When the grocery stores were empty, we stocked up on quinoa, canned beans & veggies. This is one of our quarantine friendly, extremely easy, surprisingly healthy dishes.
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Serves 4.
Ingredients- The non- negotiables:
- olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (you could use powder)
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 cup corn (frozen or canned)
- chili powder (1 tbsp)
- cumin (1 tsp)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bonus:
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
- Juice of 1 citrus fruit (lemon/ lime)
- chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Sour cream or shredded cheese for topping.
Step 1. PREPARE JALAPEÑO & GARLIC
SPICY WARNING – Some people feel the need to wear gloves to slice jalepeños. If you wash your hands before touching your eyeballs, you’ll be fine without 😉
I use the whole jalapeno in this one, but if you don’t like it hot, feel free to remove the seeds.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add minced garlic and jalapeno and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute (shake the pan frequently to avoid burning)
Step 2. Strain and rinse the beans and corn. Then add all ingredients to the pan: (quinoa, broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper).
Live Better Hack: Rinse and keep the cans to use later. Cans make a great container for propagating (growing) veggies from scraps.
Step 3. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Since there are hardly any dishes and so few steps to this recipe, we have time for a story!
“If you could only choose 1 food item to eat for the rest of your life, what would you choose?”
When my ex bf ( a fit i.t. consultant who had recently developed an entire nutrition optimizing software for the sole purpose of calculating his macros while meal prepping) asked me that question, I really didn’t know anything about nutrition. I was basically living off of peanut butter sandwiches and cans of tuna at that time, so I chose the latter. ‘Cans of tuna. – flaked in oil…’
He was quick to let me know all the reasons why I was wrong (he did that a lot, probably why we broke up). Just kidding, well, he did do that a lot, but to his credit, he was usually factually correct. He taught me a lot. We’re still friends. Tuna was a bad choice because it really just has protein, and also mercury apparently… That’s a whole other problem. His choice? Quinoa. Because it has iron, fiber and complex carbs.
See, humans really do need to eat ‘a balanced diet’. We have complex systems that require specific nutrients to function properly. In addition, all of these nutrients provide our bodies with energy measured in the form of calories. There are three types of macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Fats
There is actually no ‘right’ answer to that question. Eating only one thing, will eventually lead to malnutrition. We know that a big variety of vegetables in one’s diet is healthier than just a few, but we don’t really know which foods are causing which effects. So, while we could technically work out what exactly we need from macronutrients, we won’t know exactly what we might be missing. So let’s just keep eating a lot of colour. Some carbs, proteins and fats.
You’ll know it’s ready once the liquid has puffed the quinoa.
At this point, add any or all bonus items you might have (lime, cilantro, avocado, sour cream) and enjoy!
Bon Appétit!
Even after feeding two hungry athletes, you have plenty of leftovers. Add this delicious quinoa fiesta to eggs, salads or wraps. Delicious served hot or cold.
