I decided to write this post after a successful dinner experiment to sample the red quinoa I had gotten from my grocery store's bulk food section. For a reason I have yet to research, the different "colors" of quinoa are priced radically different from each other, with red quinoa being the cheapest. During my last trip to the store, I decided to stray from my favorite white quinoa and give the red variety a taste to see how different the two could be.
Buddha bowls typically have three main components: grain, protein, and greens. The protein I decided to add was some wild caught frozen salmon fillets. For leafy greens, I chose a steamable bag of frozen kale which I tossed with a roasted red pepper dressing. This recipe is great for those like me who don't typically plan out the night's meal until that particular day. Two of the three main ingredients are frozen and the third is a dry pantry item, so you can ultimately buy these ingredients to save for that rainy day.
I started by putting the quinoa on the stove to cook in a large saucepan. I cook my quinoa similar to rice, but I use a little less water. In order for this recipe to make two bowls, I used 1 cup of red quinoa with 2 cups of water and about a half tablespoon of olive oil. I first set the stovetop to a medium temperature, but once the quinoa came to a boil, I turned the stove dial down to a halfway point between the low and middle temperatures. Once the quinoa took in most of the water, I turned the heat down low and put the lid on the pot to keep that moisture trapped inside until the very end.
After defrosting the salmon fillets, I made a couple of mixtures in two separate bowls for the breading process. In the first bowl, I combined one whisked egg with a quarter cup of almond milk and another half tablespoon of olive oil. In another bowl, I combined 3/4 cup of panko bread crumbs with a tablespoon of Kikkoman pad thai seasoning along with some of my favorite spices, including rosemary, parsley, and garlic powder. Then, I took each salmon fillet and dipped it fully in the egg mixture followed by the bread crumb mixture. I've found that pressing the salmon firmly into the bread crumbs during this process helps the breading stick to the fish. I then placed each breaded fillet onto a baking sheet which was covered with parchment paper. I carefully drizzled the remaining egg mixture on top of the fish to give it that extra glaze. I put the fish into the oven at about 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes.
Finally, and the simplest part to make, I popped the frozen bag of steamable kale into the microwave for 6 and a half minutes, and let it sit for about a minute before opening. By then, the fish and quinoa were done and I took both of them off heat. I put the kale into a small vintage Pyrex bowl and tossed it with my favorite fat free roasted red pepper dressing. I then plated the quinoa into the bowl and put the kale on top. Lastly, I set the baked fish into the bowl and added a small splash of soy sauce, because I'm a nut for the soy.
In conclusion, I found the red quinoa to have a more wheat-like flavor than the white quinoa, which I personally loved. It almost made me inspired to try to make a red quinoa bread of some kind - maybe a quinoa zucchini bread? The possibilities could be endless! What meals have you made with quinoa?Thank you for reading my original recipe, keep an eye out for more articles like this by following my Twitter or my Instagram for post updates!
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