HEALTHY DINNERS | One-pot Mexican Quinoa Topped With Parsley Cashew "Sour Cream"
Healthy, delicious, 100% plant-based, and nutritious. Plus, it's so easy and quick to make - even the quinoa is cooked right in the pot! Perfect weeknight dinner if you ask me. Ohh and the parsley cashew cream. So good!
If you are new to quinoa, it's a must try. Not only because it became a trendy, hyped food. I just love its nutty flavor. So much better than rice. Believe me. Though it is technically not a grain but a seed (hence its name pseudo grain), quinoa, pronounced - keen-wah - is a great wheat-free alternative to starchy grains.
There are three types: black, red and creamy white. While the three of them taste almost identically, I love to cook with the tricolor version for its added color effect.
With twice the protein content of rice or barley, quinoa is also a very good source of calcium, magnesium, and manganese. It also contributes useful levels of several B vitamins, vitamin E, and dietary fiber.
Unlike many other plant foods, quinoa provides complete protein meaning it got all 9 essential amino acids our body can not produce and has to get it through the food we eat. Making this pseudo-grain ideal for vegans and vegetarians.
One-pot Mexican Quinoa Topped With Parsley Cashew "Sour Cream"
INGREDIENTS (serves 2-3)
For the quinoa
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups chopped bell pepper, I used a mix of yellow and green
1 cup chopped zucchini
2 cups chopped tomatoes
Vegetable stock
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, I used tricolor
1.5 cup cooked kidney beans
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp chili powder or use chili paste instead
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 small avocado, cubed
For the cashew sauce
1/2 cup soaked cashews (soak for at least 4 hours, overnight is best)
1 cup fresh parsley
1 lime, juice only
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Soak cashews for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best. If you forgot you can also soak them in boiled water for 30-60 min.
- Heat cooking oil over medium to medium-high heat. Sauté onion for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, zucchini, bell pepper, cumin and chili powder and cook for one minute more before adding the quinoa, tomatoes, vegetable stock, and kidney beans. Bring to a gentle boil, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the liquid has soaked into the quinoa.
- Meanwhile, make the cashew sour cream. Add all cashew sauce ingredients to a blender and process until smooth, creamy consistency. Set aside in the fridge.
- When the quinoa is fully cooked, remove from heat. Divide over bowl or plates and top with avocado and cashew sour cream.
Bon Appétit
ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL!
PICTURE(s) TAKEN WITH FUJI X-M1
Such an amazing recipe and description! Do you have a culinary background?
Not at all. I have a science background (studied pharmacy and biology) but I love eating good food and cooking!
I went to culinary school part time for a few years, my undergrad is in finance and accounting. I think a science background paired with an interest in food is an amazing combination of experience especially when trying to understand how healthy food works in our bodies. I really enjoy your posts!
When I was working as plant researcher at the university I started to get interested in food as my hubby has MS so I did a 4-year after work/weekend course about holistic health and nutrition. The funny thing is science in a way is cooking too... loved my little experiments but feel much happier now with guiding people to live healthily and take back their health. Would love to do a culinary course one day! So much to learn... I love cooking so much. Thanks for all the love and support ;)
Wow. Excellent healthy delicacy. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Looks yummy 👌
Always a pleasure to share our daily meals. Have a beautiful day!
👌😎
Upvoted because this looks delicious! thanks for sharing :)
Thanks. Glad you like it!
I am so making this, this weekend! Great recipe...
Enjoy. let me know what you think of it. We love simple one[pot dinners like this.
Simple one pot dinners are so key, I encourage my clients to do one pot dinners a lot easier in regards to time and you get so much nutrition packed into one meal without having to overthink it.
And usually, they are freezer friendly for days you don't have time to cook. Though fresh is better...frozen homecooked still beats take-out by far ;)
Ohhh! It’s a great dish!!! The Mexican quinoa looks so yummy especially with the cashews cream.
Have a nice day.
Cashew cream is the best. You too have a nice day my friend!
This looks delicious, but definitely a bonus for being a one-pot meal! I'm a fan of any recipe that saves me a little extra time scrubbing dishes. 🤣
Same here. When we lived in Belgium we had a dishwasher but since we moved to Cambodia I am all up for one-pot dinners hehe.
Nice one. From smoothies to healthy delicious reciped. Good one as always. Keep it up. Hope you like my pancake post 👌
Hi @etilda! I haven't seen it yet but I love pancakes so I'll have a look at it ;)
Yummm, I will have to try this- I really miss sour cream with my Mexican dishes 😋
To my humble opinion cashew cream is so much better.... but that's me. Give it a go and let me know what you think.
This looks delicious and I had no idea there were three types of quinoa, that's awesome. Thanks so much for the recipe and info!
My pleasure. thanks for dropping by. have a lovely day!
@amy-goodrich, another great recipe! You got yourself a new follower. Keep it up. This looks so delicious! aaAAaA!
Thanks my friend. glad you like the info and recipes I am sharing. The potatoes you shared look so good. Fasting day here.... so only fresh coconut water and water for me today ;)