last week, chris and i moved to a new apartment. i love it here. our old apartment was fine, but this one is so much better. we have our own washer and dryer which is absolutely amazing. it’s a pet friendly, which is perfect for when we get a dog (yay! i can’t wait). plus it’s just overall a nicer building and apartment. but the one downside is that the kitchen is much much smaller than the one in our old apartment. so we don’t have quite enough storage space for the many small kitchen appliances we own, or enough space for all of the food i tend to buy in bulk at costco.
therefore, i’ve resolved to stop buying so much food from costco because it’s actually quite unnecessary with only two people living in our apartment and we just don’t have enough space anymore. i also need to work on using up some of the bulk food that i already bought. one of those things is a large bag of quinoa. so last night i made some southwestern quinoa to pack up for lunch the rest of this week.
it was absolutely delicious! along with the quinoa, there is also black beans, corn, bell peppers, seasoned with cumin, taco seasoning and oregano, plus some cilantro and cheese! sooo yummy! i can’t wait to bring this for lunch and i think it’s good enough to keep me from wanted to buy lunch at the school food court. yay for saving money and healthy eating!
p.s. want to know an awesome tip? pick up some of these tubes of herbs next time you go to the grocery store. if you’re like me and like to have herbs on hand but don’t tend to use them up in time before they get yucky, this is the perfect solution. i often have some tubes of cilantro and basil in my fridge and it’s super convenient and actually affordable since i’m not throwing away spoiled herbs.
back to the southwestern quinoa, it starts of with of course some quinoa.
then in a large pan, saute the chopped onions and bell peppers. next add some garlic.
now add the tomatoes. i used some red and yellow cherry tomatoes i got from the farmers market at university of maryland.
time for the spices – add some cumin, taco seasoning, and oregano.
mix it up and then add the black beans and corn.
add the quinoa and mix to combine all of the tasty ingredients. then season with salt and pepper and finally, some chopped cilantro if desired.
Southwestern Quinoa
adapted slightly from One Girl. One Kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups water (or chicken or vegetable stock, etc)
- 1 t olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, chopped finely
- 1/2 bell pepper, chopped finely
- 1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 t dried oregano
- 1 t ground cumin
- 1 t taco seasoning
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn (fresh or frozen – thaw if frozen)
- 1 T cilantro, chopped (optional)
- salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- Add quinoa and water to a medium sized pot. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
- In another pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
- Add the onions and peppers and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add oregano, cumin, and taco seasoning and stir for a minute. If the mixture looks a little dry you can add a little bit more oil.
- Add in beans and corn and let cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Finally, add in quinoa and combine everything together.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Top with chopped cilantro if desired.
Printer Friendly Recipe: Southwestern Quinoa
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