Good for your soul

My dear friend, Carol Jewell brought this over to my girls when my husband was in the hospital. She brought it in the pan and left it on the stove. She said as she was leaving she turned around and saw the girls eating it right out of the pan! There was none left when I got home, but I asked for the recipe. I couldn’t believe that my girls loved it that much with the ingredients!! They were younger and still picky eaters.

This recipe quickly became a family favorite and whenever I cook for my kid’s freezers, they all request this recipe! We make it with cheese on top and use nacho chips to scoop it out, but it’s a great side dish without cheese too. It’s super easy. You literally just dump everything into the pan and cook covered for 30 minutes. You can shop most of the ingredients and have on hand for a last minute make too! You do need to mince the garlic if you don’t buy it minced, and the jalapeños need to be chopped. I do make it without jalapeños for one daughter since she doesn’t like them. When I make for the freezer, I put a serving size in each container. You just need to warm it up with you eat it. I do add the lime, avocado and cilantro before freezing. If it’s dry after reheating, add a little broth. We have not found it to be dry though. Isn’t it pretty? Enjoy!

Wonderfully light, healthy, nutritious and pretty! It’s easy to make – the quinoa is cooked right in the pan!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeños, minced 1 cup quinoa (I like to use tri color because it’s so pretty!) 1 cup vegetable broth (I’ve used chicken also) 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes – do not drain
1 cup corn kernels (I’ve used canned or frozen – both work) 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced Juice of 1 lime 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeños, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooke through, about 20 minutes. 

Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro

We like to top with cheese and eat with nacho chips.

Serve immediately, or let cool and freeze.