Recipe: One Pan Mexican Quinoa Without the Quinoa

A few days ago, my daughter shared a yummy (and good-for-you!) recipe she had just tried: One Pan Mexican Quinoa. My ears perked up at the "One Pan" part and again at "Quinoa". First, I couldn't believe she actually likes quinoa now (YAY!) and second, I knew I had a box in the cupboard.

Yesterday I stopped at the grocery store and picked up the few items I needed to make the recipe. Back at home, I chopped the garlic and the jalapeno and set them to simmer in the skillet. I reached into my well-equipped pantry (ahem) to fetch my quinoa and...

Wait. That's not quinoa! It's Bulgar wheat! 

I know what you're thinking: First of all, what the heck IS Bulgar wheat anyway? And second, why does she have something as obscure as Bulgar wheat in such a poorly stocked pantry?

We won't go into those answers today, but suffice it to say that I had no choice but to continue on! Yes, folks: Only I could make a recipe WITHOUT one of the ingredients listed in the title!

  Since the Bulgar wheat was labeled (fortunately, I actually kept the label this time...) "quick cooking" and required a similar amount of liquid as the quinoa, I bravely soldiered on.

 

And sure enough, this recipe turned out great! The addition of lime juice plus cilantro and avocado (two of my favorite ingredients) gives this dish a very fresh taste, and I'm sure the leftovers will be even better! I concluded that you could make this recipe with any type of grain or rice as long as you adjust the liquid as needed. So take that, poorly stocked pantry! :)

Here's mine:

Here's the original:

This one's a keeper, quinoa or not! 

jp

 One Pan Mexican Quinoa

Source: Damn Delicious

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapenos, minced

1 cup quinoa

1 cup vegetable broth

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 cup corn kernels

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. 
• Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. 
• Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. 
• Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.
• Serve immediately.