave. We're hosting but the rest of the party can continue. We can sneak out if you need to." I loved him extra for that.

Karen has been stable. I saw her Tuesday and Sunday. Sunday she asked me if I had written my vows yet. I said yes. She asked if I wanted to read them to her. I said, "I want James to hear them first." She said, "Fair." She asked if they were good. I said, "I hope so." She said, "They will be. You know who you're marrying. That makes vows easy." She was right. They were easy.

Jisoo and I had a video call on Sunday (her Monday morning). She walked me through what she plans to wear to the wedding. A formal Korean hanbok she is having tailored. Cream silk with pale gold embroidery. She stood up and held it up to herself on the camera. It was beautiful. I said, "Umma. You will look like a queen." She said, in Korean, "I want to look like a mother." I said, "You will look like both." Jun-ho held up his suit, which is a Western suit in gray. He said, in English, "I look normal." I laughed. Jisoo laughed. She said, "He is nervous about standing out." I said, "He will not. He will be just right."

Jihoon has been learning "In the Misty Moonlight" for months. He sent me a video Wednesday. He is almost there. His fingerpicking is clean and the melody is warm. He is singing quietly along in Korean in the video, because he doesn't know the words. At the wedding, he will play without singing. Karen does not know about this yet. I am saving it for her.

Dr. Yoon: we talked about family dynamics on the day. She said, "Karen and Jisoo may have a moment. Let them. Do not direct it." I said, "I know." She said, "You will want to manage it. Resist." I said, "I will try."

The recipe this week is James's Taiwanese beef noodle soup. I am publishing it here because it is the dish of my fiancé, the dish of the man I am marrying in six weeks. Six-hour broth, built on oxtail and shank simmered with star anise, rock sugar, ginger, scallion, Sichuan peppercorn, Taiwanese soy paste, and doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste). Strained. Reduced. Served over wheat noodles with the meat, pickled mustard greens, bok choy, and scallion. It is the dish he made me on our first date. It is the dish he made me the night Karen told me about the facility she had toured. It is the dish he cooked the week we got engaged, quietly, for no reason, because he wanted to. It is his love language. It has become, partly, mine.

James’s six-hour beef noodle soup is the grand gesture — the love letter simmered low and slow. But we can’t cook that every night, not with six weeks of planning pressing in. On the weeknights between the big feelings, we need something warm and uncomplicated, something that fills the kitchen with steam and lands on the table in under an hour. This cheddar broccoli quinoa has become that dish for us — hearty, a little cheesy, endlessly forgiving of distracted cooks who are busy writing vows at the counter.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Scallions, sliced, for topping

Instructions

Cook the quinoa. Combine the rinsed quinoa and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Steam the broccoli. While the quinoa cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the broccoli florets, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for 5–6 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp.
Combine and melt. Add the cooked quinoa to the skillet with the broccoli. Stir in the butter and smoked paprika. Remove from heat and fold in the shredded cheddar, stirring until the cheese is melted and everything is evenly coated.
Serve. Divide among bowls and top with sliced scallions. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheddar Broccoli Quinoa — The Warm Bowl We Needed Between the Big Feelings