What's Cookin' Wednesday

Peanut Quinoa Bowl

I love these. I have an obsession with peanut butter, so any chance I get to eat it, I'll take it. I mean, I'll still just use a spoon and the jar, but... 

Anyway, in my quest to force boyfriend away from noodle dishes, I've been throwing quinoa into meals. It's just a wonderful little thing. If you live in the Columbus area, you've probably been to Northstar Cafe. If you haven't, make a point of going. They use all fresh, organic ingredients, and everything tastes amazing. I fell in love with the Thai Burrito, when my mom and I went there one time. It's served with the most amazing peanut sauce. I just couldn't handle it. I even dipped my chips in it.

The peanut sauce in this recipe is really similar, and it just makes me happy when I eat this. We tried these bowls the first time with half the sauce, and boyfriend was just not having it. It was too bland for him, and he likes flavor. Well, I wasn't opposed to putting more sauce on it, so here's the outcome. Pure heaven.

 (this made me think of peanut butter cream cheese frosting *drool*... until I added tamari.)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

3/8 cup (6 Tbsp) peanut butter

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons water

3 teaspoons tamari (or soy sauce)

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ginger

Salt & pepper to taste

Chopped peanuts and green onion stalks for garnish

How to:

Bring the water to a boil and add the quinoa. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While that's going, heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onions. Sauté until fragrant. Toss in the red pepper, and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until tender. Set the sautéed veggies aside, and add about a 1/2 cup of water to the pan, and steam the broccoli for about 2-3 minutes. Tender, but still crisp. In a bowl, whisk the peanut butter, lime juice, water, tamari, brown sugar, and ginger. Combine the cooked quinoa, veggies, and peanut butter sauce in a large bowl!
Serve warm with chopped green onion stalks, peanuts, and an extra squeeze of lime juice!

Super yummy! Don't be afraid to add extra veggies!

Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!! (: