about a month ago, mike and i hosted a movie club night at our place. we decided to make tamales and black beans for our friends (i know, i know: where’s the tamale recipe? it’s coming soon, i promise). after our friends had eaten their fill, we had a lot of black beans left over from the feast. i mean A LOT. plus, we had some extra salsa, corn, zucchini, and avocado. and we had a ton of quinoa left from making these quinoa cakes the week before. so what are two people who hate to throw food away going to do with that situation? make hippie bowls!
the first time we made this dish, we ladled our latest favorite black bean recipe into the bottom of a bowl, topped it with some parmesan cheese, sautéed zucchini and corn, spinach, salsa, and avocado.
after about five minutes of silence while mike and i thoroughly enjoyed eating this meal (does that ever happen to you? complete silence when a dish is fantastic?), we looked up at each other and said, simultaneously: “these bowls are amazing!” fair warning, though: they’re definitely not fancy, and they’re pretty hippie (hence the name we made up for them), but they’re absolutely satisfying and delicious. plus, the whole meal comes together in just about 30 minutes – perfect for a weeknight and it makes plenty of leftovers for lunch, too!
oh, and we’ve mixed up the vegetables in several different iterations, and changed the spice blend based on what was in our cupboards. but each time the dish has turned out amazing. so i hope you all enjoy them, too, and i encourage you to mix up the vegetables and spices based on your favorite foods/what’s in the refrigerator!
one year ago: lentil soup with french lentils & ginger and orange tofu with bok choy
two years ago: black pepper tempeh and hearty minestrone
three years ago: asparagus risotto and lentil curry coconut soup
four years ago: strawberry shortcake and banana black bean empanadas
hippie bowls
yields 6 servings
- 1 batch of black beans (see below)
- 1c rinsed, uncooked quinoa
- 2T oil
- 1T chili powder
- 2t cumin
- 1/4t cayenne pepper
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 12 mushrooms, sliced
- 2 zucchini, sliced
- 1c frozen corn
- 1/2c parmesan cheese
- baby spinach leaves
- 1/2c salsa
- avocado, sliced
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- begin the black bean recipe below
- once the black beans are simmering, start work on the quinoa
- boil 1½c boiling water with a dash of salt, then add the quinoa
- cover the quinoa and allow to simmer over low heat for 25 minutes
- meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat up the oil
- add the chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and stir to combine
- add the onion and allow to saute over medium heat for 5 minutes
- add the mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes
- add the zucchini and corn and saute some more, until everything is hot
- grab a bowl and ladle in some black beans
- top with a healthy scoop of quinoa
- cover with several spoonfuls of the vegetables
- sprinkle with parmesan cheese
- toss some spinach on top, spoon some salsa on top of the spinach, and finish with avocado
- enjoy!
black beans
borrowed from edible perspective
yields 6 servings
- 4t coconut oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 x 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 small cans of diced mild green chiles
- 1/2c vegetable broth
- 1/2c salsa
- 1T (or so) hot sauce
- 1t cumin
- salt to taste
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- in a large pot, heat the coconut oil until melted
- add the garlic, sautéing for 1 minute
- add the black beans, chiles, broth, salsa, hot sauce, and cumin
- bring everything to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes (or until the rest of the food is ready to eat – we found that the longer it simmers, the better it tastes)
- add salt or more hot sauce to taste, and enjoy