This healthy vegan and gluten free dish is loaded with protein, healthy carbs and nutrients. It is also a full meal that is sure to satisfy your taste buds!
I was recently diagnosed with several food sensitivities (dairy, eggs, most nuts, coconut, soy and a few other foods). When the doctor told me the news, I wanted to cry.
I am a personal chef and love to cook. I already eat gluten free and avoid a few other ingredients. This just added to the list of foods I couldn’t have.
After a brief pity party, I got into the kitchen and started to re-imagine new dishes I could eat and my whole family would enjoy. I wanted to incorporate more plant based foods in my diet.
I love this recipe, because it includes real foods full of nutrients that fuel my health. It is also a dish I can easily adapt for the rest of my family. I can add some chicken or goat cheese to their portions and not need to make a second dish.
Here’s What you’ll need:
Making the recipe:
Start by cooking the quinoa, per your package instructions. You usually will need about 20 minutes in total to do this.
Next, you will slice the fennel, oranges and beets and chop the kale. I recommend doing this while the quinoa is cooking to save on time.
Once the quinoa is done cooking and cooled a bit, put it in a bowl and add in the other ingredients (sunflower seeds, lemon juice and seasonings). Next, fold in the avocado and serve!
Quinoa Bowl with Fennel Orange Beet & Avocado
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This healthy vegan and gluten free dish is loaded with protein, healthy carbs and nutrients. It is also a full meal that is sure to satisfy your taste buds!
Ingredients
- 1 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 cups fennel bulb, thinly sliced and cut in quarters
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1 mandarin or clementine orange, peeled and sections cut into thirds
- 2 small cooked beets, diced
- 2 cups kale, chopped
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil (extra virgin, organic, cold pressed)
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed (about 1/2 of a lemon)
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper, freshly ground to taste
Instructions
- Place the quinoa in a pot with the water and garlic. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
- Stir in the maple syrup and let sit uncovered for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice the fennel (about 1/2 of a bulb) and cut in half again to make the pieces more bite-sized.
- Peel the orange and slice each orange section into thirds. Dice the beets into smaller pieces.
- Chop the kale leaves into smaller pieces and set aside.
- Once the quinoa has cooled a bit but is still warm, put it in a large bowl. Add all of the other ingredients to the bowl along with the dressing and mix well.
- Slice the avocado into cubes. Add it into the quinoa bowl and fold it in gently.
Notes
For those not eating vegan, feel free to add some chicken or goat cheese to this dish
WOW! Mixed this up for lunch this week and had to force myself not to eat my whole lunch early (with my mixing spoon, no less). Lightly sweet and full of flavor- so good!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish!