The Quinoa Bowl

January 9th, 2014 | Posted by Alison Spath in Dinner Time

I love this term “quinoa bowl”.  It just sounds so… cozy.  Like we should nestle right in and rest our heads on pillows of soft, fluffy quinoa and take a little nap.

Sweet potato spinach quinoa with cumin

Or just eat it.  That’s fine too.

Over the holidays I tried my hand at Sweet Potato Kale Quinoa Cakes to take to a New Years Eve dinner party, but they were sort of a flop.  They tasted great, but they didn’t hold together very well.  Still, even though the quinoa cakes were a fail, the ingredients were a win and I was left wanting to make it as a dinner side – more specifically, a “quinoa bowl” that I’ve seen around the interwebs and have been excited to steal try.  A quinoa bowl is comfort food with benefits – warm and carby, but some nutritional perks you don’t get with rice or pasta.

(This is what I mean by cutting myself some slack as I have loosened the reigns a bit with my very low-carb approach to eating.  IT’S JUST QUINOA AND IT’S OK! [this is me yelling at myself while lovingly patting myself on the head]).

This cozy quinoa bowl was comprised of:

Approximately 3 c cooked quinoa (1 c uncooked quinoa = 3 cups cooked.  Rinse well in a fine mesh strainer before cooking.)

2 baked sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed after baking

a couple handfuls of spinach sauteed in a little coconut oil

a few cubes of chicken broth (or just a little water as needed)

garlic powder, cumin and salt to taste (or whatever herbs and spice you like, don’t forget turmeric!)

I cooked the quinoa while baking sweet potatoes, chicken and Brussels sprouts in the oven.  When everything was nearly done, I sauteed a couple handfuls of spinach in coconut oil in my dutch oven.  As soon as the spinach was soft, I added the cooked quinoa, broth, sweet potato and spices and cooked on low for a few more minutes while stirring continuously, just to help ensure everything was well mixed and to allow a little liquid to cook off.

Excuse me ma’am, your quinoa bowl is ready.

Quinoa bowl with roasted chicken and Brussels sprouts

With some roasted Brussels sprouts and chicken breast – this was a great dinner, and even better as leftovers the next day.

Quinoa is Affordable!

Quinoa is #21  on the list of 44 healthy foods under $1.  I usually buy Arrowhead Mills quinoa, a 14 oz bag cost me $3.50 at my local Wegmans.  The package contains 9 servings, that works out to be about $0.39 per serving.  Cha-ching!

Quinoa is Good For You!

Quinoa is a complete protein which makes it a great choice for vegetarians.  It’s high in iron and is a source of magnesium, potassium, folate and calcium and is gluten free.

A Few Quinoa Recipe Favorites

Quinoa and kale in a red pepper and tahini sauce to stuff into portabella mushroom caps or as a part of another cozy quinoa bowl.

Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Black Bean and Salsa Soup (an old favorite around here!)

You can add it to chili too – vegetarian or otherwise.

Or just throw some quinoa together with whatever vegetables you’ve got in the fridge.

If you’ve never had quinoa before, know that it’s pronounced “keen-wa” – it might be compared to rice as it’s somewhat similar in texture, but it’s a seed, not a grain.  It has a nutty flavor and can be served warm or cold.

If you’re an old quinoa pro, tell us your favorite way to use it or any recipes you enjoy.  I need to try to black or red quinoa next, quinoa love should know no color!


Please know that links to Amazon are affiliate links. It doesn’t change the price you pay, but if you buy something from Amazon after following one of the links in my posts, I earn a percentage based commission from Amazon as a part of their affiliate program. This is one of the ways I generate revenue from the posts that I write here. I promise that I only link to items that I truly endorse. You don’t ever have to buy anything, but if you do, thank you for supporting the site and the work I do here.


You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 Both comments and pings are currently closed.

2 Responses

  • B. Gomicchio says:

    Yes! I now know what to do with the final bits of my uber-large bunch of kale!!! I seem to always sub kale for spinach and have been eating it in one thing or another multiple days/week the last couple of weeks . . . kale love affair?

    Aaaaanywho, have you tried cooking quinoa in a rice cooker? Uber-easy.

  • I’m glad you are relaxing a bit around carbs! :) It’s certainly not good to go overboard with them, but they are nice once in a while… :) And quinoa is certainly a better choice than rice or pasta.

    I make “bowls” all the time as I do a lot of precooking on Sundays. And then we just throw together all sorts of of different combos for lunches and dinners.