I make quickie quinoa veggie bowls all the time. It's my go-to fast food for lunch or dinner. My hubs loves them too. In fact, one of the first meals I ever made for Walker was actaully a veggie quinoa bowl!
I realized when I was posting my photo to Instagram the other day that I rarely share these recipes on Joyous Health. Probably because they are always put together very quickly and I never take photos with the good camera when I'm making fast food, just my trusty iPhone. So please excuse the iPhone snap, but I wanted you to have this delicious and flavourful recipe!
The photo below was after I had already started eating it and realized that I had a PERFECTLY ripe avocade that I must use as my quickie bowl topper! For all you foodies and health nuts out there, you know what it's like when you eat an avo at it's peak ripeness. It's absolute perfection. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
Many people tell me they have trobule getting quinoa perfectly fluffy. This seems to be a common problem that I've been hearing for years. In my book, Joyous Health, I share with you how to make "the perfect quinoa". You can also find a recipe here!
Beware: Improperly prepared quinoa is a recipe for a bloated and sore belly.
Your gut has trouble breaking down the fiber when it's not fully cooked and crunchy quinoa is just gross. Plus, if you are using quinoa that hasn't been properly soaked and washed then the saponins are present. These are naturally present before quinoa is harvested and washed. These prevent your gut from digesting it properly and it can be extremely painful. They are present to protect the seed and appear like soap suds when you cook quinoa if not properly removed.
I know when I've had uncooked quinoa because I get shooting dagger-pain in my belly. Grrr! I find that most restaurants just don't know what to do with quinoa so I usually avoid quinoa when eating out.
Here is my recipe for a Quickie Quinoa Bowl that serves 1 generously!
Mains & Sides
The Quickie Quinoa Bowl
Print
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa (I recommend Bob's Red Mill brand)
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1/4 sweet yellow pepper, chopped
- 4 radishes, sliced
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp white onion chopped
Seasoning
- Sea salt, pepper, garlic powder
Dressing
- Squirt of fresh lemon and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a small pot on the stove, combine quinoa and water. Bring to a soft boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes approximately with the lid on but tilted to the side so the steam can escape. Stir only once or twice. This where people go wrong. They pay too much attention to the quinoa. Just trust that the heat of the stove will do it's job and please be patient.
- Quinoa is ready when the outer white ring separates from the seed. This means the quinoa is soft, fluffy and easily digested.
- Here's the quickie part: Assuming you're all organized and you've pre-chopped everything, put all your veggies into the pot of warm quinoa. Mix together. Now add your seasonings and dressing.
- The after-thought was this perfect avocado. If you've got one, slice up an avo into cubes and place on top. Voila! EnJOY :)
Notes
This recipe makes enough for one. If you're not a big eater, then you'll get leftovers. If you are making this for two people then just double the ingredients.
And of course, here are some wonderful recipes to include this powerful seed into your menu plan:
What's your favourite way to use quinoa in a recipe?
I am happy to see that you addressed the importance of properly preparing the quinoa. Hardly anyone talks about it. Keep up the great work!!!
ReplyThanks so much! Kate - Joyous Health Team