It’s time for some new recipes here on the website after the launch of the e-book which took up most of my recipe development capacity in the first part of the year. I am excited to bring you three balance bowls today. Or nourish bowls. Or buddha bowl. Whatever you choose to call them I am bringing you three combos that I really enjoy and this one is inspired by Mexican food but probably not at all something that is traditionally eaten in Mexico. The base is some tangy cabbage and herby quinoa topped with spicy beans, pineapple and tomato salad and avocado. It is a joy to eat and I hope you will enjoy!

See the other two bowls here: Spicy Beet Balance Bowl and Green Spring Balance Bowl.

Malin x

Mexican Inspired Balance Bowl

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

Herby quinoa:

0,75 cup quinoa

1,5 cup water

Packed 0,5 cup fresh coriander

Packed 0,5 cup fresh flat leaf parsley

1 lemon

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

0,5 tsp herbal salt

Black pepper, to taste

Pineapple salad:

1,5 cup pineapple “flesh”

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 medium red onion

0,5 cup fresh coriander

0,5-1 long red chili

0,5 lime

Salt, to taste

Spicy black beans:

1 tbsp avocado oil

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 cans (460 g drained) black beans

0,5 cup water

0,5 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp oregano

Chili powder, to taste

Salt. to taste

Tangy cabbage:

0,75 cup shredded white cabbage

0,75 cup shredded red cabbage

0,5 lime

Salt, to taste

To serve:

2 avocados

Fresh coriander

Lime wedges, optional

Tomato salsa, optional

METHOD:

Rinse the quinoa if you wish and then transfer it into a sauce pan along with the water. Season with salt and cover with a lid. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until all the water has been absorbed by the quinoa. This usually takes about 20 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking prepare the pineapple salad. If cutting up an entire pineapple then remove the husky outer layer and cut the flesh away from the core. Then cube the “flesh” into roughly 1 cm wide cubes until you reach 1,5 cups worth. Next quarter the cherry tomatoes, peel and finely dice the red onion and finely chop the coriander and chili pepper. Remove the seeds from the chili pepper if you wish. Combine it all in a mixing bowl and squeeze over the juice of the lime. Season with salt and toss to combine. Set aside.

Also prepare the cabbage while the quinoa cooks. If shredding your own cabbage from whole heads I recommend using a mandolin for ease. Combine the shredded cabbage in a mixing bowl. Squeeze over the lime and season with salt. Toss to combine and set aside.

To finish off the quinoa, once it is cooked, finely chop the fresh parsley and coriander and add to a bowl along with the quinoa. Use a microplane or box grater to zest 1 lemon into the bowl and then squeeze in the juice of half of it. Drizzle over the oil and season with herbal salt and black pepper. Mix well to combine.

Last but not least prepare the spicy beans so that you can serve them warm. Drain and rinse the black beans. Heat the oil in a sauce pan. Once warm fry off the tomato paste in the oil for a couple of minutes stirring continuously. This will remove any raw tomato flavour in the paste. Then add the beans, spices and water. Season with salt and mix well. Leave to simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the flavours to come together and the liquid to cook down a little.

To assemble the bowls start with a bed of the tangy cabbage followed by the herby quinoa and a good dollop of the spicy beans. Top with the pineapple salad, a sliced half avocado per bowl and some more fresh coriander. If you wish you can also serve some lime wedges for squeezing and some tomato salsa sauce on the side.

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