Author Notes
I came up with this recipe in an effort to plan my lunches better. The great thing about it is that you can make the quinoa in a large batch ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. Then instantly freshen the pre-made lunch up by chopping up some baby spinach and avocado. —Puja Thomas-Patel
Ingredients
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2 cups
Cooked quinoa
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1 tablespoon
Oil (vegetable)
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1
Small onion, finely chopped
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2
Tomatoes (I usually use Roma)
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1
Green jalapeño, chopped (or to taste)
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2 teaspoons
Cumin seeds
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1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric
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1/2 teaspoon
Salt (or to taste)
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2 cups
Baby spinach, roughly chopped
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1/2 cup
Cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
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1
Large avocado, cubed
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1
Lemon, to juice over the avocado cubes
Directions
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Heat oil in a 12″ skillet. Add onions and saute until soft and translucent.
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While the onions cook, toss the cumin seeds onto a cast iron pan (or any other kind of pan that is not non-stick will work) and heat over medium high heat until you can smell the fragrance of the seeds. Keep a eye on it and stir often so that the seeds don’t burn. **Don’t add oil. The point is to dry roast the cumin.
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Toss the dry roasted cumin seeds into a blender with the tomatoes and the green chili. Puree and set aside.
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When the onions are soft and translucent, add in the tomato puree. Stir and cook until the puree begins to look more like a paste. About 5 minutes.
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Add in the turmeric and salt. Stir.
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Add in the cooked quinoa. Stir until the quinoa is evenly coated in the spicy tomato mixture and and cook for about 2 minutes.
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At this point, you can let the quinoa cool and refrigerate until you’re ready to eat.
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Add in the chopped spinach, cilantro and lemon juice coated avocado when ready to serve.
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If you’re like me and want to eat this for lunch in small portions, this is what I do :
I portion out 1/2 cup of quinoa. Toss a big handful of chopped baby spinach leaves (you don’t really have to chop them, I like to because I prefer to eat quinoa with a spoon and not a fork).
Liberally sprinkle lemon juice over half a small avocado (I also add salt) and toss into the salad.
Top with cilantro leaves.
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