Warm Asian quinoa power bowls are full of wholesome, colorful and delicious veggies and finished off with an easy, but addictive, soy ginger dressing. These bowls are a great way to enjoy a healthy and hearty vegetarian lunch or dinner!
It's the first full work week of the year and man, has it seemed forever long! And it's still just Thursday!
Then again, tomorrow's Friday so it's in sight. Maybe I'll focus on that... putting a positive spin on things always helps, right?!
Moving right along, so hopefully the week will move right along too...
If you are looking to eat ALL the healthy, wholesome things this January - and hopefully, throughout the year - then today's recipe is for you.
These warm Asian quinoa power bowls are loaded with nutrient-dense ingredients and perfect for filling up with delicious, healthful foods.
We've got tender, fluffy quinoa, edamame, meaty mushrooms, wilted greens, red pepper strips and an addictive slightly spicy soy ginger dressing to bring it all together.
Healthy eating never looked so good!
Plus, you know I love a quinoa bowl.
I've shared my quinoa bowl with butternut squash and Brussels sprouts (another fall and winter favorite) and my BBQ chicken quinoa salad bowls (great for meal prepping!).
And you might also want to check out this Asian quinoa crunch salad that's loaded up with veggies.
Today's vegetarian quinoa power bowl is also vegan, dairy-free and can be made gluten-free as well. (Substitute tamari for the soy sauce in the dressing and it'll be gluten-free).
Five fun facts about quinoa:
- Quinoa is a complete protein, providing all nine essential amino acids.
- It's also an excellent source of manganese and phosphorus and a good source of dietary fiber, folate, iron, zinc and magnesium.
- Technically, quinoa is a seed, not a grain. But it's prepared and used similar to a grain.
- Quinoa is naturally gluten-free.
- Quinoa was first domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago by Andean peoples in northwest South America.
And although it has a bad reputation for being difficult to prepare, I promise it really isn't.
Tips on how to make quinoa:
- It needs to be very well rinsed. (Sometimes you can buy varieties that are already triple rinsed.)
- It's a 2:1 ratio for cooking: 2 cups of water (or liquid) for every 1 cup of raw quinoa.
- Bring your quinoa and water to a boil then reduce the heat, cover the pot and cook the quinoa for 13-15 minutes.
- Quinoa is ready when it has absorbed the liquid and "popped," meaning it's showing what looks like a small white tail that's actually the germ of the kernel.
- If your quinoa has gotten cooked onto the bottom of the pan (because it absorbed all the liquid before you checked it), you can add a splash of water and scrape that up.
- Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork, season to taste and it's ready to serve!
Finally, there are white, red and black versions of quinoa.
White is the most common form you'll find. It's also the mildest, most tender and quickest to cook.
It's my preference and what I used here.
Notes on these Asian quinoa power bowls:
- Button or cremini mushrooms both work great here.
- I used Swiss chard, but have also made these with spinach. Kale or any other hearty green would also work.
- The edamame for these bowls needs to be cooked. If you don't have some already made, no worries. I usually have a separate pot of water set to boil and add my frozen edamame to the pan as I'm cooking the rest of the meal.
- These are vegan and vegetarian as is, but you could easily add some cooked chicken or sliced steak for any non-vegetarians.
- I'm partial to my homemade soy ginger dressing, which is super simple to make, but you could substitute a store-bought Asian-style dressing here if you prefer.
I do have to make one admission.
These don't reheat all that great, in my opinion. The veggies seem to lose their texture and the flavors kind-of fall flat after that first day.
(If you are looking for an awesome meal prep vegetarian salad, check out my vegetarian Greek grain bowls from last week.)
Whatever your New Year's resolutions, whatever your health goals for the year, I hope you give these Asian quinoa power bowls a try.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Check out these other favorite quinoa recipes:
- Southwest vegetarian quinoa skillet
- One-pot quinoa with peas and Parmesan
Warm Asian quinoa power bowls (V, GF)
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 1 cup cooked edamame
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 8 oz. package white button mushrooms, sliced (or use cremini mushrooms)
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch strips
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, stem removed and roughly chopped (or sub spinach or kale)
- 1 batch of homemade soy ginger dressing, see notes
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Once it’s finished cooking, fluff with a fork and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients. (If your edamame is not cooked, cook it now.)
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 7-8 minutes. Add bell pepper strips and cook until crisp tender, 3-5 minutes. Add Swiss chard and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 4-5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- While the veggies are cooking, make the soy ginger dressing and set aside.
- Divide the cooked quinoa among the serving bowls. Top with mushrooms, peppers and Swiss chard. Shake the dressing well to get it combined again, then drizzle the dressing over each bowl.
Notes
Lindsay Cotter says
Looks so delicious! Can't wait to make this!
Kathryn says
Thanks Lindsay!
Rocio Cocina en Casa says
mmmm very good recipe thanks!
Kathryn says
Thanks! 😊