Curry Quinoa with Cabbage, Carrots and Green Beans

The recipe for this curry quinoa salad came about from a conversation struck with a stranger on the bus. Intrigued by the two bunches of kale popping out of my grocery bag, a woman asked me how I prepared kale. We ran through the gamut of how to prepare this nutrient dense vegetable before she turned the conversation to quinoa. "Did you know that quinoa is the perfect food?"



"Um... I know that it contains all of the essential amino acids making it a complete protein." While there are certain foods that are more nutritious than others, I resist believing that any singular food is perfect. That philosophy would spoil my enjoyment of the rich range of foods that together constitute a complete meal to me. It's variety that keeps me motivated and curious to make good choices and discover ways to create healthy delicious meals.

For this quinoa salad, wintry cabbage - a powerhouse of phytonutrients, and other vegetables are sauteed with curry powder, a potent source of antioxidants, to create a lively, colorful and exotic side dish. This, I am certain, is much better from several dimensions than eating quinoa by itself.


Curry Quinoa with Cabbage, Carrots and Green Beans
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup dried quinoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter 
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (I used Maharajah blend)
  • 1/2 head of savoy cabbage, shredded
  • 1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 carrots, sliced into thin coins
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Method
  1. Rinse the quinoa in cold water to get rid of the bitter saponin. I like to place the quinoa in the same sauce pan that I plan to cook it in, submerge the quinoa in cold water, stir, allow the quinoa to settle and pour out as much of the liquid without spilling out the quinoa grains. Repeat twice or until the water runs clear. Once you have your quinoa rinsed add 1 1/3 cups of water and salt, stir, cover the pot, bring to a boil before turning the heat to low for 30 minutes. Once the quinoa is cooked, fluff with a fork and set aside. This step can be done a day ahead of time.
  2. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and butter on medium-high. Once the fat is hot, add the onion and saute until translucent, roughly 3-5 minutes. Add the curry powder and saute for a minute. Add the green beans and saute for a minute or two. Gradually incorporate the savoy cabbage, saute until the leaves are softened. Add the carrots and continue sauteing until the vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Turn off the heat. Mix in the cooked quinoa. 
Serves 8.

48 comments:

La Bella Cooks said...

I always find it interesting to hear what other people do with their foods and to learn something new. I bet it made the bus ride all the more tolerable. This would be such a hearty and warming meal. I am loving curry more and more.

Momo said...

looks fresh and healthy!

♥peachkins♥ said...

I love anything with curry!

garlutti said...

Hello from VIGO SPAIN. I love sharing my recipes and blog and learn from yours, I invite you to visit. Greetings
MARIMI

MaryMoh said...

That's a healthy delicious dish. I have not tried quinoa before. I must look out for it.

Mari Nuñez said...

It looks so delicious ans healthy! I will try the quinoa. So how do you cook kale?

Have a great THURSDAY!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

This recipe amps up the guinoa factor. All of the other ingredients make it a powerhouse too.

thechurchcook said...

I love curry but never thought to use quinoa with it! What great looking recipe, Christine!

Pam said...

It looks delicious! I was just reading about quinoa the other day being a perfect food and you did it up perfectly!

From the Kitchen said...

This is one of those recipes that I am contemplating going out in 10 degrees to pick up the ingredients and prepare. Or, talking my husband into doing so. Thanks so much for an inspiring change to our winter's dining.

Hope all is going well.

Best,
Bonnie

Sally - My Custard Pie said...

I adore quinoa but my family are less keen. Curried may tempt them - thanks for sharing.

Heather S-G said...

I love the sound of a curried quinoa. I imagine all these flavor levels really compliment that "earthy" flavor...sounds delicious to me :D

Belinda @zomppa said...

Love it. I bought a case (yup, a case) of quinoa. I can't get enough of it, and love curry...so this sounds pretty perfect to me!

La Table De Nana said...

Always in search of good Quinoa recipes..Thank you!

Fun and Fearless in Beantown said...

I love this! I bet the curry added so much flavor to this quinoa dish!

jenn from midlife modern said...

I have definitely fallen in love with quinoa over the past year and eat it at least once or twice a week. It is the perfect vehicle for tons of fresh veggies (like the kale you mentioned) and great spices. I'm always looking for new ways to prepare my favorite grain, so thank you for posting this!

Victoria said...

I love the idea of curried quinoa! I have some quinoa in my pantry and will have to try this out. Funny to think it all came about from a conversation with a stranger :)

nancy at good food matters said...

Terrific ideas are all around us--you never know where (or when) the spark will come. I value quinoa for its versatility---I have heard that it is "perfect" too--but all the more perfect for the various flavor profiles it readily assumes! Your curried quinoa looks delicious, and healthy too.

Nancy said...

Sounds fab! I love the nuttiness of quinoa. Might try this with the Madras curry powder I picked up at Kalustyan's recently - oh how I adore that place :)

kat said...

Oh, I'd eat that as my main dish!

Magic of Spice said...

Fun how food can start up so many conversations...This does look delicious and I adore curries :)

Barbara said...

What a fabulous idea! I keep using quinoa in cold salads. I adore the idea of a curry hot salad with two of my favorite veggies.
Lucky bus ride!

El said...

I'm officially a quinoa addict so I'm thrilled to find this recipe here. It's easy to get stuck in a rut with recipes (perfect food or not) and I completely agree that diversity is best. It looks sensational!

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

First and foremost is very healhty and second well...I'm big fan of quinoa - so yummy :)


- All the best,

Gera

Beth said...

I love quinoa, and this looks like a great way to serve it!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

I love the food interaction :) This sounds another wonderful way to use quinoa!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

I love quinoa. For some reason I would have never thought to add curry to it. Sounds great!

Emily said...

This looks like a great way to prepare quinoa. I love the curry twist!

Deana Sidney said...

How funny, I had some flying pigs kielbasa and cabbage and some leftover quinoa I wanted to make into something... this would be perfect... and quinoa is almost a perfect food... and so delicious... especially for expectant mothers!

Anonymous said...

I like this dish, it seems very fresh and healthy.
*kisses* HH

Emily said...

I LOVE curry and I have a Costco bag of Quinoa in my pantry - can't wait to try this! Thanks for new inspiration!

Anonymous said...

This sounds like an excellent healthy dish for the winter, love the cabbage here in combination with curried quinoa!

chow and chatter said...

wow what a cool idea love the flavors and so healthy thanks for the congrats hugs

Rebecca

Delicious Dishings said...

We both posted about quinoa today... completely different recipes too. So funny where recipe inspiration comes from.

Deb in Hawaii said...

I love quinoa and curry partners with it so well. This looks delicious--a perfect healthy, stick to your ribs comfort dish. ;-)

Table Talk said...

Funny how food can get people asking questions. Every time I have something like celery root, or Jerusalem artichokes at the checkout line someone behind me asks what they are, and what I am going to do with them. A few times I have even had a person leave the line to go get some of their own!
Your curry flavored quinoa is a nice way to mix it up--pretty too!

OysterCulture said...

Yum, this dish sounds like one I used to cook when I was in college, I loved it and you now have me thinking why I have not made it in so long. I didn't use quinoa, and your version looks much healthier and sounds delicious!

Haddock said...

this looks colourful and interesting.

tasteofbeirut said...

I have yet to try quinoa but this salad is right up my alley! Love the burst of falvor that curry imparts and the medley of veggies.

Jennie said...

This dish sounds great Christine! I imagine a handful or two of sultanas would be a nice addition.

Hope your pregnancy is going well! : )

Lori Rice said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lori said...

Looks wonderful! I love quinoa, but sometimes get stumped on how to use it differently. This is the perfect dish to get me out of my rut!

Nina at Salt said...

Ohhhh, this looks wonderful! Cannot wait to try--am a huge quinoa fan. Great post.

Juliana said...

Yummie, quinoa and curry...great combination :-) So tasty and healthy!

Cathy said...

Dishes like this make eating healthier so easy. Thanks for sharing this one, Christine.

Joanne said...

Whoa this salad is a nutritional powerhouse! I'm pretty sure you could move mountains with this!

I'm with you on not believing there is any one true superfood. Variety is the spice of life.

sweetlife said...

what great conversations..i love when people express themselves when it comes to food..a perfect combo, we love quinoa..also the addition of curry, cabbage and green beans..yum a perfect lunch!
sweetlife

Claudia said...

This is in my near future- I love the idea of the curry in the quinoa and all the vegetables just make me feel virtuous. I love thos NYC conversations...