Black bean + quinoa bowl with avocado, hummus, & veggies

This bowl was born out of a desire to eat all of my favorite foods at one time, and masquerade it as a grains + greens bowl. That means I get to eat avocado, hummus, and tortilla chips, and feel good about it. It’s a salad. It’s a grain bowl packed with vegetables. It’s vegan and gluten-free. And it’s also salty, crunchy, creamy, and perfect for lunch.

This bowl’s got a little south-of-the-border twist, as I’ve been on a delayed taco-binge as of late (I’ve spent most of my life in Southern California, and only recently have discovered an adoration for Mexican food- go figure). I add a dash of cumin and cayenne, and top it with sweet corn. Queso fresco, or additional vegetables would be fantastic. The only non-Mexican dash here is hummus, which surprisingly, pairs amazingly with black beans.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup black beans, cooked
• 1/4 cup quinoa, cooked
• handful spinach
• 1/4 cucumber, peeled and chopped into pieces
• 1/4 red bell pepper sliced
• 1/4 red onion peeled and sliced
• 1/4 avocado, sliced
• small handful sweet corn (I used frozen and let it thaw)
• 2 tablespoons hummus
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• pinch cumin
• pinch cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• handful GF tortilla chips

How to:

1. Soak the red onion in a cup of cold water or vinegar.
2. Place the spinach in a bowl, and spoon in the black beans, quinoa, and cucumber + red pepper (I like to put everything in little piles). Top with avocado slices, dollop on the hummus, and sprinkle with corn. Dice up the red onion, and sprinkle on top.
3. Squeeze half the lemon over the bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and cumin. Add more salt to taste.
4. Garnish with tortilla chips and enjoy!

serves one.