Quinoa power bowls make the perfect lunch or dinner, it is all delicious and all healthy!
Power bowls truly have it all: protein, fiber, heart-healthy fats, and a slew of micronutrients. You can totally customize the ingredients to include any produce or grain you have on hand.
What you need for this power bowl
- Quinoa 1 cup
- favorite taco seasoning (I used cumin and coriander)
- shrimp 2 lbs.
- onion ¾ cup
- garlic 2 cloves
- green pepper 1
- tomatoes 1
- salsa to taste
- avocado1
- black beans 1 can
- corn 1 can
- feta cheese to taste
The Power behind any Power Bowl
One of the many things I love about Power Bowls is the fact you can create a bowl with whatever you have on hand, however to keep the bowl POWERFUL here’s the general matrix:
- Whole Grains: A complete source of plant-based protein, quinoa forms the foundation of these bowls. You can also brown rice, farro, barley, or whatever your go-to grain is.
- Vegetables: I have yet to find a vegetable I didn’t like in a power bowl. So be creative, go for broccoli, cauliflower, squash sweet potato, spinach, kale, brussel sprouts, carrots, anything!
- Fruits: Cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, tomatoes, and avocados are all fruits too, according to science.)
- Beans, Legumes: chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, green beans, add any of the musical foods.
- Fresh Herbs, Spices or Seasonings: Salt, pepper, any fresh herb, spicy, savory or mild seasoning. This will set the flavor for your bowl.
- Nuts & Seeds: I didn’t add any nuts or seeds with this dish, but in other power bowls I always add a variety of nuts or seeds.
- Avocado: Yes, I added this again, because I don’t want you to forget, all power bowls taste better with avocado.
- Cheese: With this bowl I added just a sprinkle of feta cheese, but you can add any cheese you love, or none at all.
- Dressing: A mix of EVOO, honey, hot honey, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Ranch dressing or any dressing you like, but for my Mexican Power Bowl, I used salsa as my dressing.
HOW TO MAKE QUINOA POWER BOWLS:
STEP 1: Cook the Quinoa in water or a vegetable broth
Prepare the quinoa according to the package. I will let you know my secret…I cook my whole grains in my rice cooker. It is typically a 2 part broth or water to 1 part whole grain, its effortless! Cook the quinoa until it is fluffy and liquid is absorbed. Remove from the pan or rice cooker and let it sit.
STEP 2: Chop the vegetables
Chop the onion, green pepper, tomatoes and garlic place in one bowl. Slice avocado and set aside. Open can of corn, or prepare if using frozen corn. Open the black beans. Be sure to drain both the corn and black beans.
STEP 3: Sauté or grill the shrimp
Add 2 T of olive oil to a sauté pan to a medium heat. Under medium heat, sauté the onion, green pepper and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes. Add raw shrimp and cook until shrimp is done, about 5 minutes.
STEP 4: ASSEMBLE THE BOWLS
Start by dividing the quinoa and vegetable mixture evenly into each of 4 bowls. Next, divide the rest of the ingredients in each bowl, add the salsa and top with feta cheese.
These bowls are perfect for prepping in advance, and stay good up to 3 or 4 days.
