Quinoa Nourish Bowls

Dinner
Written By Danielle

Recipe by Danielle Lavallee

Quinoa nourish bowls are one of my favorite easy dinners. The black bean, quinoa, and corn salad can be made ahead and the accompanying veg can be prepped in advance, so all that is needed a the end of the day is five minutes to pop the sauce ingredients into the blender. This recipe is a lifesaver for busy weekdays.

More importantly, these bowls are both scrumptious and packed with nutrition. They are a perfect example of how to eat for both cognitive and metabolic health, as they contain all the key power players for nourishing our brains and keeping our metabolism working in top form - plant based protein, a rainbow of color for micronutrients, healthy fats, and tons of fiber.

For more information on how to eat for a healthy metabolism and optimal cognitive wellness, please see:
https://thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/eating-for-metabolic-and-cognitive-health

Bowl Components:

Black Bean, Quinoa, and Corn Salad
This salad is rich in protein from the black beans and quinoa, and it is loaded with fiber, complex carbohydrates, and phytonutrients. It is terrific eaten by itself and even better as a base for quinoa nourish bowls. It holds well for the lunchbox.

Mix the following ingredients:

  • ~3 cups of cooked quinoa (cooked from one cup dry)

  • 1 bag 10-ounce bag of frozen corn, thawed

  • 1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed

  • Juice of 1-3 limes, depending on taste preference

  • ~1 cup cilantro roughly chopped, including tender stems

  • Handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

  • Cholula hot sauce (or any hot sauce of choice) or salsa

  • 1 teaspoon cumin

  • Salt to taste

Yield = ~ 9 cups

Spicy Cilantro Sauce

Made with walnuts, hemp hearts, and flax seeds, this herbaceous sauce is particularly rich in Omega-3 fats. It is also chocked full of protein, fiber, and vitamins C, A, and K.

Blend the following ingredients in a high-speed blender:

  • 1 large bunch of cilantro, washed, stems included (less waste, no fuss)

  • 1/3 cup raw walnut pieces

  • 2 tablespoons hemp hearts

  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

  • The juice of 3 limes

  • 1-2 jalapenos, roughly chopped, seeds included
    (Start with one and test how spicy it is before adding a second.)

  • 1 teaspoon cumin

  • 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce (optional)

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

  • 1/2 cup water

Yield = ~1.5 cups (depending on size of the cilantro bunch)

Shredded Red Cabbage
Red cabbage is high in fiber, potassium, and vitamins C, K, and B6. Red cabbage is also particularly rich in anthocyanins and sulfurafane, which are powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents that can help to lower blood pressure.

Leafy Greens
Leafy greens are packed with folate, vitamins, healthy carbs, and fiber. Leafy greens are also an important source of lutein, which is a type of antioxidant related to betacarotene. Lutein is best known for its protective role in eye health, but recent research also suggests that it is critical for reducing heart disease, stroke, and metabolic syndrome. 100 grams of leafy greens eaten per day (a little more than a cup) is associated with a 25% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality (Li et al., 2021).

Here, I opted for a mix of sweet pea leaves, baby spinach, bok choy, baby kale, and mizuna lettuce. Choosing mixed greens over a single green increases the diversity of your plant consumption while broadening your micronutrient intake.

Chopped Bell Pepper
Bell peppers are high in vitamins C, B6, K, E, and A. They are also a good source of folate and potassium.

Avocado
Avocados are neuroprotective and are high in monounsaturated fat, antioxidants, and fiber. The healthy fats in avocados increase the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins found in other meal components.

Toasted Pepitas
Pumpkin seeds are high in antioxidants, fiber, zinc, and magnesium. They are also rich in healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which to help lower LDL cholesterol and to increase beneficial HDL cholesterol.

Thinly Sliced Spring Onions, Green or Purple (optional)
Alliums, like spring onions, are high in flavonoids, rich in fiber, high in vitamin A,C, B6, K, and B9, and filled with calcium, iron, zinc, and potassium. When consumed consistently, they have been shown to improve metabolic syndrome symptoms, including lowering body fat, LDL cholesterol, and blood pressure (Hejazi et al., 2023).

Nutrition Information: For a serving as shown below, with one cup of quinoa and black bean salad, 1/2 cup of purple cabbage,1 cup of mixed greens, 1/2 cup of red bell pepper, 1/4 of an avocado, 1 tablespoon of spring onions, 2 tablespoons of toasted pepitas, and 1/4 cup of spicy cilantro sauce.

Calories: 525 Protein: 19.6 g Fat: 29.7 g Carbs: 37.5 g Fiber: 16.5 g Iron: 6.8 mg
Calcium: 150.7 mg Vitamin A: 300 IU Vitamin C: 148 mg Folate: 245 IU
Potassium: 1285 mg Polyunsaturated Fat: 15.5 g Saturated Fat: 3.6 g
Omega-3 Fats: 2.3 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg
Nutrition information is an estimate. Data will vary according to the specific products and amounts used.

Wishing you excellent health and happy eating!
🌱

References:

Berding, K., Carbia, C., & Cryan, J. F. (2021). Going with the grain: Fiber, cognition, and the microbiota-gut-brain-axis. Experimental Biology and Medicine (Maywood, N.J.), 246(7), 796–811. https://doi.org/10.1177/1535370221995785

Grant, W. B., & Blake, S. M. (2023). Diet's role in modifying risk of Alzheimer's Disease: History and present understanding. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: JAD, 96(4), 1353–1382. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-230418

Hejazi, N., Ghalandari, H., Nouri, M., & Askarpour, M. (2023). Onion supplementation and health metabolic parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 58, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2023.08.032

Layman, D. (2023). Protein amount, quality, and timing. The Proof Podcast, Ep.236.https://theproof.com/protein-amount-quality-and-timing-dr-don-layman/

Li, N., Wu, X., Zhuang, W., Xia, L., Chen, Y., Wang, Y., Wu, C., Rao, Z., Du, L., Zhao, R., Yi, M., Wan, Q., & Zhou, Y. (2021). Green leafy vegetable and lutein intake and multiple health outcomes. Food chemistry, 360, 130145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130145

Machado-Fragua, M. D., Fayosse, A., Yerramalla, M. S., van Sloten, T. T., Tabak, A. G., Kivimaki, M., Sabia, S., & Singh-Manoux, A. (2022). Association of metabolic syndrome with incident dementia: Role of number and age at measurement of components in a 28-year follow-up of the Whitehall II Cohort Study. Diabetes Care, 45(9), 2127–2135. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc22-0206

Qureshi, D., Collister, J., Allen, N. E., Kuźma, E., & Littlejohns, T. (2024). Association between metabolic syndrome and risk of incident dementia in UK Biobank. Alzheimer's & Dementia : The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 20(1), 447–458. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.13439

Swarup, S., Goyal, A., Grigorova, Y., & Zeltser, R. (2022). Metabolic Syndrome. [StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459248/

Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T., Vermeulen, S., Garnett, T., Tilman, D., DeClerck, F., Wood, A., Jonell, M., Clark, M., Gordon, L. J., Fanzo, J., Hawkes, C., Zurayk, R., Rivera, J. A., De Vries, W., Majele Sibanda, L., Afshin, A., … Murray, C. J. L. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet (London, England), 393(10170), 447–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4 https://eatforum.org/content/uploads/2019/07/EAT-Lancet_Commission_Summary_Report.pdf

Danielle
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