Jerk Quinoa Bowls with Plantains
and black beans / corn / avocados / pineapple dressing
This fresh, Caribbean-inspired quinoa bowl was a big hit when first featured in August 2016. Topped with avocado, black beans, corn and a sweet, tangy pineapple dressing, it is full of creative flavors and textures that will have you dreaming of warm weather.
Ingredients
- Avocados - 1, sliced
- Cilantro leaves - 2 Tbsp, chopped
- Beans, black (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can, drained and rinsed
- Corn, frozen - 1 1/2 cup
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Quinoa, uncooked - 3/4 cup
- Pineapple cubes - 1/2 cup (use fresh or canned)
- Jalapenos (opt) - 1/2, chopped and seeded if you want less heat
- Yogurt, plain or Greek - 1/2 cup
- Lime juice - 2 tsp
- Plantains, large - 3, peeled and sliced (ripe plantains resemble bananas but should be very dark brown on the outside)
- Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp
- Jerk seasoning - 1 tsp (sub Cajun seasoning)
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Cook quinoa - (Skip if quinoa was made ahead for Tuesday.) Combine quinoa with 2x the amount of water (or stock if you prefer) in a saucepan. Add in some salt. Bring to a boil covered. Lower heat, keep covered, and cook until liquid is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make dressing - Cube pineapple. Combine jalapenos, pineapple cubes, yogurt, and lime juice in a blender. Blend until smooth. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Plantains / Avocados / Cilantro - Prep as directed.
- Beans / Corn - Drain and rinse beans. Combine corn with beans and run under warm water to defrost.
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Make
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add oil (the portion for plantains) and then plantain slices to heated oil. (Cook in batches if your pan isn't large enough to hold all of the slices without overlapping.) Sear plantains until golden brown and tender, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Just before the plantains finish cooking, season on both sides with Jerk seasoning.
- Set plantains aside and return pan to heat. Add oil (portion for the bowls) and then beans and corn. Saute until corn starts to char and blacken in spots, 3 to 4 minutes.
- If quinoa was made ahead, reheat it in the microwave.
- Assemble bowls by topping quinoa with plantains, beans and corn, avocado slices, and cilantro. Drizzle pineapple dressing over top and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
33 reviews
This was an unexpectedly good combination of ingredients. I added too much jerk seasoning to the plantains, and I’m not sure it’s even necessary if your plantains are ripe enough, but even so it was enjoyable.
0 HelpfulPlantains took forever to ripen and never really got there, probably picked too early, so tasted starchy. Didn’t have pineapple, so used frozen mango for sauce without jalapeños, sauce made the meal special.
0 HelpfulWow, this was an unexpected win! I often feel like the veggie meals don't quite measure up to the meat versions, but I actually think the veggie one might have won this time. Everything just fit together so well. The plantains at the store were all green, so I had to let them ripen for 10 days, and they still probably could have used a little more time. We made pineapple salsa instead of sauce--took out the yogurt and didn't blend it, added some extra cilantro and green onions. The leftovers were still quite good, though the plantains were better fresh off the stove.
0 HelpfulI think I would have liked this better with ground chicken. The plantains were fun and easy— but I bought the ripest ones the store had and it took over a week to get them ripe enough.
0 Helpful