I feel like every time I post a recipe, I say it’s my recent amazing discovery and the best thing in the world. This time… it’s not going to be any different! I want to share with you a recipe I’ve been loving for the past month. Vegan and high protein, if anyone’s in the market for that. 🙂

I quite enjoy the growing trend for vegan food. Not that I’m a vegan myself, I like variety in my diet too much to give up such a great chunk of options. I’m definitely not a vegan hater though! I simply love variety and there are many vegan meals I absolutely love. Another reason why I like to have some vegan options up my sleeve is that they can often be made super quickly, using long life ingredients from my food cupboard. It’s really convenient to have those backup options for when my fridge is empty but I still need to eat. And what makes this recipe even better is the fact that it’s full of protein, which can be tricky to achieve with vegan meals. Let’s have a look at the main ingredients.

Black beans are rich in protein, fiber and antioxidants. They also contain carbs, but unlike many other foods that are high in carbs, black beans don’t cause a spike in blood sugar. Black beans are also full of vitamin A, calcium, folate, magnesium, iron and potassium. They also happen to be one of those long life products you can keep in the cupboard for months for an emergency meal.

Quinoa is a plant from the amaranth family. Its taste and texture makes it a good alternative to rice or other carb-filled grains commonly used as sides in savoury meals. Compared to those however, quinoa has more protein. It’s also rich in vitamin E, vitamins from B group, manganese, magnesium and phosphorus.

I know I said this recipe mainly uses long life products, but there’s avocado in the ingredients list? Good point. Personally, I always have some frozen avocado in my freezer. If you don’t, and can’t buy a fresh one (emergency meal!) – that’s fine, you can skip it. Although I have to say avocado complements the rest of this meal really well. Its mildness and soft texture perfectly break the warming chili and cumin.

Avocado is also packed with healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. They also contain loads of fiber and 20 vitamins and minerals. Avocados are great for our vision and hearts too.

Ingredients:

• 1 can (400g) black beans, drained
• 3 tablespoons corn, drained
• 1 avocado
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 big onion
• 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder
• coconut oil

Heat up a tablespoon of coconut oil in a non-stick saucepan. Dice the onion and fry it on low heat until softened. Keep stirring to avoid burning it.

Press the garlic into the saucepan. Add a teaspoon of cumin and half a teaspoon of chili powder. Continue cooking for another minute.

Add a cup of vegetable stock into the saucepan and dry, uncooked quinoa. Stir.

Add the beans and corn.

Cover the saucepan with a lid and let everything simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you like your food super spicy and well seasoned (I do!), add more cumin and chili.

Serve with diced avocado.

Enjoy!

• Savoury