Quinoa’s one of those stereotypical vegan foods that non-vegans kinda think is bland and boring. In that respect, it’s much like tofu – and like tofu, if you know how to treat quinoa right it comes alive, as you’ll discover with my quinoa bowl with sweet potato and lemony spinach.
This dish ticks all the boxes; it’s quick and easy to make; it’s healthy – oil and gluten free, and it tastes phenomenal. Plus it’s all served up in a bowl – doesn’t get much more comforting than that, right?
Let’s narrow in on some of the superstar ingredients in this recipe for a minute, beginning with quinoa…
There’s a reason why health-loving vegans sing quinoa’s praises – it’s full of vegan protein and is one of the few plant foods that contain sufficient amounts of all nine essential amino acids.
It’s also gluten free, high in fiber, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, various antioxidants and vitamin E!
In this recipe we team quinoa up with chickpeas (a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, as well as protein), sweet potatoes (which are highly nutritious and promote good gut-health and cancer-fighting properties) and spinach (a well known nutrient-packed superfood).
The coconut milk, curry powder and fresh lemon juice and zest add so much flavor to this dish that it makes it really addictive.
In our house, we like to make up a big enough batch of this recipe so that we can take leftovers for lunch the next day. In fact, it’s actually even better the next day because the flavors seem to develop and permeate through the quinoa even more.
Are you a big quinoa fan? You might like some of my other recipes:
The Ultimate Quinoa Buddha Bowl with Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
Vegan Quinoa Broccoli Casserole
Quinoa Burger with Peas and Carrots
If you do make this Quinoa Bowl with Sweet Potato & Lemony Spinach, or any of my other quinoa recipes, please come back and leave me a comment to let me know what you thought of it – I love to hear from you!
Quinoa Bowl with Sweet Potato & Lemony Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 carrots
- 2 small sweet potatoes
- 1 14 oz can chickpeas
- 1 14 oz can light coconut milk
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 8 ounces fresh spinach
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Quickly rinse the quinoa with cold water. Drain.
- In a medium saucepan, add the quinoa and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Approximately 10-15 minutes.
- Peel the carrots and sweet potatoes. Slice them all in half and cut the carrots and sweet potatoes into thin slices.
- In a large skillet, add the carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, minced garlic, chickpeas, coconut milk, curry powder, and a pinch of salt.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. Add the spinach, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the pot and stir. Turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Toss the quinoa with the sweet potato and spinach mixture. Serve immediately.
