Healthy Tri- Color Quinoa And Carrot Bowl
Tri- Color Quinoa
Tri - Color Quinoa
Quinoa is a really versatile food; it cooks up in 20 minutes, so it can be used to make quick and easy meals. Cook up a batch in bulk with protein, veggies, and meat if desired, and you have a mix-and-match meal for up to two weeks. Check out my mix-and-match card for easy meal ideas. Tri-color quinoa is a blend of white, red, and black quinoa. They are similar in nutrition, but doesn’t the tri-color just look more fancy? I love using it to make crackers. I end up with a fancy-grain cracker that’s healthy and easy to make. You'll love the crisp texture and satisfying flavor, and, best of all, it's free from soy and sunflower oil contamination.
Why do I mention that these crackers are free from soy and sunflower oil?
Most crackers and other gluten-free snacks are either made with sunflower oil, lecithin, or have some kind of soy contamination. That was a no-go, so I made my own; they are deliciously addictive. Are you ready to try these delicious 5-grain crackers?
I usually have quinoa and beans made in bulk so that I can just pull them out of the fridge to make this meal, which can be made in as little as 10 minutes. If you have to make the quinoa and beans from scratch, then you can find my instant pot bean recipe here to cook these up in 30 minutes. You can cook the quinoa and beans at the same time, as the quinoa only takes 20 minutes to make.
To cook the quinoa, add 1.5 cups quinoa to 3 cups water in a small sauce pan and heat on medium-high for 5 minutes or until boiling. Once boiling, turn it down to low, place a lid on the pan, and cook for 20 minutes until the water is absorbed. You can stir it once or twice while cooking to make sure it cooks evenly.
In a food processor, chop the carrots until you have ½ cup (aapproximately 3-5 baby carrots). Steam the carrots for 3–5 minutes. Wash and peel the zucchini. Using a spiralizer, make the noodles until you have 1 cup. Save the remaining zucchini for another use. Steam the zucchini for 1 minute, or you can eat it raw. Add the spinach to a bowl. Add the zucchini on top. Add the steamed carrots and the quinoa. Last, add the pinto beans. Get creative by adding your own sauces and seasonings.
For meal ideas to mix and match throughout the week, click here to download your meal bowl card to make meal planning easy.
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Healthy Tri- Color Quinoa & Carrot Bowl
Ingredients
1 Cup Zucchini noodles
1/2 cup cooked pinto beans
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup cooked tri color quinoa
2 oz fresh spinach
Directions
Cook quinoa and pinto beans - If they are already cooked, pull them out of the fridge. Heat the beans and quinoa for 1-2 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 cups of quinoa to 3 cups of water. Heat until boiling, about 5 minutes. Turn down the heat to low and place the lid on. Cook for 20 minutes, then fluff with a fork. In an instant pot, cook the beans. In a bowl, add the fresh spinach.
In a food processor, add about 3–5 baby carrots to make 1/2 cup of chopped carrots. Cook the carrots in a skillet with a little water for about 3–5 minutes. Wash, peel, and spiralize the zucchini. Steam zucchini for 1 minute.
Add to the bowl the zucchini noodles and quinoa, then the beans and carrots. Add your favorite sauce, salt, and seasonings.
Sauces
19 Sauce Recipes From Pinch Of Yum
50 Sauce Recipes From A Couple Cooks
Mix & Match Meal Bowl Card
For meal ideas to mix and match throughout the week, click here to download your meal bowl card to make meal planning easy.
