So of course, on a Super Sunny Sunday, my lunchtime hangryness happened. I was so NOT in the mood to cook something spectacular because it was SUNDAY. And SUNNY for that matter. That’s when I came up with… Turmeric Quinoa. I had left over quinoa chillin’ in the fridge so I figured, why the heck not?

Just so you know, i’ve been obsessed with turmeric lately. Turmeric in pastas, turmeric in my tea, and a fab turmeric face mask that I will be sharing with you VERY soon. (It’s quick and easy, and the ingredients for the mask are guaranteed to be in your pantry. Trust me when I say this – it will make your skin G L O W).

So as we already know, I am not a health freak. I can only eat things that are good for me when they taste like things that are bad. Quinoa was one of those things that I was confused about for a while.  I didn’t know why it tasted so good and it was also HEALTHY. Things like that actually exist? 

Mind = Blown.

I’ve had bland quinoa before, and I’ve have absolutely DELISH quinoa as well. But for this dish, I knew it would only be proper if it was filled with the most flavorful flavors ever!

Growing up, turmeric was a key ingredient in almost every Indian dish that I had for dinner, so naturally, I hated it. But now I literally put it in everything and I absolutely luvvv it. This recipe was actually inspired by an Indian dish that my mom made all the time growing up. When we had white rice left over, she would throw in a few simple ingredients and spices, which is really all you need for this recipe too. It is so simple, so delicious, and so turmeric-y.

Curry leaves are just a fancy little touch to SO many Indian dishes. We have 3 huge plants growing in our house so it’s always readily available. If you have an grocery store that carries curry leaves, I highly recommend you to add them in! 

Make this for yourself because I need you to be at the same level of happiness that I am at right now.

Tell me what ya think down below and please tag me in any pictures! 🙂

Turmeric Quinoa

Megha Patel

 

prep time:10 minutes mins

cook time:25 minutes mins

total time:35 minutes mins

servings:4

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Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa (washed and rinsed)
• 3 1/2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 red bell pepper (diced)
• 1 small white onion (diced)
• 2 jalapenos (diced)
• 8 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Optional BUT Recommended

• 2 stems curry leaves

Instructions

 

• Wash and rinse your quinoa VERY well. 
• In a large pot, add 3 cups of water along with your washed quinoa. Let it cook on medium-high for about 15 minutes and then drain the excess water. Put aside.
• In a different pot, heat up the canola oil for about 30 seconds on medium-high. Throw in the black mustard seeds and the cumin seeds.
• When the sizzling has stopped, immediately add your turmeric. Give it a mix.
• Add in the bell pepper, onion, jalapenos, and garlic. Mix it and let it cook for about 1 minute.
• Throw if in the curry leaves (if you are adding them).
• Add in the cayenne pepper, black pepper (to taste), and salt (to taste). Mix everything well.
• Time for the quinoa. Add the quinoa into the pot and toss it up! Make sure that all of the quinoa is covered in the spices and be sure that the peppers, onion, and garlic are distributed evenly throughout the dish.
• Ready to eat 🙂 Enjoy!

Notes

• Do not eat the curry leaves, as they are just for flavor purposes. You can either throw them out once the recipe is done, or if you have left overs, keep them in so the quinoa soaks up more flavor!

Keyword Quinoa