Quick Dinners on a Budget- One Pan Mexican Quinoa

 

The last thing you need at the end of a long day’s work is a pile of dishes and an extravagant meal idea that requires far too much time and money that could have been better spent with the kids……….or perhaps a case of beer, or couple of bottles of wine.

Put away those boring frozen meals and step into a kitchen to whip up this quick and delicious One Pan Mexican Quinoa; or if you’re anything like me you may want to substitute quinoa for couscous.

This dish requires very little talent in the kitchen but boasts great flavours, and best of all its cheap and healthy for the whole family!

You will only need to pick up a few ingredients and a couple of things you may already have in your pantry.  I have used Coles supermarket as a price reference guide, however these ingredients can be found in most supermarkets.

For this dish you will need                                          Cooking time: 25 minutes                   Serves 4

  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic ($1.80)
  • 1 cup of quinoa ($6.50)
  • Vegetable stock( or any other kind of stock, or water if you prefer) ( $4.39)
  • 1 can of black beans (400gms) ($2.10)
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes(400gms) ($0.60)
  • 1 cup of corn kernels in a can ($0.90)
  • 1 teaspoon of chilli powder
  • ½ teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 avocado ($2.00)
  • Handful of chopped coriander ($2.98)
  • Juice of one lime ($1.50)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Total Cost = $22.77

 

  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat, add the garlic, stirring until fragrant.
  2. Add in the Quinoa and the vegetable stock. I like to use a ratio of one part uncooked Quinoa to two parts Vegetable stock (however refer to the directions on your packet as a reference).  If you have gone with the easier option of couscous, I prefer to cook mine separately, as per instructions, and stir it through at the end.  This ensures the couscous doesn’t get too mushy as it has a much shorter cooking time than quinoa.
  3. Along with the quinoa and vegetable stock, stir in the beans, diced tomatoes, corn, chilli powder, cumin and bring to the boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until quinoa is cooked through. This should take about 20 minutes.
  4. Add in diced avocado, lime juice and coriander.
  5. Serve

Serving Tip:

  • If you are preparing this meal ahead of time, only add in the avocado in when serving as this will turn brown quickly.
  • This tastes great in tacos shells!

 

written by Greeshma Girish

Source: http://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

 

 

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