When I was at Uni, this was always my go-to dinner as making it is really not time-consuming, and does not require expert skills. It’s also frugal, and as a student, I didn’t have much money but still wanted to eat healthy good that tasted good. So I always made dinners like this curried bowl, that not only filled me up but also made me feel good and healthy.
Vegan Quinoa Recipes
Now let’s talk about quinoa. First of all, I buy quinoa in bulk to save money and use less packaging. And also to make sure that I always have quinoa on hand. How to cook quinoa? The quinoa to water ratio is 1:2. So for this recipe use 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of salted water. I rinse the quinoa first as I found that it helps get rid off any bitter taste (you can skip this step), and then put it in a pot along with the salted water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Leave the pot uncovered. The quinoa will absorb the water, and the rest will evaporate. I simmer on the lowest heat possible and watch it so it doesn’t burn at the end when I think that the quinoa is almost cooked. Once it’s cooked, remove from heat immediately, and fluff with a fork. To jazz things up, I add half a cup of black beans to the quinoa (if using canned beans, then quickly rinse the beans under running water). You could use any kind of beans that you like, kidney beans work great! Then squeeze a lime (or half a lemon if lime is not available), and mix in some chopped coriander. And that’s it, the black bean quinoa is now ready!
Vegan Coconut curry
This vegan coconut curry is loaded with loads of veggies that you probably already have in your kitchen. Making this curry is so easy that you’ll find yourself making this over and over again. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a wok or a large deep pan. Saute a diced onion and a diced carrot. If you like spicy food, then add a pierced chilli or 2. Add the bell peppers and cook everything together until they start to soften. If the diced onion starts to burn, just add a splash of water and continue. Add the diced potato, frozen peas, mild or medium curry powder, and ground turmeric (if using). And finally a can of full-fat coconut milk. Reduce heat, and simmer until the sauce thickens and potatoes become soft (should take around 10 minutes). Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve the black bean quinoa in bowls along with the vegetable curry, squeeze some more lime on the curry before eating and enjoy! And that’s it, a healthy and filling dinner made in just 25 minutes! This recipe first appeared on Little Sunny Kitchen in January 2017, and was updated with new images and more info in June 2019. The recipe remained the same. © Little Sunny Kitchen