Quinoa Masala Bowl (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

This Quinoa Masala bowl is basically my ode to quinoa. Quinoa has had its moment for a bit, and while I could be totally wrong about this, I really haven’t seen or heard a lot about it in quite some time. It’s sort of been sliding under the radar – you’ll see it when you go to restaurants or in grocery stores but the quinoa craze is less, from what I’ve experienced. I don’t know if it’s because people are finding more excitement in other pseudo-grains (because quinoa is a seed, people!) or no grains at all (cauliflower rice takeover) but whatever the case, I love quinoa. I love the texture, it doesn’t freak me out, it’s malleable to whatever you eat it with, and it’s absolutely a sleeper hit with Indian food.

I find quinoa to be an underrated, yet perfect accompaniment to my coconut curry dal or even my healthy chana masala, so I felt it only right to write this recipe, a masala quinoa bowl that brings my favorite masala spices together all in one place. Along with some garlic, ginger, and vegetables, it makes for the perfect lunch bowl, breakfast bowl topped with an egg, or a side to dinner.  So…okay, it basically works with anything. 

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Cooking quinoa is really quite easy, and my trick to making it more flavorful is to cook it in vegetable broth. This gives it much more depth than if you just cooked in water (which of course, you could still do, but this is my method of choice). I used my favorite Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth by Pacific Foods to cook the quinoa – I love all Pacific’s products, and their organic broths are my go-to for all the plant-based cooking I do! 

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While the quinoa is cooking in the vegetable broth, I sautéed some onions, ginger, and garlic in olive oil. I used my favorite masala spices – cayenne, cumin, and turmeric, and then added vegetables. I used carrots and peas but you can add whatever vegetables you like (some zucchini would be great here), and cooked these veggies until tender. After cooking those vegetables, all you have to do is add the quinoa in. And that is it. The literal easiest lunch or dinner for when you don’t really feel like cooking but probably should cook because you bought groceries. 

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I hope you enjoy this recipe, and let me know here and @DADAEATS on Instagram if you make it, so I can see your creations! 

Thank you to my friends at Pacific Foods for sponsoring this post 🙂 

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Masala Quinoa Bowl

Author Samah Dada

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa uncooked
• 1.5 cups Pacific Foods Organic Low -Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 2-inch knob ginger minced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup green peas
• 2 carrots peeled and diced
• Handful cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat Pacific Foods Organic Low -Sodium Vegetable Broth on the stove in a pot – once boiling, add quinoa. Continue to stir until quinoa has absorbed all of the broth, and is fluffy and tender. Fluff and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil. Once shimmering, add diced onions, ginger, and garlic. Sauté until translucent and starting to brown around the edges. Once it has started to brown, add the masala spices.

3. Sauté until the masala has cooked and the spices start to infuse and don’t smell very “raw.” Add the carrots, peas, and any other vegetables you choose to use (some diced zucchini would also be nice here).

4. Cover and cook until the carrots are tender. Season with salt and pepper, and add the finished quinoa. I ended up adding about 3/4s of the quinoa, not all of it. Taste, season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!