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Up to 6 hours before mealtime, place the quinoa in a stainer and rinse under cold running water for 1 minute.
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Fill a saucepan with water, add the quinoa and bouillon cube, and bring to a boil.
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Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender.
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Drain in a strainer and set aside.
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Peel the onion and cut about 1 inch off the top.
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Pop out the center of the onion, leaving just the 2 outer layers.
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(Cut an X in the center few rings of the onion from the top to the bottom and wiggle the knife around to remove the middle of the onion.
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It doesnt matter if the center of the onion gets broken up because you are chopping it anyway.
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Once you have the center out, use your fingers to remove the remaining rings, keeping the 2 outer layers intact.)
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Chop the inside of the onion into 1/2-inch pieces.
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Cut the ends off the mushroom stems, discard, and cut the mushrooms into quarters.
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Peel the carrot, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
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Trim and discard the ends of the celery, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
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Place the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
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Add the mushrooms, chopped onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the onion is soft.
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Stir together the quinoa and mushroom mixture and season with salt and pepper.
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Carefully separate the two large onion layers, keeping both intact, and place them in an 8-inch square baking pan.
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Spoon the quinoa mixture into each of the onion layers and cover with aluminum foil.
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Refrigerate until ready to use.
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Cut the thick red stem out of the red chard leaves and rinse the leaves well.
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Place the still-wet chard leaves in the skillet and cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, or until completely wilted.
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Remove from the heat, cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
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One hour and 15 minutes before mealtime, preheat the oven to 350F.
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Leave the aluminum foil on the onion shells and bake for 1 hour, or until the quinoa is warmed through.
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Five minutes before mealtime, remove the plastic wrap from the chard and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until hot.
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Place some of the chard in the center of each plate and, using a spatula to keep in the quinoa, carefully top with a quinoa-filled onion shell.
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Serve immediately.
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Quinoa is a seed, not really a grain, though its cooked and used like whole grains.
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Its very high in protein, and unlike wheat or rice, it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, making it an unusually complete vegetarian source of protein.
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Its also a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron.
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Plus, its gluten free and easy to digest.
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It has a nice mild, nutty flavor, too.
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What more could you want?
