Southwest Quinoa Bowl
I was inspired to make this recipe after a trip to St. Louis. I ordered a “to-go” Southwest Grain Bowl from Blueprint Coffee, and I was blown away. Not only was the coffee flavorsome, dreamy, and delicious, but the Grain Bowl was just what I needed during a hectic weekend trip to Mound City. Southwest Grain Bowls are a superb option for a healthy breakfast on the go. Furthermore, I love how this bowl is so pleasantly zesty and fresh that I had to recreate it at home.
The Southwest Grain bowl had a zesty lime vinaigrette drizzled over quinoa, beans, corn, tomatoes, and other fresh flavors. With tomato season emerging, this is a great recipe to have in the queue for when you are swimming in tomatoes. This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, versatile, and best of all easy.
In this article, I review why I love this Southwest Quinoa Bowl, the ingredients, how to make this recipe, how to pair this quinoa bowl, and some fun facts about tomatoes, one of the key ingredients in this recipe.
So here is my take on Blueprint Coffee’s Southwest Grain Bowl.
Why I Love This Recipe
Healthy: This Southwest Quinoa Bowl is protein and fiber-packed. With yummy veggies and fresh flavors, this recipe is nutritious and delicious.
Quick and Easy: This recipe is easy to throw together and can be ready for lunch or dinner in under 30 minutes.
Perfect for Leftovers: I love to make a big batch of this recipe. It is superb for leftovers, tasting, perhaps, even better the next day after the flavors have melded.
Versatile: I love this recipe because it is so versatile. You can choose to use black beans or pinto beans, brown rice or quinoa, sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, or poblanos. In the vinaigrette, you can use olive oil or avocado oil.
Moreover, you could add a bit of our sour cream to the top of your bowl, or finish the southwest bowl with lots and lots of fresh cilantro or lime juice. Additionally, you can further top this southwest quinoa bowl with store-bought rotisserie chicken, grilled southwest chicken thighs or breasts, slow-cooker pulled pork, or baked tofu.
Ingredients For Southwest Bowl
- Quinoa: You can’t have a quinoa bowl without quinoa. However, if you wanted to take this recipe and use a different grain for a Southwest Grain Bowl, Farro, Sorghum, and even rice would pair well with the ingredients.
- Black Beans and corn: These two ingredients are quintessential when making a southwest-style bowl or salad.
- Jalapeno, Red Onion, and Cilantro: These ingredients add lots of fresh flavors.
- Cherry Tomatoes: You don’t have to limit this recipe to tomato season, but I encourage you to make this at least once with local, farm-fresh, tomatoes. Tomatoes season can range from May through October.
Curious to learn more about what to do with cherry tomatoes? Check out my article 10 Things To Do with Cherry Tomatoes on the Hood River Eats Blog!
Ingredients for Southwest Vinaigrette
This vinaigrette can be used with this recipe but it also works well in a different meal. It’s simple, easy, and ready in under 5 minutes.
Olive oil: I prefer to use olive oil in this vinaigrette but avocado oil works well too.
Apple Cider Vinegar: I like the slight sweetness of apple cider vinegar but white vinegar works as well.
Lime: I use lime zest and fresh lime juice.
Seasonings: Similar to taco seasoning, I use dried oregano, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. For a bit more kick, the option to include red pepper flakes.
How to Make this Southwest Quinoa Bowl
Bowl Prep: Cook quinoa per package instructions. Add all the bowl ingredients to a large bowl and set aside.
Southwest Vinaigrette: In a jar, add all vinaigrette ingredients. Place the lid on the jar, and shake until combined.
Finish Off the Quinoa Bowl: Drizzle the southwest vinaigrette over the bowl ingredients. Using a rubber spatula mix the ingredients until combined.
Taste the recipe and add salt, pepper, herbs, and additional lime juice as needed per the cook’s preference.
Southwest-Quinoa-Bowl-and-vinaigrette
Great Pairings
This recipe is magical when paired with many varieties of foods. Depending on your mood or how you are eating this Quinoa Bowl, you can eat it alone as a hearty and healthy snack. Alternatively, you can pair this recipe with some cooked protein and veggies.
The last time I served this Southwest Quinoa Bowl, I made a big ole batch of it. We saved about half of the recipe to take for lunches during the week, and the other half we served alongside My Southwest Grilled Chicken and some simply Grilled Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes.
Sharper Nutrition Fix: Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are not just the first tomatoes to emerge during tomato season; they are also bite-sized wonders with big, bold flavors.
Cherry tomatoes, named for their resemblance to cherries, are a bite-sized variety of tomatoes. Due to their small size, the flavors are concentrated, thus presenting a burst of sweetness in every bite.
Cherry tomatoes can be eaten raw or cooked. You can cut them in half, quarters, or chop them up. You can eat them roasted, grilled, pureed into compound butter, mixed into a salad, sprinkled into a chicken rice bowl, or incorporated into a cold or hot pasta dish. The cherry tomato’s culinary possibilities are seemingly endless.
More Recipes
Enjoy this Southeast Bowl recipe, and check out these other recipes.
Southwest Quinoa Bowl
Equipment
- 1 set measuring spoons and cups
- 1 large bowl
- 1 rubber spatula
Ingredients
Quinoa Bowl
- 3 cup cooked quinoa
- 1.5 cups black beans, rinsed approx 1 15oz can of beans
- 1 cup corn (thawed if frozen or rinsed if canned)
- 1.5 cups quartered or halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 minced jalapeno
Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Quinoa Bowl Prep
- Cook quinoa per package instructions. Add all the recipe ingredients to a large bowl and set aside.
Southwest Vinaigrette
- In a jar, add all vinaigrette ingredients. Place the lid on the jar, and shake until combined.
Finish Quinoa Bowl
- Drizzle the southwest vinaigrette over the bowl ingredients. Using a rubber spatula mix ingredients until combined.
- Taste the recipe and add salt, pepper, herbs, and additional lime juice as needed per the cook's preference.
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sarah Harper. I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves to cook, eat, and talk about food! Here at The Addy Bean, you'll discover an array of flexitarian recipes. My mission is to inspire and encourage others to eat and explore the world of plant-based foods!
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