Hey y'all!
Okay, so if you're anything like me - sometimes you feel like you've been eating like shit - and feel the need to eat a bit cleaner....and if you also happen to like Sweet Green, their Earth Bowl in particular, then you've come to the right place.
I've only made quinoa a handful of times myself, so I am by no means an expert. Don't let that stop you either!
I chose to do a riff off of the Earth Bowl, because it's a warm dish, you can add pretty much anything you want to it, string beans, tomatoes, onions, even brussel sprouts you name it, it can go in this dish. It also is the most filing thing on the menu (usually).
First thing you should do when you're at the grocery store is pick produce that you like to eat. General rule of thumb for this dish is pick at least one green vegetable and at least one non-green vegetable as well. I had some extra broccoli in the fridge so that's what I chose, and I think mushrooms also pair well with this dish so I pulled those out as well.
Grocery List:
Quinoa
Farro
Chick Peas (or Garbanzo beans, these are usually tucked away in the international aisle)
Protein of your choice/or tofu (Salmon was in the fridge!)
Green Vegetable (I chose broccoli)
Non-Green Vegetable (Shrooms were my pick, I also added some tomatoes, and yes I know, they're a fruit)
Cheese (optional)
Onions (optional)
Alright, the trick to any dish is figure out what can cook without you having to babysit it, and start with that.
I happened to have made some chicken stock the other week so instead of using just plain water, I figured why not? This step is of course optional. If you don't have any stock on hand, no worries, just use tap water.
Take your 2 cups of quinoa (which is usually the whole box) and rinse it using a strainer/sieve until the water runs clear (washes off anything that you don't wanna eat, trust). Add it to a medium size pot with a little bit of olive oil and let it heat up for a little bit. Next, add in about 4 cup of stock/water and a dash of salt. Let it come to a boil, once it has, reduce to low and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
While your quinoa is cooking you can prep the veggies. Rinse and chop all your produce. For the broccoli, just boil some water, add some salt and throw your florets in.
I like to cook the farro at the same time, mostly because I'm impatient. Combine the farro and water in a medium size sauce pan, add a dash of salt and bring it to a boil; reduce to simmer for about 30 minutes until it's tender (but still has bite).
For the mushrooms, add some olive oil and a little bit of sesame oil (optional) to a skillet and let them sauté until they're a little but soft - but not completely mushy.
The great thing about buying chickpeas in a can is all you have to do it rinse them off, throw them in a pan with some salt and pepper really quick just to get some color on them and you're good to go.
I used salmon as a protein! Salmon's great because it's a pretty low maintenance protein to cook at home, all you need is a drizzle of olive oil, some salt and pepper, lemon if you want, and an oven - set to 325, for about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness and how done you like your fish.
Now comes the fun part, mixing everything together!
Start off with all of your grains, then add everything in, I chose to keep the mushrooms and the salmon separate so that people could add as much or as little as they wanted.
Use any dressing you normally would, I opted to create my own Pesto Vinaigrette. It's super quick and easy, all you need is basil (or basil paste), evoo, salt and pepper, lemon, garlic and you're good to go.
Enjoy!