Healthy Quinoa Veggie Bowl Recipe
This Healthy Quinoa Veggie Bowl is the perfect wholesome lunch or dinner bowl. Fluffy quinoa simmered with hearty mushrooms, aromatic leeks, and then served with a hearty side of roasted vegetables. It's the perfect recipe for seasonable produce any time of year.
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 507kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of chopped leek
- 2 crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup of quinoa (white or red)
- 1 ½ cups of water
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon of paprika
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric
- Black pepper to taste
Roasted Veggies:
- 1 large beet, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon of med-high heat oil (canola, grape seed, avocado, etc)
- ½ pound of asparagus ends trimmed
- 1 leek, sliced crosswise into ½' rounds
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot, saute 2 tablespoons of chopped leeks in a bit of olive oil over medium heat. When browning add slices of mushroom and stir to coat. Let cook for 2 minutes more. Add quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and water is absorbed.
- While quinoa is cooking, prepare your veggies. In a skillet (cast iron is great) heat a teaspoon of med-high heat oil and add your beet slices. Sprinkle them with sea salt and let them cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until starting to brown in spots and tender. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Next the asparagus. Simply break off the bottom 2-3' of asparagus (it's woody) and discard. Add the rest to the same skillet. Sprinkle with sea salt, cover, and let cook for 2-3 minutes until bright green and tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Lastly, slice your leek into ½' rounds, starting at the base and working all the way up to the bottom of the green section (save green tops in your freezer to make a vegetable broth another day). Keep the leek rings intact in their concentric circles. Place them gently in the same skillet, with a bit of med-high heat oil, sprinkle with sea salt, cover them and let them cook for 2-3 minutes until browning on the bottom and bright green and fragrant. Leave in the pan, until ready to serve.
- When quinoa is fluffy, add balsamic vinegar, sea salt, paprika, turmeric, and black pepper. Stir and serve with pan-seared veggies. Drizzle with extra balsamic vinegar if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Rinse the quinoa before cooking. If you've read my Guide to Quinoa, you may already know this tip. But if you've tried cooking quinoa before and found it bitter, it's possible the saponins on the quinoa wasn't fully removed before cooking. To help, make sure to wash the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer until it's no longer foaming. This is a sign that the saponins have been removed!
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Once the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid and the grains are tender, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit, covered, for a few minutes. Then, fluff it with a fork to separate the grains.
- Avoid opening the lid as the quinoa cooks. This will allow the steam to escape and can disrupt the cooking process.
Nutrition
Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 1319mg | Potassium: 1354mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 2149IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 9mg
