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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
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Made this tonight. This is my new favorite meatless dinner!!! I tweaked it a little bit with the spices. I used avacado oil instead of olive oil. Added a little ghee to the beans when I heated them. Added a bit of chopped avocado on top. Served with a fresh corn and cojita salad. So easy and healthy. Even my “where is the meat?!?!” husband enjoyed it! Thanks so much for this wonderfully delicious recipe!
I’m glad to hear you both loved this meal! And thanks so much for sharing your feedback and substitutions.
Meatless Monday is a hit. This is a good basic recipe. I added some chipotle flakes for a bit of heat. Half brown rice and half quinoa too.
Hi, Pam! I’m so glad you love this recipe. Adding chipotle flakes for extra flavor is a great idea. Thanks so much for your feedback!
That’s a great idea! My son loves potato and black bean so much. I try to cook, but, maybe I can’t like yours! Learned something new to apply for the next time! Thank you so much, Ashley, for sharing such a superb idea! 🙂
I made this meal prep style and ate it for lunch all last week. Delicious! I work in a very physical field, and this has been one of the only meals that’s kept me full after lunch, so that’s a huge plus for me. Do you have any ideas for variations I could make on the recipe?
This looks so good, can anyone who has made it tell me if it’s spicy? All the chili powder is making me a little nervous… could i just leave that out? or maybe cut it in half?
Thanks!
Hi, Kristen! I’m not a fan of spicy foods and don’t think this recipe is spicy. If you are still concerned, you can definitely cut back on the chili powder. Enjoy! 🙂
This is amazing! I made it last night and I am currently eating the leftovers for lunch. I am trying to cut out meat and recipes like this show me how easy it will be. My boyfriend loved it as well! I followed your recipe exactly except I have a heavy hand when seasoning and added more of the spices. I love this and I will be making it all the time! Great recipe!!!Thanks!
Hi!
I’m not familiar with sweet potatoes (yet) so I really want to give this a try. Just out curiosity though – at my office we don’t have a microwave or oven we can use, once prepared, can this dish be eaten cold?
Hi, Rina! This dish can be eaten cold. I think you will love the sweet potatoes. Enjoy!
Thank you for replying. I tried the salad today at lunch and it’s definitely a keeper! 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!
Am in the process of making them for my lunches this week. Put the necessary items in a very small food processor and it wouldn’t blend. I can’t imagine putting everything in a blender will be much better, but I’ll try. I feel like it’s due to such a small amount of ingredients in the sauce. Anyone else experience the same issue?
I’ve never had that problem. But I would recommend trying the most powerful food processor or blender you have. I use a 3 cup food processor without any issues. Good luck and enjoy!
I used my nutra ninja and it worked a bit better. Great recipe. Thx for your reply! ?
This is the one “healthy” bowl I actually enjoyed and couldn’t get enough of! This is an amazing recipe!
This looks deliciously healthy & also thanks for posting the recipe…and thanks for linking up to Snickerdoodle Sunday- hope to see you again this Saturday at 5:00 ET with your latest makes!