Jamaican Quinoa Bowl
I think we all go through phases of fighting the meal slump. When nothing sounds good and you are tired of the regular rotation of meals. When the few things that DO sound good just so happen to be the three least healthiest foods in the world. I wish when we were bored with food we at least settled for something healthy. I mean, if we aren’t going to be into it, it might as well be something good for us. But of course it doesn’t work that way! Bring on the greasy, fatty carbs! Or the other problem of meal slump, I start picking my way through the kitchen. A little of this, a little of that and before I know it I’ve eaten half a bagel, a frozen waffle, two spoonfuls of peanut butter and half of a leftover chicken breast. Following that I continue to open the refrigerator door the rest of the night and stare as if some magical food is going to appear.
Enter this Jamaican Quinoa Bowl. It is packed with healthy, nutrient rich foods, but it has tons of flavor and leaves you feeling satisfied. I’m ranking it up there as one of my favorite recipes. All of the flavors stand out in the dish yet fit together really well. I use a jerk seasoning spice rub mix from Penzey’s (hence Jamaican in the name) on the sweet potatoes and in the quinoa for flavor. I slow cook the beans and layer on grilled corn, avocado, toasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro, chipotle and tahini. It works great for a lunch or dinner and the leftovers store well in the refrigerator for packed lunches.
Now I can’t let you go on and start doing your thing in the kitchen, until I warn you that this is definitely a Jacked meal. Each component of this bowl requires several steps and time to put together. The cooking skills are by no means difficult, and in fact, they are very forgiving. If the sweet potatoes or quinoa finish before everything else, they can come to room temperature. The beans can continue to simmer longer than needed. Which may very well happen as I have you making not one, but two sauces to put on top. I promise, the extra work is so worth it! Each flavor brings an important contribution. This is Jacked Kitchen; I don’t sacrifice for flavor around here!
Jamaican Quinoa Bowl Recipe
Makes 3-4 bowls.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
- Jerk seasoning – divided 1 and 1/2 tsp; 1/2 tsp seasoning
- 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 ear of corn (or 1/2 cup frozen or canned corn)
- 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 avocado, cubed or sliced
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- Olive oil
- 1 lime, quartered
Black Beans
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can of black beans
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp paprika
Tahini Dressing
- 3 Tbsp tahini paste
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 and 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil
Chipotle Dressing
- 1 canned chipotle pepper
- 1 tsp chipotle sauce
- 1 and 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp water
- Pinch of onion powder
- Pinch of garlic salt
Directions
Prepare the Ingredients
- Peel and mince 1 clove of garlic
- Peel and dice 1/2 of a sweet onion.
- Dice 1 carrot.
- Open 1 (15-ounce) can of black beans. Pour off the juice; don’t rinse the beans.
- Remove the cilantro leaves from stems and chop into 2 Tbsp.
- Peel and cube 1 sweet potato.
- Cut the avocado into cubes or slices.
Start Cooking
Black Beans
- In a medium-sized saucepan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the garlic, onion and carrot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook for 4 minutes until soft.
- Add the beans, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1/3 cup of water, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp celery seed, 1 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp paprika. Stir and cover to bring the liquid just to a bowl. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes, covered. (If the beans are too soupy after the 25 minutes, remove the lid and cook for an additional 5 minutes.)
Sweet Potato
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Toss the potato cubes in olive oil and 1 and 1/2 tsp of jerk seasoning.
- Layer the sweet potato in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes until fork tender.
Quinoa
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small saucepan and add 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa. Toast the quinoa for about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of stock and 1/2 tsp of jerk seasoning. Cover and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
Corn
- If using fresh corn, remove the shuck and silk from the ear of corn. If not using fresh, use 1/2 cup canned or frozen (defrosted.)
- Place the corn on a hot grill or directly over the flame of a gas stove. Turn the corn until all of the kernels are blackened. Wrap the blackened corn in foil for 5 minutes (use tongs to not burn yourself).
- Remove the corn from the foil and cut the kernels from the cob.
Pumpkin Seeds
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small skillet. Add 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds and toast over medium heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes. (Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!)
Tahini Dressing
- Peel and mince 1 garlic clove.
- Whisk together 3 Tbsp tahini paste, 2 Tbsp water, 1 and 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/8 tsp black pepper, 1/8 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp olive oil and the garlic. Set aside.
Chipotle Dressing
- In a food processor combine 1 canned chipotle pepper, 1 tsp chipotle sauce, 1 and 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, 3 Tbsp water, pinch of onion powder and garlic salt. Run the food processor until the sauce is smooth. If the sauce is too thick add a drizzle of water to reach the desired consistency.
Build the Bowl
- Build the bowl by layering quinoa, black beans, avocado, corn, cilantro, tahini dressing and chipotle dressing. Top with the cilantro, pumpkin seeds and a squeeze of lime juice.
This recipe makes about 3 or 4 bowls (depending on how you portion the ingredients). Adjust the ingredient list if you want to make more or less.
I often have a tube of Mexican chorizo in my refrigerator because I like to use it in eggs for breakfast. If you have chorizo on hand cook some of the meat in the saucepan before adding the ingredients for the beans. The meat melts into the beans adding extra flavor.
Coordinating the timing of each component of this recipe involves a bit of juggling. I recommend you use a timer if you are easily distracted. Each component stores well in the refrigerator if you find it easier to do some of the prep work a day in advance.
The chipotle sauce is spicy so if you are a bit of a wuss with spice (yes…that’s me), only add a little bit. You don’t want to skip it completely because the chipotle flavor tastes great, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the heat!
A tip for cooking with tomato paste – buy the paste in a tube that can be stored in the refrigerator versus the paste that comes in a can. Recipes often call for a small amount of tomato paste and the tube will stay fresh in the refrigerator longer.
Use the Extra Ingredients
If you have extra beans add them to a tortilla shell with cheese for an easy taco. Store the extra tahini and chipotle dressing in the refrigerator to add to salads or tacos. Use leftover tahini paste to make hummus (check out my recipe!).
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