Now that the calorie-heavy holidays are over, I, probably like many Americans, am thinking about healthy eating again. I am saying goodbye to desserts with every meal and hello to healthy foods.
Food is just like fashion; there are fads and trends, e.g. kale and juicing. Like my fashion sense, I am mostly oblivious to what foods are “in” or am actively ignoring them, again like kale and juicing. One food craze that I cannot ignore is quinoa. This grain is so delicious and non-offensive. I love cooking with quinoa because it, like the color white, goes with everything!
My southwestern quinoa recipe is adapted from the very popular quinoa and black beans recipe on allrecipes.com. I spiced it up by adding roasted red bell peppers to give it another level of delicious southwestern flavor. I love this dish so much, and I can have it by itself for lunch, dinner, or second dinner. No guilt follows because it is very healthy. This quinoa recipe is a one pot wonder and takes about 40 minutes from start to finish.
A big thank you to Papa Uhlig for my new antique dishes!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 15 oz can whole kernel sweet corn, liquid drained
- 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed with water and drained
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
- In a small mixing bowl, toss to combine the diced red bell peppers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper. Spread out evenly on a baking sheet, then roast for 10 minutes. Set aside.
- In a dutch oven or medium-size pot, heat up the remaining olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, until soft.
- Add the quinoa, then stir in the broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the corn, black beans, roasted red bell peppers, and chopped cilantro, then cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, garnish with more chopped cilantro (optional), then serve warm.
I am soooo with you on eating healthy after the holidays. I’ve been eating cake for dessert three weeks in a row so it’s time for some salad and Southwestern Quinoa when I get back to school! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Thanks Sarah! I hope you like it (:
YES! this is the kind of stuff I should be eating for lunch and dinner these days! Had way too many desserts during the holidays! Looks awesome and I love the clicks! 🙂 Pinning.
Thank you Manali! I am planning on putting this on the weekly menu often this year (: