Mexican Quinoa With Pepita Cilantro Sauce Recipes

ONE SKILLET MEXICAN QUINOA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute jalapeno pepper and garlic in hot oil until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir black beans, tomatoes, yellow corn, quinoa, and chicken broth into skillet; season with red pepper flakes, chili powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, cover the skillet with a lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer until quinoa is tender and liquid is mostly absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir avocado, lime juice, and cilantro into quinoa until combined.

ONE PAN MEXICAN QUINOA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro. Serve immediately.

MEXICAN QUINOA WITH PEPITA-CILANTRO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small pot, bring water to boil over high heat. Add quinoa. Return to boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting; cover. Simmer 15 minutes. Water should be absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes to finish steaming. Transfer to a bowl. (I usually cook my quinoa, after toasting, in the microwave with the 1 1/2 cups of boiling water from the kettle, covered, for 12 minutes on medium-low -- about the same time it takes to cook basmati rice in my microwave).
• Meanwhile in a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast pepitas, shaking pan often, until they begin to pop and are fragrant and just starting to brown, 3-5 minutes.
• Transfer to food processor or blender. Add cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, salt and cumin. Process, scraping sides frequently, until well-minced. With machine running, gradually add oil, then lime juice, processing until as smooth as possible, and scraping down sides as needed.
• Stir pepita mixture, bell pepper and onions into quinoa. Stir well.
• Serve warm. Pass lime wedges separately, if desired.

VEGAN MEXICAN QUINOA BOWL WITH GREEN CHILE CILANTRO SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine cashews, green chile peppers, hemp milk, jalapeno pepper, and salt in a blender; process until smooth.
• Pour cashew mixture into a small bowl; stir in 1 cup cilantro.
• Bring water and quinoa to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Divide romaine lettuce among 4 bowls. Top with quinoa, black beans, red bell pepper, and onion. Drizzle cilantro sauce on top. Garnish with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and chopped avocados.