When it comes to weeknight cooking, three things come to mind: fast, easy, nutritious. I know what you’re thinking – fast and easy is, well, easy, but the nutrition part? Not so much. Wrong. With this one-pot Mexican quinoa dish, you’ll be eating a fibrous, veggie-packed meal in about 30 minutes (Did I mention that 20 of those minutes can be spent sitting on the couch?). Plus, if you’re anything like me, leftovers for lunch are a key component of a fabulous recipe, and this my friends makes AWESOME leftovers. The one-pot thing is just the icing on the cake!

Side note: This meal is gluten free, vegetarian and even vegan! I am none of those things and I still think it’s super delish.

So… Let’s get started!

What you’ll need:

• Large saucepan w/ lid
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (or 4… Or 5… I love garlic)
• 1 diced jalapeno (to reduce the spice level don’t include all the seeds or the whole pepper)
• 1c quinoa
• 1c vegetable broth
• 1 can corn drained (plain, unsalted corn – NOT sweet or creamed corn)
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, juice included
• 1t chili powder
• 1/2t cumin
• salt
• pepper
• 1 avocado cubed
• 2T chopped cilantro
• 1/2 lime juice

What You Need to Do:

Heat a swirl of olive oil on medium. Add garlic and jalapeno, season with salt and pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes until soft and fragrant.

Add quinoa, broth, corn, beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover.

Let cook 20-25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Turn off heat, add avocado, cilantro and lime juice. Stir to mix.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

If this recipe turns into a favorite, it’s super easy to keep all of the dry ingredients on hand (I like to buy the canned stuff and quinoa on sale or at Costco). Then, all you have to buy is lime, cilantro, avo, and jalapeno when you’re in the mood.

More one-pot wonder meals comin’ at ya soon!

Xoxo,

Lindsay