Top Ate Quinoa Bowl Recipes

April 16, 2014

I went shopping at my favorite big box membership warehouse store, BJ's, the other day. I nearly died when I walked down the rice aisle and found that they started carrying two pound bags of quinoa. In typical Jen fashion, I made sure that EVERYONE shopping at BJ's also knew they just started carrying quinoa. I am an easily excitable person, especially about quinoa.  In addition, I have a voice that...shall we say...projects well. At times this can be a bad combination. I am sure the rest of the store could have done without my rice aisle outburst. In addition, I am sure The Hubbster wanted to crawl into a corner.

Oh well....can't sweat the small stuff.

Quinoa is HOT right now! It shows up on our dinner table at least three week nights per week. Using the same general techniques, but switching up the ingredients, allows us to eat a healthy variety of flavorful meals that cook up in no time!
A couple of tips:

• To save time midweek, make enough quinoa for the entire week on Sunday night. Keep it in a sealable container in the refrigerator and take a couple cups out each night to mix into your other ingredients. 
• If you aren't a big fan of quinoa, any of these recipes can be made with an equal amount of brown rice.
• ALWAYS add a dressing or marinade to kick up the flavor. Try one of these Vinaigrette Recipes.
• Toast it! I often toast the quinoa in a skillet with onions or shallots and olive oil before cooking it. Check out Clean Eating Asian Scallops and Toasted Quinoa Bowls or Spinach Artichoke Toasted Quinoa Bowls for the specific technique.

Caprese Quinoa Bowls:  Traditional Caprese salad is one of my favorite fresh summertime treats. It typically includes fresh sliced tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves. This quinoa includes the three key components and is dressed with homemade basil vinaigrette or balsamic vinaigrette.

Clean Eating Asian Scallops and Toasted Quinoa Bowls: I hate to play favorites with my seafood, but scallops are certainly at the top of my list. Made with some Asian veggies and soy sauce vinaigrette, this quinoa salad is sure to be a hit!

Clean Eating BLT Quinoa Bowls: Salty bacon mixed with fresh tomatoes and spinach leaves are the perfect combination for this quinoa bowl. Serve it as a side or add chicken to make it a heartier main dish!

Clean Eating Seared Tuna Quinoa Bowls: When The Hubbster and I go out to eat, it typically takes me about a half hour to decide what to order. There is one exception. If the menu includes seared tuna, I am automatically sold. The avocado and soy sauce vinaigrette complement to the fresh seared tuna. 

Clean Eating Taco Quinoa Bowls: If you love tacos, you'll love this recipe! Ground turkey is seasoned with smokey paprika, cumin, onion powder and garlic powder. Fresh torn cilantro and avocado provide fresh Mexican flavor.

Lemon Basil Quinoa Bowls: Lemon zest and torn basil mixed with this Lemon Parmesan Vinaigrette combine for perfect spring freshness in a bowl.

Pizza Quinoa Bowls: When cooking the quinoa for this dish, replace some of the water with prepared tomato sauce. Then, mix in your favorite pizza toppings. The result is saucy, cheesy perfection!

Spinach Artichoke Toasted Quinoa Bowls: Every time we go to Max Burger, we order the Spinach Artichoke Dip topped with extra goat cheese and freshly baked pita chips. Thankfully, it's a staple on their ever-changing menu. I came up with this recipe in an attempt to achieve the creamy spinach and artichoke flavor without the added fat and calories. It's absolutely delish!