The other day, I dug around our pantry and came up with this meal using some quinoa, a few vegetables we had on hand, and some Indian spices. My mom would make something like this but with rice. Quinoa makes for a tasty substitute with more protein and less starch. It’s healthy, hearty, and super easy to make!
A coupe of our friends, M and V, came over for a visit with their son and bull dog this weekend. Steve and I used to hang out with M all the time when we were in college but haven’t seem him and his wife much since. So when we heard they’d be visiting we were super excited. We had a great time, even our dog, Xar, had fun visiting with them and was on her best behavior, even though she can be a little territorial of our apartment around other dogs.
Their little bull dog was so tired from the sight seeing that she was perfectly happy to sleep in her kennel when we were hanging out at home. Xar would walk to the guest room door and sniff every few minutes. She knew there was another dog sleeping in there.
On Saturday, Steve and I had some work to do so our guests went sightseeing in Old Town and we planned to meet them for dinner there. I had a little time in the afternoon and wanted to make a quick healthy lunch for us since we had a big Mexican feast planned for later and I wanted to get a post done this weekend.
Healthy Indian Spiced Quinoa
A healthy Indian spiced quinoa dish based on a rice dish my mom used to make
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa (red, white or mixed)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (separated)
- 2 tbsp jalapeno (chopped (adjust based on how spicy you like your food))
- 2 cups cauliflower (cut into one inch florets)
- salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder (or less)
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin (powder, separated)
- 1/2 cup garbanzo beans (canned or pre-cooked)
- 1/2 cup peas (frozen or fresh)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 10 cashews (roasted and split into half lengthwise (optional))
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa a few times in cold water. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add quinoa. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat. Turn off heat and let quinoa sit for another 15 to 20 minutes. Do not lift the lid.
- While the quinoa is cooking, heat a 12 inch skillet with 1 tbsp oil.
- Toss in the onion, jalapeno and a pinch salt. Stir often and let cook until the onions soften and start to turn brown. About 10 minutes.
- Add in the cauliflower, turmeric, chili powder, cumin powder, salt and half cup water. Stir. Cover and cook until the cauliflower softens. About 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add in the garbanzo beans and peas. Stir.
- Mix in the cooked quinoa.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 tbsp of olive oil, lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp of cumin powder (I also added salt because I eat too much of that stuff!). Whisk it together well with a fork. Pour over the quinoa.
- Add the cashew halves and cilantro. Mix well and serve.
