Thursday, January 6, 2011

WHAT WE HAD FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT-- QUINOA TACO BOWL

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It looks a bit messy, but it was delish!
This is pretty fast to make if you have the Taco Paste made up in the refrigerator (recipe below-- it keeps for ages!).  We had a rather late dinner last night and I had some already reconstituted Soy Curls in the fridge, and some ripe avocados that needed using, so this is what I came up with-- DH loved it!  Healthful, spicy, lots of textures.

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S QUINOA TACO BOWL
Serves 3, more or less

Quinoa:
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup red quinoa (if you don't have any, just use 1 cup regular quinoa in total)
2 cups water
a few pinches salt
Corn and Avocado Salsa:
1 cup thawed, frozen sweet corn kernels, drained
2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 medium green pepper, trimmed and chopped
1-2 tablespoons chopped jalapeƱo peppers (can be pickled)
1 large ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon minced cilantro (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Spicy Soy Curls:
3 cups reconstituted Soy Curls (3 ounces dry)
about 1 tablespoon Bryanna's Taco Paste (recipe below)
a few sprays of oil
Garnish: Tofu Sour Cream (recipe here, or use a commercial version)

Mix the 2 types of quinoa together in a medium pot with the water and salt.  Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down to a low simmer.  Simmer for 20 minutes; turn the heat off and let stand about 5 minutes.

To make the Salsa, mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Refrigerate until serving time.


In a medium bowl, mix together the reconstituted Soy Curls with the Taco Paste, rubbing it into the Soy Curls with your fingers until evenly distributed.  Heat a large nonstick skillet and spray it with a few squirts of oil.  Add the Soy Curls and stir-fry for a few minutes just to heat and slightly brown.

Place a scoop of quinoa in each serving bowl, top with 1/3 of the Soy Curls and add a pile of the Salsa alongside.  Drizzle Tofu Sour Cream over the Soy Curls and serve!

BRYANNA’S TACO PASTE
From my book "Soyfoods Cooking for a Positive Menopause".
Mix in a food processor until smooth:

1/2 cup good-quality chile powder
7 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dried red chile pepper flakes
4 vegetarian broth cubes, crumbled (or enough for 4 cups liquid), or 4 teaspoons veggie broth powder or paste
1 tablespoon olive or Chinese sesame oil
1 tablespoon flour (or 2 teaspoons rice flour)
1 tablespoon Marmite (or other yeast extract)
1 tablespoon water
1/2 tablespoon salt
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon EACH dried oregano and ground cumin
             
Store in a tightly-covered jar in the refrigerator.


All the best,

7 comments:

Claire said...

Glad you're back! That's interesting that you put Marmite in your taco seasoning - I made a homemade version that I wanted to taste like I remembered the Taco Bell brand tasting, and ended up using some vegetarian beef broth powder for the umami. The taco seasonings from the envelopes that we grew up on must have had MSG in them.

Vegiegail said...

Holy guacamole! This looks delicious!

Erin said...

That looks so good! And answers my question about what to do with the Soy Curls I just got...

Are the back issues of the Vegan Feast Newsletter still available? The link on the right side isn't working for me, and I'd love to have them.

Amanda @ Hungry Vegan Traveler said...

Mmm... I like anything with the word TACO in it!

in2insight said...

This looks to be another winner.

Can't wait until the new book is out in Aug / Sept!

spiceislandvegan said...

Thanks Bryanna. I am excited about your new cookbook. Some of the recipes came from your newsletter, isn't it? That's wonderful since we tested them. I love the Peruvian Sweet Potato chowder.

How is your mom? I hope she is improving.

Debbie

in2insight said...

Made this last night to rave reviews. Cheers!