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Hi Everyone! It’s Danae from Recipe Runner. Happy 2015! I know it’s already the middle of the month, but the last time I had the chance to share a recipe with you here on Ashley’s beautiful blog we were at the height of the holiday season. I’m sure many of you, myself included, have some nutrition goals in mind for the new year. One of mine is to incorporate a meatless meal into the mix once a week and these Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quinoa Bowls are helping me do that!
These vegetarian bowls have a lot of things going for them that make eating a meatless meal less of a struggle. The problem I have with a lot of vegetarian meals is that there isn’t enough protein in them to keep me full for more than an hour. Sure I love salads, but if that’s all I eat I guarantee I’ll be raiding the fridge shortly after looking for something more to fill me up.
These Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quinoa Bowls are primarily made up of those three main ingredients and then seasoned with some southwest spices. The black beans and quinoa add a good amount of protein to the meatless meal which will help keep us full much longer than say a bowl of pasta. The sweet potato adds in a good amount of healthy carbs, not to mention they are loaded with vitamins. I seasoned both the sweet potato and quinoa with a combination of chili powder and cumin, and there is a generous amount of cilantro in the bowls because I seriously can’t get enough of the stuff! After a lot of debate on how to prepare the sweet potato I decided to roast it in the oven. Roasting vegetables brings out such wonderful flavor and sweetness in them. I know it takes a little longer, but for this the timing was perfect since it took the same amount of time to cook the quinoa.
Since the bowls were looking a little one note in the color department and because they needed a little something cool and creamy to take the edge off the heat from the chili powder, I decided to top them with the most glorious cilantro cream drizzle. The base of the drizzle is plain Greek yogurt which I then flavored with cilantro, fresh lime juice, a pinch of garlic and chili powder, and a little agave nectar for sweetness. The drizzle is completely healthy, but you feel like you are getting something extra special! If adding a meatless meal or just a delicious healthy meal is part of your nutrition goals for this year, then I highly recommend you give these Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quinoa Bowls a try!
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quinoa Bowls
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potato:
- 1 large sweet potato, peel and diced
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Quinoa:
- 3/4 cup red quinoa
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Juice of half a lime
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Cilantro Cream Drizzle:
- 1/4 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon agave nectar or honey
- Juice of half a lime
- Pinch of salt, garlic powder, and chili powder
Other Ingredients:
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- Cilantro for garnishing
Instructions
Roasted Sweet Potato:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees then line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray.
- Toss the diced sweet potato in the olive oil and spices and lay it out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast the sweet potato for 12-15 minutes or until it is fork tender.
Quinoa:
- Rinse and drain the red quinoa then put it in a medium sized sauce pan with the water and 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring the quinoa to a boil, then cover it with a lid and lower the heat to medium low. Cook the quinoa for about 15 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove quinoa from the heat and season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, lime juice, and cilantro.
Cilantro Cream Drizzle:
- In a blender add all of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Assembling the Bowls:
- In 2 or 3 serving bowls divide the quinoa mixture. Top the quinoa with the black beans and roasted sweet potato. Drizzle the cilantro cream on top with a spoon. Top with more cilantro if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Meatless Meals:
Winter Kale and Wild Rice Salad
Connect with Danae:
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This post may contain affiliate links.
I’m a teacher so I’m looking for healthy recipients to make on a Sunday night and can keep most of the week. Would you recommend that with this recipe? How would you recommend containing it for optimal flavor and no sogginess at lunch time or does it matter?
Recipies*** darn autocorrect
Hi, Leah! Yes, you can make this in advance and enjoy throughout the week. I recommend storing the cilantro cream drizzle separately and spreading over the bowls just prior to serving. Enjoy!
I have to comment that I have never been so frustrated using a recipe online….the ad pop ups were taking me away from the page every time I tried to load and while I’m halfway through cooking couldn’t get it to load to finish the recipe…pretty disappointing.
Hi, Andrea! I am so sorry, that is frustrating. Ads are not supposed to be blocking any of my content. If you see it happen again and can screenshot it and send it to me, I would be very grateful. I would like to fix the problem so that people can enjoy my recipes without issues. Thanks!
Hi! I love all these ingredients so i made this today and thought omg this is so flavorful! Since I’m health conscious I don’t feel guilty putting this on my meal plan. Thanks so much..will eat once a month!
Gracias from south Texas!
We absolutely LOVED this recipe! Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that, Sheri! Thanks for your comment.
This recipe looks amazing!! Does it reheat very well? I was hoping to make it ahead of time and bring it to work for lunch. Thanks!
Hi, Brittany! Yes, I reheat this meal often. I like to cook it at the beginning of the week and eat as leftovers throughout the week. I recommend reserving the sauce on the side before reheating.
Thank you for this recipe! Seriously the most delicious and filling thing I’ve ever made at home and being a college student I appreciate the cost effective ingredient list! I did splurge for the quinoa but it’s so worth it! Definitely going to be making again!
Hi, Ivy! This meal is definitely a favorite at my house too. I am so glad to hear that you loved it!
I just made this for lunch and was delicious!!!! I just add some avocado to the yogurt sauce! To die for!! Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
Hi, Rocio! I am so glad you loved the recipe. The avocado cream is the best part!
I have been loving all the bowl recipes I have been finding and trying. They are so good! This one is different so it is next on my list to try. Pinned!
Hi Ashley
Can’t find the recipe anymore and I wanted to cook this beautiful dish for dinner, it was still up yesterday…
Help? 😉
Hi, Karen! I am so sorry about the issue with my recipe. I updated my recipe formatting this morning and a few posts were paused temporarily. Everything should be there now. Enjoy!
Cannot stand the taste of cilantro in or on anything! What other type of cream sauce would go well with this dish?
Hi, Judy! I’m sorry to hear that you don’t like cilantro. I love this meal with avocado creama, such as the recipe featured here: https://www.spoonfulofflavor.com/cilantro-lime-shrimp-quinoa-bowls/