This is a first: never before have I been so ridiculously excited about such a healthy recipe - and a vegan one to boot! Quinoa bowls - they don't sound much, but flavours and textures in this dish are just unbelievable.
Just imagine it: fluffy quinoa, the fresh flavour of al dente broccoli, soft chickpeas, crunchy pine nuts, and plenty of garlicky, lemony dressing... I'll admit, this stuff barely made it into the bowl, which is a bit of an issue for a recipe titled 'quinoa bowls'. But 'quinoa eaten straight from the pan' didn't seem to have quite the same ring to it.
You could serve this quinoa recipe as a side dish, but actually it works great as a full meal too - the quinoa, chickpeas and pine nuts mean that these quinoa bowls are packed with protein. One big, warm, comforting bowl of protein. This is actually one of my favourite ways to make dinner when I have a fridge full of food but no inspiration of what to make - start with a grain or some other form of carb in a bowl (mashed potato, quinoa, rice, whatever), pile on whatever veggies you have in the fridge, and then add some form of protein (beans, chickpeas, nuts, cheese, etc). It always leads to an awesome dinner, but it's rarely quite as incredible as these quinoa bowls were.
This dish is irresistible served warm or cold - even the leftovers that I left in the pan to cool down weren't safe from me and my fork. So, you can either cook it fresh, or cook it in advance and pack it up for a picnic - I would quite happily eat these quinoa bowls for breakfast, lunch and dinner (in the same day).
Garlicky quinoa bowls with broccoli and chickpeas
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 100 g quinoa
- 350 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small leek halved lengthwise and then sliced
- 150 g broccoli separated into florets
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 400 g tin chickpeas 240g when drained, drained
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
- 3 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Add the quinoa and the vegetable stock to a pan, and place over a low heat. Simmer gently, stirring regularly, until all of the stock has been absorbed, the quinoa is soft, and the spiral-shaped germ has detached from the quinoa. If the quinoa begins to dry up before it is fully cooked, just add a dash more water.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the sliced leek, broccoli and garlic. Cook over a very low heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the leek and garlic are soft and the broccoli is just tender but still has a bit of bite to it.
- Add the chickpeas, and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- When the quinoa and vegetables are both ready, combine them, along with the pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh parsley and plenty of black pepper. Mix to combine, and serve warm or cold.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Quinoa fan? Try quinoa egg fried 'rice'!
Ayesha says
I'm so thrilled to have found your blog! From now on, my Sunday meal prep is basically going to be all your recipes, which are in UK measurements, hurrah! This dish is interesting, I just made it and I love it! It's going to be my lunch for the week. I doubled the portions. And your chick pea biriani is in the oven now. Who says vegan don't get enough protein! :) Thank you, and look forward to trying out more recipes.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Hehe yay I'm glad you found me too! Glad you enjoyed this recipe, hope you find plenty of other things you like too :)
Adrienne says
I just wanted to say how much I love this recipe! It's become one of my go-to favorites.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Yay thank you Adrienne! Gotta love a dinner bowl :)
Dee says
Do you have this recipe in American measurements (i.e, 1 cup, 2 Tblsp., etc.)? This sounds delicious; but this is in metric measurements.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Hi Dee, I'm afraid I don't, sorry! I only started writing my recipes in both formats at the start of 2015. To be honest though, the exact quantities shouldn't matter too much with this one - just cook 2 portions of quinoa in stock and add around half a head of broccoli, and you're most of the way there :) I hope you make it work! Otherwise, check out any of my recipes from 2015 or 2016 and you should be fine!
Donna says
Looks delicious! I would like to make it but my boyfriend has diverticulitis. What would you substitute for the pine nuts, do you think, so that he can eat it?
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Can he eat other nuts? The pine nuts are only there for a little bit of crunch, so any nut would work - or just skip them altogether :)
Donna says
Think I will toast the pine nuts and then grind fine in a coffee grinder and see how it works. Thanks!
Una says
Fantastic!!! Am eating it out of the pain! So tasty and nutritious. Definitely make it again. ?
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Woop woop! Thanks Una! :)
Mo says
I made this last night. It so quick, easy and delicious. Thank you for your blog and recipes :)
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Thanks Mo, glad you enjoyed it! :)
Holly says
do you think I could sub out onions for the leek?
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Definitely! :)
Kathy says
Hi Becca
I really enjoy your information as I am new to vegetarian diet. I am specifically looking for recipes that I can make in batches and then freeze for single servings. Have you tried to freeze your garlic quinoa broccoli chickpea recipe?
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Hi Kathy! I'm afraid I very rarely freeze food so I haven't tried freezing this one, sorry I can't be more helpful. I wonder whether the quinoa might go a bit mushy after being frozen? If you do try freezing it, let me know how it goes!
Sharlene says
Just made this for lunch and it was delicious!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Thanks Sharlene, really glad you enjoyed it! :)