recipe: sweet potato, black bean and quinoa bowl

picture from spoonfullofflavor.com

yo.  for awhile now i have been preparing a few dinners per week that are meatless.  in our efforts to eat a little healthier.  and because i am still sort of new to this (we're a couple years into this endeavor) i still rely on new recipes to come up with meatless meals so that we don't get stuck in a rut of eating the same 5 over and over.  anyway, one of my favorites that is quick and easy to put together and is full of fiber, and wonderful vitamins and minerals and protein is this sweet potato, black bean and quinoa bowl.  i have made some variation of this a number of times and this recipe is a good base to sub in and out different components.

so, first i usually make the quinoa.  i drizzle a little olive oil in a pot over medium heat and once it's heated up i add 3/4 cup of quinoa.  stir until the quinoa is toasty and golden.  pour in 1 1/4 cup of liquid, i like to use chicken broth but you could use veg broth or water.  bring this to a boil, turn down heat to low and cover until there is no more liquid, maybe about 15-20 min.  remove from heat and let sit with lid on for about 10 min, fluff with a fork.  this is my go to way of making a basic quinoa.  you could also add onions, shallots, garlic, whatever herbs you'd like as well, to give some more layers of flavor.  it's ok to let this sit for awhile while you are preparing the rest of the meal.

next, i prepare the sweet potatoes.  peel, cut into chunks, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  you could also include chili powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic powder, whatever flavor profile you like.  then i roast on 450 for about 20-25 minutes, flipping the sweet potato chunks halfway through.

while the sweet potatoes are cooking, i heat up a can of black beans (rinsed) and add some salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and a little cumin and coriander.

i then chop up some lettuce, grate some cheese (we usually have cheddar, mozzarella or queso fresco or all 3!), cut up some tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, slice some limes, and avocado.  put this on a serving plate.

then, i make this topping----mmmmmm it's the best.  and super easy.  for us (2 adults and 2 little ones), i just use a half of an avocado, juice from half a lime, maybe about 1/2 cup of sour cream, salt, pepper and about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro.  put in food processor and blend until smooth.  you may have to add some water to get it to the consistency that you want.  you could also sub in greek yogurt for the sour cream.  the recipe is pretty forgiving, so just add the ingredients in the ratio that you like.  blend until it is smooth and easy to pour/drizzle.

once the sweet potatoes are done, you can assemble everything.  get a bowl.  add a couple spoonfuls of quinoa, put some black beans on top of that, layer in a bunch of roasted sweet potato chunks, sprinkle cheese on top of that then add your accompaniments---lettuce, tomato, green onion, avocado, whatever, and drizzle some of that delicious avocado/sour cream topping over the top.  mix a little and dig in.  it's delicious.  you could serve with tortilla chips on the side, or some tortillas.  but it is good as is, too.  the sweet potatoes are toasty and a little caramelized and sweet, the beans are savory and balance out the sweet potatoes with salt, the lettuce gives a nice crunchy texture, and the avocado sauce is creamy and acidic.  and then the quinoa is just there.  haha, just kidding, it adds to the texture without being too pushy in the flavor department.  it's a really well balanced meal flavor wise, it's healthy and comes together quickly.  and you can add or subtract whatever you want.  sometimes i use brown rice instead of quinoa.

anyway, give it a try!