Quinoa (keen-wah) comes from South America and is quick cooking compared to many whole grains. It is high in protein and rich in nutrients. Quinoa comes in different colors including white, red or black and can be used interchangeably. This one-pot dish makes cooking and clean-up easy!
Makes: 4 servings
Serving size: 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, minced (remove seeds if you prefer less heat)
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced (both white and green parts)
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (see “Hints” below)
- 1 cup reduced-sodium broth (chicken or vegetable)
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes (fire-roasted are nice)
- 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup diced bell pepper, any color
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ lime, juiced
- 1 avocado, diced
- shredded cheese, such as cheddar or Monterey jack (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, jalapeno and white part of green onions (reserve green part of scallions for later). Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add remaining ingredients through salt/pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in green part of scallions, cilantro, lime juice and avocado. Top with cheese, if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories 422, Total Fat 13.5g, Saturated Fat 1.5g, Carbohydrate 67g, Fiber 14.5g, Protein 15.5g, Sodium 605mg
Heather’s Healthy Hints
- Quinoa has a protective coating, saponin, which is bitter or soapy tasting. Rinsing removes this. Use a fine mesh sieve since it is a small grain.
- Serving suggestions:
- Use this mixture to stuff a pepper! Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut four bell peppers in half and scoop out seeds. Rub pepper halves with oil. Place them in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Stuff each half with quinoa mixture. Cover with tin foil and bake 30-minutes. Remove foil. Increase oven to 400°F and continue to bake another 15-minutes until peppers are soft and starting to brown.
- Serve it as a cold salad!
- Mango also pairs very well with quinoa and black beans. Add a diced mango instead of the avocado.
Download a PDF of this recipe.
Find more recipes and healthy eating tips in the Cooking Up Health section of the Health and Wellness newsletter.
Heather Wolfe, MPH, RDN, LD, CHC, is one of the Live Well/Work Well Health and Wellness (Dartmouth-Hitchcock's employee wellness program) coaches specializing in nutrition.