We Should Be Folding Laundry

quinoa bowls

I think we can all agree that 2014 was the year of kale.

Kale was everywhere and all we heard was how great it was for us and that we should be eating ALLTHEKALEALLTHETIME.

That worked for me because I like kale so I put kale in everything in 2014. Mashed potatoes, smoothies, soup, wraps, salads, rice, juice, – you get it.

2015 on the other hand isn’t quite over yet, but I’m going to go ahead and call it: 2015 is the year of quinoa.

Yes people, the super grain is having a moment.

And while I’m usually the first one to jubilantly jump on any new food trend bandwagon, I gotta say, the whole quinoa thing just wasn’t doing it for me.

I tried it a few times and really wanted to like it but just couldn’t get over its, um… interesting flavor.

Even the fact that it was super healthy and crazy versatile wasn’t enough to sell me on it.

So basically because I’m grown and do what I want, I decided that was it for me and quinoa. I gave it a few good tries but in the end, it was not to be.

Until…

I was shopping at Aldi the other day and came across a big bag of organic quinoa for $4.49 and since the hubs will eat anything, I thought at the very least I could make a big batch of quinoa and fill it with veggies and various things and send it off to work with him for lunch.

So that’s just what I did.

I prepared the quinoa according to the package directions which mentioned rinsing the quinoa first – Oh HELLO! That one small step made a HUGE difference in the flavor of the final product and I can now happily report that I am on the quinoa bandwagon with the rest of the cool kids.

I actually enjoyed it so much, I made a quinoa breakfast bowl the next morning and I’ve been eating it every morning since.

I’m sharing both of those super quick recipes in the hopes that maybe I can convert some of you who still don’t quite get quinoa.

Hopefully, one of these bowls will be a game-changer.

Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Servings: 1
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

1/2 cup or so of prepared quinoa, follow cooking instructions on the package

variety of fruit

nuts and seeds

1/4 cup yogurt*

honey

lime

Directions

Add quinoa to your bowl.

Top with fruit, nuts and/or seeds.

Mix the yogurt, drizzle of honey, and a good squeeze of lime juice together and dollop the mixture on top of the fruit.

Stir together and enjoy!

Seriously, that’s it. How much honey and lime juice you add is up to you so add a bit, taste, and add more if you need it.

*I use vanilla flavored Greek yogurt.

This next “recipe” is a bit more involved because you actually have to turn your stove on and cook. But it’s nothing you can’t handle if you have a pan and 15 minutes.

Quick Stir Fry Quinoa Bowl

Servings: 4-6
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

prepared quinoa, follow cooking instructions on the package

bagged coleslaw mix (shredded green and purple cabbage, carrots)

bag of frozen edamame, thawed

red bell pepper, sliced into small strips

1 green onion, sliced (green and white parts)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp grated ginger

mandarin, optional

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 tsp brown sugar or honey

Directions

Add about 1/2 cup or so of quinoa to a bowl and set aside.

Add a drizzle of vegetable oil to a saute pan or wok set over medium-high heat.

Add chopped garlic and ginger, coleslaw mix, edamame, onion, and bell pepper to the pan and saute, stirring constantly until everything is just tender.

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and pour over the veggies to coat.

Top the quinoa with the veggie mixture, add mandarin slices and enjoy!

This “recipe” makes quite a bit so you could always store the leftovers in the fridge for lunch the next day or scale it down a bit depending on how many people you’re feeding.