Behold, the One Bowl Wonder!

I would never dub myself a huge carnivore, or even a “meat and potatoes” girl, but I still love a juicy steak or a greasy cheeseburger as much as the average (i.e., ah hem, fat) American. That said, there's just something wrong with a 20-something year old girl heating up the ol’ grill and throwing on a rib eye or beef patty for one. (It's also impossible when you don't own a grill - and when your small apartment balcony is predestined for herbs and a tomato plant.) Albeit a proud, 21st century, equal opportunity kind of gal (I went to an all-girls school for goodness' sake!), I still say leave it to the man to deal with the grill. So last night, without the man or the grill or that burning desire for bloody flesh, clatter decided to go vegetarian. After conversing with a friend earlier in the day about some "amazing" food cart in Portland (www.thewholebowl.com) that sells one item only - a wonderful amalgamation of brown rice, beans, cheese, olives, avocado, cilantro, and special sauce in a bowl - I got to thinking about dinner (and I knew I had to be extra creative again because I've remained too lazy to go to the grocery store this week). Of course I've never eaten said "whole bowl", but I still imagined what it could be like and it started to sound good. This intrigue, combined with a specific request (or challenge!) clatter received last weekend from a dear friend to create something with quinoa (KEEN-wah), I began to channel my healthy, inner vegetarian, and the wheels started turning.

Quinoa and I have only been acquainted for the last year or so (thanks to my sister for formally introducing us – I think we’re going to be lifelong friends), and I've only cooked with it a couple of times since. It's a different kind of grain - I liken it to a cross between bulgur wheat and couscous. High in protein and iron, quinoa works great in salads, either as a hearty side or the main event. And according to the box, it’s gluten-free (which some people may be concerned with, but I’m not). All in all, quinoa is a fun ingredient to use if you want to take a detour from boring rice or couscous (I purposefully left bulgur wheat off of that list, because my Lebanese heritage demands that I hold it in the highest regard, which I proudly do).

So, with inspiration soaring high, I flew to the kitchen to create.... (Jill, this one’s for you!)

AR's southwestern quinoa & black bean salad (serves one for dinner, and the same one for lunch the next day at the office)
1/2 cup dry quinoa (mine was organic, giving my "hippie food" a little more street cred)
1 cup water
one can of black beans, drained and rinsed
4-5 tablespoons of diced red onion
1/4 red bell pepper, diced (I would add even more next time because j'adore le red pepper)
healthy handful of cilantro, coarsely chopped (I know that's not usually how herbs go, but I like bigger pieces in this)
1/4 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese (I couldn't in good conscience make this salad too healthy)
salt and freshly ground pepper (I forgot to salt the quinoa as it cooked, and you should probably do that)
ground cumin (I threw a bunch in, maybe 1 tablespoon's worth, because cumin is a top five favorite spice for me, but you could certainly tone it down depending on preference)
hot sauce (optional for some, but not for me - I used TJ's jalapeño pepper sauce, which, since discovering it a couple of weeks ago, I douse on anything remotely resembling Mexican food.)

other items that would be good in it that I didn’t have:
fresh lime juice (I really wanted this in it, but didn’t have a spare lime)
diced avocado
diced jalapeño or serrano pepper
chopped tomatoes
or better yet, fresh pico de gallo

Add quinoa and water in pot and bring to boil. Cover and reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes (you’ll be surprised how dry it gets, but that’s how it’s supposed to be). Meanwhile, prep all the other ingredients. Once the quinoa is done, toss together and you’re done. This salad would be perfectly good warm or room temperature, but I wanted mine a little colder. So I popped that quinoa salad in the freezer for about 15 minutes (I could have waited longer, but I was too hungry.) I doubt it really made that much of a difference, but the very act of putting it in and taking it out of the freezer tricked me into thinking I was eating a cold salad (mind over matter!).

Adding the black beans makes this salad very filling, so there's really no need to go beyond a single bowl and spoon (that's right, I ate my salad with a spoon. Is that weird? Maybe I would have opted for the spork, but no such utensil could be found in the clatter kitchen). Now if only I hadn’t ruined my perfectly healthy meal by gorging myself afterwards with Whoppers robin eggs and Starburst jelly beans… Damn Easter candy. Gets me every time.