Tomato and Red Pepper Quinoa and Brown Rice Recipe

This recipe is such a staple in our house, there is always a batch in the fridge to dig into at will. If we ever run out, all hell breaks loose and I feel i lose my ability to create a healthy balanced meal. As well as being delicious and healthy, its versatility knows no limits; use to top a salad, add to a wrap or simply serve with your favourite freezer food (a la chicken nuggets and chips) to bump up the satiety factor with a high protein and veggie packed side.

This recipe makes enough for four meals, it can easily be scaled up or down depending on your meal plan for the week. It lasts well in the fridge for up to a week, but in my experience it never lasts that long, its so easy to add onto the side of literally any meal or throw in a wrap when your a bit peckish. No guilt, no food shaming, this is a healthy option and feels a bit fancy, but is so easy to meal prep.

You will need:

One large red pepper
One large red onion
Five salad tomatoes
Five garlic cloves (more if you so wish)
One tablespoon tomato puree
One tablespoon brown sauce
One tablespoon of cooking oil (I used vegetable oil)
50 grams quinoa
50 grams brown rice
One small tin of sweet corn
One handful of frozen peas
Fresh basil
Mixed died herbs, salt, pepper and chilli flakes if you like it hot

Method:

-Chop the red onion, pepper and tomatoes into small-ish pieces, the smaller you chop them the easier it is to apply to multiple meals but it is sometimes nice to have the bigger chunks so you can see all the lovely veggies your eating.

-Start by softening the red onion in the oil on a medium low heat, after 5 minutes add in the red pepper, tomatoes and mixed herbs (add chilli flakes here if your using them). Cover, turn down the heat and start the quinoa and rice mix.

-Bring a large pot of water to the boil and when it is steadily bubbling, add in the quinoa and rice, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes LESS than the cooking instructions on the packaging says. (It will cook a bit more later on so don’t over do it here)

-When your quinoa and rice mix is a few minutes off being done drain through a fine sieve and leave to drip for a few minutes and turn your attention back to the flavouring pan. Add in the tomato puree, brown sauce, and pureed garlic. The consistency should be quite wet from the fresh tomatoes.

-Add in the cooked quinoa and rice to the tomato pan and stir to combine, still on a low heat add in the frozen peas and sweetcorn, after a few minutes taste test and add salt and pepper to your preference. You may need to add more water at this stage if its feeling to dry, but also don’t add too much as your don’t want it to be too sloppy.

-Serve immediately while still hot, adding the fresh chopped basil on top of the portioned serving, and add any extra to an air tight container and use throughout the week. It can be eaten cold or hot, decant into a microwaveable bowl to warm through for a couple of minutes for a single serving.

Uses:

Some of my favourite ways to eat this mix is simply added to a colourful salad including mixed lettuce leaves, cucumber, tomato, red pepper, sweetcorn and pickled onions. I have it either hot or cold as my protein source for a filling healthy meal.

I make a burrito wrap hybrid thing with a tortilla wrap with a light layer of vegan Helmans mayo and the tomato quinoa rice mix and vegan cheese. I use about 3 heaped tablespoons per wrap, one wrap is plenty so don’t underestimate how filling it is! Roll up and toast on the griddle or in a dry frying pan until the wrap is lightly browned and the cheese melting. That’s enough for a light lunch that takes no time at all, or I serve with a side salad or chips to bulk it up for a bigger more filling meal.

One of my favourite ways to use this mix is on the side of a beige meal to up the healthy content of a quick mindless freezer meal. Chunky chips, onion rings and Birds Eye Chick’n nuggets and a couple of tablespoons worth of quinoa and rice on the side to bump up the veggie and protein in a mindless midweek meal.
You could easily add this into a ‘picky tea’ of tortilla chips and dips along side guacamole and salsa for another texture in the mix. It would also work well on nachos with melty delicious cheese and jalapenos for a Mexican meal.