What's For Lunch: Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables and a Honey Lime Vinaigrette


A few weeks ago, D and I headed to Minneapolis to celebrate my birthday. We were starving when we arrived, so, after a quick Yelp search, we headed to The Local, an Irish pub located just around the corner from our hotel. D ordered a quinoa salad, while I went with the more traditional black bean burger ... oops. At least we paired our meals with a Guinness (him) and Big Ginger (2 Gingers Irish Whiskey and ginger ale) (me). Long story short, though my black bean burger was good, D won the ordering award with his delicious quinoa salad. Their version included crispy tofu, roasted sweet potatoes, bell peppers, capers, basil, spinach, and avocado tossed with a lime vinaigrette. My version includes several of the same flavors, with a few tweaks here and there.


This quinoa dish works well served hot, warm, or cold. It also works with or without the dressing, though the honey lime vinaigrette definitely adds a bit of zing. If you have a fresh avocado on hand, I highly recommend adding in some cubed avocado to each serving. Oh man, it's sooo good! Now I kind of wish it was lunchtime so I could eat this right now!

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables (printer-friendly version)
makes 6-8 servings

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 red bell pepper, cubed
1/2 green bell pepper, cubed
1 small red onion, cubed
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed if necessary
2 cups filtered water

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add together the chopped sweet potatoes, bell peppers, onion, garlic cloves, cumin, pepper, salt, and olive oil. Toss to combine, evenly coating the vegetables in the oil and spice mixture.
3. Place the vegetables in a single layer on the prepped baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, then flip the vegetables over, and roast for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the quinoa. Add the quinoa and water to a medium sauce pot. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed and the grains are transparent.
5. Add the roasted vegetables and quinoa to a serving bowl. Add dressing (see recipe below) to taste, then toss to combine.


Honey Lime Vinaigrette
makes about 1/2 cup

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoon honey
pinch fine sea salt
pinch cayenne pepper
large pinch chili powder

1. Add all the ingredients to a small mason jar with a lid. Cover, and shake vigorously to combine the ingredients. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.




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