Healthy Comfort Food Series – Mango Chipotle Quinoa Bowl

Mango Chipotle Quinoa Bowl

Let’s start off the new year with a healthy and delicious quinoa bowl!

INGREDIENTS

Salad Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa 100 gr, rinse with warm water
1 cup water + more for rinsing
40 gr pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 + 1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp smoky paprika
0,5-1 can black beans rinsed under running water
1/2 red onion chopped
1 mango chopped
2 cups spinach chopped, around 90gr
2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
1 avocado sliced and diced

Lime Chicken (Optional)
2 chicken filets chopped
1 lime, juice
1/2 tsp smoky paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Chipotle Dressing Ingredients
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce
2 tsp adobo sauce
1/2 lime, juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
15 stems cilantro roughly chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 160C (325F).
2. Then begin with the quinoa. Remember to wash the quinoa in warm water to remove excess starch before cooking. Boil water and add in the quinoa, simmer for 13 minutes-ish, uncovered. All the water shall be absorbed. Fluff up the quinoa with a fork, remove from heat and let it rest covered for 5 minutes to dry it out more. Place the quinoa in a bowl or a plate and place in the refrigerator. We want cold quinoa.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, begin with the chicken. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces, pan fry them in a little olive oil, salt, pepper, smoky paprika and juice of 1 lime. Set aside to cool.
4. Toss the pumpkin seeds (or pepitas) in olive oil, salt and smoky paprika. Toast them in the oven for around 8 minutes, you want them to be slightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
5. For the chipotle dressing: Add all the ingredients apart from the olive oil into a blender. With the blender on, slowly pour in the olive oil. This prevents it from separating. Process until smooth.
6. In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients. The chopped mango, spinach, black beans, cilantro, onion, pumpkin seeds and a little salt. Drizzle with the chipotle dressing.

Gratitude and appreciation to Ginger with Spice for sharing her recipe.

You can find her on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

**All words and pictures courtesy of Ginger with Spice.