One of my weaknesses will always be rice. I mean who can blame me? It’s been the main character in all of my meals growing up. It’s so ironic because as a kid I complained about my mother always making “arroz, habichuelas y carne” (translation: rice, beans, and meat). Look at me now all obsessed and shit. Who am I? lol

Anyways, rice is amazing but did you know that there are other great alternatives that can pack the same flavor and can (at times) satisfy that rice craving? For me, it’s quinoa or riced cauliflower. Both are great and I love adding some of the same flavors I add to rice dishes to trick my brain. Seriously! Sometimes I don’t even miss the real thing. I add veggies, beans, and sometimes protein in there and it always does the trick! The secret is in the flavor!

Here’s one of my go to quinoa recipes. It’s vegan friendly, is packed with flavor, and is super delicious! A great way to keep your “health is wealth” goals for the new year.

You can use any type of quinoa. I prefer golden quinoa as it love the flavor but you can use which ever variety.
For a completely vegan option: omit the chicken bouillon and water in this recipe and replace with vegetable stock.
You can also substitute the corn in this recipe for beans to make a moro (rice and peas) style quinoa dish. If using beans, use one can of beans in place of the corn.
You can also make this a one pot meal with the inclusion of a protein. Add in your protein with the veggies and cook until the meat is almost cooked through. Then add in quinoa and cooking liquid.
I used water and chicken bouillon in this recipe as the cooking liquid but you can also use chicken or vegetable stock instead. Just be very mindful of the sodium. Taste the liquid before adding any additional salt.
Be careful not to add too much salt! In general, I would recommend tasting your cooking liquid before adding additional salt if you’re using an all-purpose seasoning blend.

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients

2 cups of Quinoa, washed once and drained
Quarter of an onion, diced
Quarter of a green or red bell pepper, diced
3-5 cloves of garlic, finely diced or mashed
2-3 slices of jalapeño, finely diced (optional)
1/2 cup of frozen or canned corn (I prefer frozen)
1 tbspn of tomato paste
1-2 teaspoons of Home Beis Tradicional blend (can substitute with all purpose seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon of no sodium chicken bouillon
2 cups of water
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 sprigs of cilantro
1 tablespoon of oil, for cooking

Directions

Add oil to a medium pot at medium to high heat.

First we sauté the veggies. To the pot, add in your garlic, onions, peppers, jalapeño, and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Sauté the veggies for 2-3 mins or until soft.

Now we add our flavor agents. Next, add in your all purpose seasoning, chicken bouillon and your corn. Stir to combine.

Let’s add the quinoa! Then, add in your washed quinoa. Stir to combine all of the flavors and veggies.

Now it’s time to add in your water (or stock). Stir to combine. The cooking liquid will begin to simmer. Once the cooking liquid has cooked out of the quinoa, lower heat to low, add the whole cilantro sprigs on top of the quinoa and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

Once cooked, remove the cilantro sprigs and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Serve and enjoy! I love to plate this with sliced avocado and a side salad. A perfect and easy lunch or dinner option.