The Loaded Bowl

Posted byLori Posted onAugust 4, 2010 Comments22

Ya know, I’ve been upping my workouts lately to include, aside from CrossFit, runs. I’m running because I am training for another endurance event with Team In Training. I have yet decided if I’m going to run a half marathon or a full marathon, but nonetheless, I’m training hard. And with all of this training, a girl needs food. Good food. Good food with good taste.

Sadly, I just don’t understand a few things about the average person. One, most people just don’t like exercising. Why? How could you not? Endorphins are our friends people. Completely addicting, they feel good. Exercise also = healthy. Why would you not want to be healthy? Two, some people just don’t understand that healthy foods can taste really really really good. Often times, much better than fried, chemical laden, made-to-look-like food products. These impostors are not food and these should not be eaten. Period.

Anyway, with the rant out of the way, I made some good, healthy food last night. And just to clarify, good is a complete understatement.

I now present, for your viewing pleasure, a quinoa dish that out-tastes any (I dare you to try)…

The Loaded Bowl (slightly adapted from Clean Eating Magazine, Sept/Oct 2010)

Quinoa Bowl:

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 15 oz. can beans (I used fava, any type will work)
  • 1 pint tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp white onion, chopped
  • 1 large green onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 tsp chili and cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
  • sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Dressing:

  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 1/8 cup white vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions:

One: Rinse quinoa thoroughly and add to a pot with 1 1/2 cups water. Heat quinoa and water until it comes to a full boil. Cover and reduce heat to lowest setting for 15 minutes.

Two: In a large bowl, add beans, tomatoes, and cilantro, onions, chili and cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, tossing to combine.

Three: Mix all dressing ingredients in small bowl until combined, adding the diced avocado and lime juice last.

These seemed to be the most convenient containers I could find at the moment...

Four: In another large bowl, fluff quinoa. Add the bean/tomato mixture to the quinoa and toss to combine. Adjust salt/pepper if needed.

Five: Time to plate bowl! Serve into bowls, drizzling with some of the avocados and dressing.

Six: Eat!

Consensus: This dish is easy, fast, SUPER DELICIOUS, and boyfriend approved (B.A.). B.A. means not only that it’s B.ad A.ss ;), but since the boyfriend’s seal of approval is on it, it tastes really really really good. He’s kind of a closet chef and knows his food. He thought it was one of the best dishes I’ve made. Hmmm.. recently he’s been saying that a lot lately…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

FRESHEST garlic in the world.

A note on garlic: Eat it. The above picture is garlic grown from a town (Gilroy, known for garlic!) only about 25 minutes from my house. I have never seen, smelled, or tasted garlic this fresh. Straight out of the outer skin, it looked and tasted like roasted garlic, as you can tell my the amazingly orange color. Unbelievable flavor.

What is your favorite spice or herb or flavor to add to your dishes?? I’m really into freshly cracked pepper lately… I cannot get enough of it. I’m serious. I’m adding it to everything, even desserts! You’ll see tomorrow… What a tease I am. 😉

P.S. Is it just me or are there WAY too many amazing, wonderful, well written, entertaining blogs out there? I mean, I spend half of my morning (and then some. Oh, and pm hours) reading one blog after another- all truly fantastic foodie blogs. I love it but it can be completely overwhelming to keep up with them all. Anyone feeling the same way?

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22 People reacted on this

  1. What a information of un-ambiguity and preserveness of valuable familiarity regarding unpredicted feelings.

  2. That garlic IS CRAZYY. I AM making this salad.
    .-= Lauren´s last blog ..Insane in the membraiiinnnn =-.

  3. oops, that’s meant to be OR wholesome…food and not OF!
    .-= Sarah (GF vegan)´s last blog ..Hump Day Recipe – Almond Pesto Cheeze =-.

  4. I’m with you- love cracked black pepper and garlic; and I don’t understand how people can not like exercise of wholesome, healthy food from our earth. And, I’m loving your loaded bowl! 🙂

  5. oooooooooooooooooooo. loaded bowl come to me now! good looks to be a mayj understatement! bookmarked this page!
    .-= elise´s last blog ..Nothing comes close to the golden coast =-.

  6. I make a similar quinoa dish that my husband and kids love. Yum – quinoa – I’m getting hungry!

    I had no idea garlic could be yellow when fresh. Yum – garlic – okay, better go eat!
    .-= Michelle´s last blog ..Banana Pancakes =-.

  7. Everything in that bowl looks so fresh and tasty!
    .-= Madeline – Greens and Jeans´s last blog ..confessions part two =-.

  8. OOooh my, i’m going to make this dish! Thank you Lori, it looked amazing to eat 🙂

    That garlic is amazing, I love the color! I’ve had fresh out of the garden garlic a couple times, and it tastes so divine!

    I totally agree that about all the awesome foodie blogs out there, at first I kept losing track of where I had commented, where I had been, etc… *laughs* I’m trying to keep better track now using favorites and blogger, but it can totally take a few hours to read everyone and comment! I’ve tried to just pick my favorites and go with it. It’s hard though because I find another new fav every day! lol 🙂
    .-= maggie(livingfoodjunkie)´s last blog ..Outdoor Dinner =-.

  9. Love all the stuff going on in that bowl!

    I’m with you on one hand with the exercise, but so much of our society is unwell for one reason or another (sometimes not of their own doing – husband has Lyme Disease, which explained why exercise was seriously sapping him) that not everyone has the motivation to exercise or feels good when they do. But, if only people would just start with walking. I think a life to activity begins there!
    .-= Alisa´s last blog ..Summer Reading Series Giveaway- Food Allergy-Friendly Coookbook =-.

  10. That loaded bowl looks incredible. Anything with giant avocado chunks is a winner in my books, I’ve been craving avocado a LOT lately!

    I definitely hear you with the blogs. If I could I would read and comment on every one out there. But there are SO so many good ones and just not nearly enough hours in the day. I can’t keep up with it nearly as much as I’d like to.

  11. WAY too many fabulous blogs. I have to do something about it. It is time for an intervention.

    That bowl, the garlic…yum. Are those really fava beans? I thought they were green. What do I know.
    .-= Katie´s last blog ..Eat and repeat =-.

  12. There are a lot of great blogs out there – my google reader is quite overwhelming at times… Still, I can’t give it up :-).
    .-= Ashley´s last blog ..GoLite Review and Giveaway! =-.

  13. hello!! i agree…especially with the healthy food…YUM!!!! i love this recipe…LOVE it…

    i absolutely adore garlic…and basil…and black pepper as well…chipotle powder…curry…cinnamon…cumin…i love too many spices…

    i agree re the blogs too…so many amazing ones out there…and they all make me very happy…love reading blogs instead of the paper…current events are too depressing to keep up with…so i read blogs about love and food…
    .-= nelly´s last blog ..when the cat goes away the little mouse comes out to play =-.

  14. Love this post. So right girl!

    The loaded bowl looks fantastic 😉 YUM!!! A girl does need to eat LOL

    And wow that garlic looks great! We are huge garlic lovers so we would love that fresh garlic any day ; )

    Yes we agree it is VERY hard to keep up with everyone because there are so many great blogs and bloggers out there! We need more time in the day 😉
    .-= Pure2raw twins´s last blog ..How we got over our eating disorder =-.

  15. i agree! sometimes there just isn’t enough time to comment on all on them. i usually don’t write around two days a week and don’t comment on another two. and you are so good too about emailing people back! i don’t do that very often 🙂
    .-= kate´s last blog ..Talk to me =-.

  16. That’s so fun that you’re doing Team in Training!!! I love them! I did the San Diego marathon with them earlier this year. It was an amazing experience to say the least.

    This dish looks right up my alley. Quinoa is my BFF, seriously. I’m definitely an onion and garlic kind of girl. I NEED to travel to Gilroy. I would be in heaven! No one around me would be, but that’s okay. 🙂

    Yes, I agree. There are SO many wonderful bloggies out there. I could read for days straight!
    .-= Jackie (Peaces of Earth)´s last blog ..The Spice of Life =-.

  17. SOooooo many blogs, so little time! I always feel bad that I’m going to miss something important but…well…my friends WILL write again!!
    I don’t understand how people don’t like vegetables? And healthy eating? And exercise! I cant believe I used to be a person who didn’t like to exercise.
    .-= Ilana´s last blog ..Green monster =-.

  18. So healthy and amazing salads. I never thought to put beans in a salad. I ll try it.
    .-= Efi@greekyogurt´s last blog ..Spanakopita =-.

  19. Yes, sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with blogs as well!
    That garlic looks insance….garlic is my favorite:)
    .-= Ally @ Sweet & Savory´s last blog ..Coconut Macaroons =-.

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