Health and Wellness and Changes you can Addapt
These black bean quinoa bowls are made with smoky spiced black beans, cilantro lime quinoa, fresh pico de gallo, crunchy cabbage and creamy chipotle sauce in every bite. 24 grams of protein per bowl, ready in 30 minutes, and the components hold up well in the fridge all week for meal prep.
Why You’ll Love this Quinoa Black Bean Bowl
Inspired by burrito bowls, Southwest and Mexican flavours, here’s why I think you’ll love these yummy, nutritious bowls:
High-protein plant-based meal that keeps you full and satisfied. 23g of fibre and 24g protein per serving!
They’re great for meal prep!
They’re vegan and gluten-free.
Fresh pico de gallo with warm, spiced black beans, fluffy quinoa and creamy Chipotle tahini sauce: smoky, tangy, creamy and crunchy!
They’re budget-friendly and easy to customize.
They take less than 40 minutes to make.
Ingredient Notes
Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.
Quinoa: Any quinoa variety works or you can substitute brown rice, farro or barley.
Chipotle in Adobo Sauce: These are found in a small can, usually located with Mexican ingredients. Since you’ll only be using one for the recipe, transfer the remaining peppers and sauce to ice cubes to freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or container for other recipes.
Black Beans: You could substitute pinto beans or kidney beans.
Onion: White or yellow onion is best here.
Cabbage: You can use red or green cabbage, or even better, prepared coleslaw mix to make it quick, easy and convenient!
Pumpkin Seeds: Add some crunch to the final bowls. You can omit them if you want.
Variations and Additions
Add roasted sweet potatoes.
Add corn.
Add diced mango.
Add shredded chicken or prawns for more protein.
Serve with tortilla chips for crunch.
Serve over greens instead of quinoa for a lighter meal.
How to Make Quinoa Black Bean Bowls
Step 1: Rinse quinoa and add to pot with water or stock. Bring to simmer, cover, reduce heat and cook 15 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes then add lime zest and cilantro and fluff with fork.
Step 2: Add the tahini, chipotle pepper, water, lime juice and zest, garlic and salt to small bowl or mini food processor or blender. Stir or process until smooth, adding water 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is reached.
Step 3: Heat oil in large pan and cook 3/4 of onions for 3-4 minutes. Add beans, peppers, chili powder, ***in and garlic, cook 4-6 minutes. Add 1-2 tbsp water and cover to keep warm.
Step 4: Add shredded cabbage to a large bowl with a bit of lime juice. M***age with hands to soften.
Step 5: Add the remaining onion, tomato, cilantro, lime and salt to a bowl and mix.
Step 6: Divide quinoa between 4 servings. Top with black beans, pico de gallo and cabbage. Drizzle with chipotle tahini sauce, avocado and pumpkin seeds.
FAQs
Can I freeze this recipe? The black bean mixture and quinoa both freeze well for up to 3 months. Portion them into freezer bags or containers, freeze flat, and thaw overnight in the fridge. The pico de gallo, cabbage and chipotle tahini sauce should all be made fresh, as they don’t hold up to freezing. Are these bowls spicy? With one chipotle pepper in the sauce the heat is mild, more smoky than spicy. To turn it up, add a second chipotle pepper and a tablespoon or two of the adobo sauce from the can. For extra heat in the bowl itself, add minced jalapeño to the pico de gallo or a pinch of cayenne to the black beans while they cook. Can I make these ahead of time? Yes, this is one of my favourite recipes for meal prep. Store the quinoa and black beans together so you can reheat them as one unit, then keep the pico de gallo, cabbage and chipotle sauce in separate containers. Everything keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. The sauce will thicken after a day or two in the fridge, so stir in a teaspoon of water to loosen it before serving. If you plan to eat the bowls cold, you can ***emble everything ahead of time and they’ll keep for 2 to 3 days ***embled. How do I season canned black beans? Drain and rinse the beans, then cook them with sautéed onion, chili powder, ***in and garlic powder. Cook them in the pan with the spices for 4 to 6 minutes rather than just stirring in the spices at the end. Can I use a different base instead of quinoa? Brown rice, farro or barley all work well. White rice works too but you lose some of the protein. If you want a lighter bowl, serve over greens instead. How do I make the chipotle sauce thinner or thicker? Add water one teaspoon at a time until you reach your preferred consistency. The sauce thickens considerably after refrigerating, so you may need to stir in a little water before serving leftovers. What can I add to make it more filling? Roasted sweet potato is the most popular addition. Corn, diced mango or tortilla chips on top also work well. For more protein, shredded chicken or cooked prawns can be added alongside the beans.
Storing Instructions
If you’re making for meal prep or in advance, you can store everything separately or store the quinoa and black beans together in containers the the beans and quinoa can be reheated before adding the cabbage, pico de gallo and sauce.
If you store separately, reheat the quinoa and black beans and top with pico de gallo, cabbage, sauce, avocado and pumpkin seeds to serve.
If you ***embled ahead of time, the bowls will last 2-3 days and are not ideal to reheat due to the fresh ingredients.
The quinoa and black beans can be stored up to 4 days.
The sauce will keep for 5-6 days. It will thicken after it chills, so you may want to thin by stirring in a bit of water after storing.
If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
For the Chipotle Tahini SauceFor the Bowls▢ 2 cans (540ml) black beans, drained and rinsed▢ 1 medium white onion, diced, divided, ~2 cups▢ 1 red bell pepper, diced▢ 1 tsp chili powder▢ ½ tsp ***in▢ ½ tsp garlic powder▢ 4 Roma tomatoes, diced, ~2 cups▢ ½ cup Cilantro, finely chopped▢ 1 tbsp lime juice▢ 4 cups cabbage, finely shredded▢ 1 avocado, diced▢ ⅓ cup toasted pumpkin seeds , optional
Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark
Cook Quinoa: In a medium pot, add rinsed quinoa and vegetable stock (or water). Season water with salt. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and cover and cook for 15 min, until water is absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat. Let rest for 5 min, then add lime zest and cilantro. Fluff quinoa with a fork.1 cup dried quinoa, 2 cups water or vegetable stock, 1 lime, zested, ½ cup cilantro, saltMake Chipotle Tahini Sauce: To a small bowl or mini food processor add tahini, chipotle, water, maple syrup, lime juice, zest, garlic and salt. Stir to combine. Add more water by the 1 tsp, until your desired consistency is reached.1/3 cup tahini, 1 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce, 4-5 tbsp water, 2 tsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp lime juice, ½ tsp lime zest, 1 garlic clove, ¼ tsp saltCook Black Beans: Heat a large pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tsp oil and three-quarters of the onions, season with salt. Cook for 3-5 min, stirring often, until tender. Add beans, bell pepper, chili powder, ***in and garlic powder. Cook for another 4-6 min, until peppers are tender. Add 1-2 tbsp water. Stir to combine, then remove the pan from the heat. Cover to keep warm.2 cans (540ml) black beans, 1 medium white onion, diced, 1 red bell pepper, diced, 1 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp ***in, ½ tsp garlic powderPrepare Cabbage: Add cabbage a bowl with a pinch of salt and squeeze of lime. M***age with hands to soften.4 cups cabbage, finely shreddedMake Pico de Gallo and Prepare Cabbage: To a small bowl, add chopped tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, oil and remaining onions. Season with salt and pepper, then stir to combine. 4 Roma tomatoes, diced, ½ cup Cilantro, finely chopped, 1 tbsp lime juiceAssemble Bowls: Divide quinoa between bowls. Top with black bean mixture. Arrange cabbage and pico de gallo alongside. Drizzle chipotle tahini sauce over top, then sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Top with crumbled feta cheese, if desired.1 avocado, ⅓ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Storing: For best results, store components separately or quinoa and black beans together so they can be reheated. Reheat quinoa and black beans then serve with pico de gallo, sauce, cabbage and avocado. If ***embled and stored, bowls will keep for 2-3 days. Quinoa, sauce and black beans can be stored 4 days.
Serving: 1bowl, Calories: 596kcal, Carbohydrates: 83g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Sodium: 192mg, Pot***ium: 1591mg, Fiber: 23g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 2551IU, Vitamin C: 92mg, Calcium: 150mg, Iron: 7mg
Health News
Source link
