Here is another simple plant-based recipe loaded with protein, fibre, and flavour that takes less than 30 minutes to make, and is easy on the budget! Quinoa is a great grain alternative that contains more protein per serving than rice. However, quinoa alone is often not enough to meet your protein goals. Here, we pair it with black beans, corn, and avocado for greater variety and nutrition. This recipe is also quite versatile. No fresh peppers? No problem! Substitute frozen, or just leave them out. Need to reduce your sodium intake? Choose “low sodium” beans and tomatoes or substitute dried (and soaked/boiled) beans and fresh tomatoes. Use this as a blueprint and make it your own!
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ medium onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 cup quinoa (dry)
1 ½ cup water
1 (19-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (26 oz) can diced tomatoes, including liquid
1 cup corn kernels, frozen
½ tsp chili flakes (Optional)
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, peppers, and chili flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Stir in quinoa, water, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro (optional). For even more protein, you can also top with a sprinkle of cheese or nutritional yeast.
Serve immediately. Keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days!
Note: If you leave the lid off too long you may run out of liquid for the quinoa. If this is the case, simply add an extra ½ cup of water and reassess after 5 minutes. If you have too much liquid, leave the lid off for 5-10 minutes until you reach desired consistency – In my household we prefer to keep it a little “saucy”.
Approx nutrition info for ¼ of recipe: 485 cal, 20g pro, 74 g carb, 17.5g fibre, 13g fat, 1.3g sat fat, 820mg sodium
Recipe adapted from: https://damndelicious.net/
