May 19, 2018

Black Bean Quinoa Bowl

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This black bean quinoa grain bowl has it all – fresh vegetables, lots of protein, and LOTS of flavors.

Do you ever eat something new and wonder how you’ve gone your entire life without it? That’s what happened to us with grain bowls. There we were, happy and fulfilled until one day we put this meal together and now we can’t get enough of it. What’s not to love – an entire meal in one bowl!

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this black bean quinoa bowl.

Essential Black Bean Quinoa Bowl Ingredients

Canned black beans – drained and rinsed.
Quinoa – any type of quinoa will work, but I use tri-color just because it’s more visually appealing than plain white.
Lettuce – leafy lettuce like romaine is a good choice.
Vegetables – start with fresh tomatoes, and add sliced avocados.

Optional Ingredients

Fresh corn – roasted on a grill or in a skillet goes great with the black beans.
Jicama – Its mildly sweet flavor and crunchy texture make it a unique addition to this grain bowl. Jicama is the tuberous root of a plant in the bean family. It makes an interesting addition to salads and grain bowls. It looks sort of like a potato, but all you have to do is cut off a wedge and peel it to get to the juicy, crunchy insides.
Cotija cheese – a dry hard Mexican cheese that looks a little like finely crumbled feta cheese, but it’s less salty than feta. It’s packaged already grated and ready to sprinkle on things. If you can’t find it, try substituting feta cheese.
Dressing – Our very own smoky chipotle ranch dressing is the perfect topping for this black bean quinoa grain bowl, but other dressings work well too.
Cilantro – adds authentic flavor.

Making a Black Bean Quinoa Bowl

Step 1 – Cook the Quinoa

Cook the quinoa according to package instructions.
While the quinoa is cooking, get the other ingredients ready.

Step 2 – Prepare the Fresh Corn

If you use fresh corn on the cob, remove the husk from a cob of corn and rinse the corn to remove any fibers.
Put the whole cob of corn in a skillet with a little bit of oil and brown it on each side.
Set it aside.
After it has cooled a bit cut the kernels off the cob.

Step 3 – Prepare the Rest of Vegetables

Drain and rinse a can of black beans.
Tear or slice the romaine lettuce, cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, and slice the avocado and jicama.

Step 4 – Assemble the Ingredients

You can assemble the bowls any way you want, but we assembled our bowls just like the one in the picture with the quinoa and beans nestled next to the lettuce and all of the vegetables arranged on top. Then we doused this black bean quinoa grain bowl with the smoky chipotle ranch dressing and sprinkled some cotija cheese and fresh cilantro on top.

Tips for Making a Black Bean Quinoa Bowl

Use frozen corn in place of corn on the cob. Just toss some in a skillet with a little oil and brown it before adding it to the bowl.
If you want to go with fresh corn on the cob, you can cut the kernels of corn off the cob prior to grilling it in the skillet. Do whatever seems easiest to you.