Serves 6
Active Time: 20 minutes || Total Time: 30 mins
Black beans and quinoa go together like Laverne & Shirley. But, unlike Laverne & Shirley, sometimes even perfect food combinations can get boring. As a general rule of thumb, if I start to get bored I think “fruit.” And if it’s winter, well, I think frozen fruit!
I love berries in savory applications. They add lots of body to sauces without adding any fat, they add depth of flavor and they provide just a hint of sweetness. The sauce has smoky spiciness from chipotles and a toasty, nutty flavor – as well as creaminess – from toasted almonds. I threw some sauteed broccoli in for green. I gladly ate this as dinner, but you can also serve it as a side dish with any Latin inspired meal. But no matter what, definitely hum the Laverne & Shirley theme while you cook. It’s kind of empowering.
Notes: Chipotles vary in size, but generally even if you are a spice wimp, you should be able to handle 2 chipotles that have their seeds removed. If you are a lover of spice, then start with 3 and add more if you like.
1 cup quinoa (red quinoa is especially pretty)
2 cups water
2 teaspoons oil
4 cups small broccoli florettes, and diced stems
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 ½ cups)
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted (divided)
2 to 3 chipotles in adobo, seeded
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
1 teaspoon agave (sugar or maple syrup ok too)
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa and water with a pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to simmer and cook until quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
In the meantime, preheat a large pan over medium heat. Toast the almonds, tossing them frequently, until they’re honey brown in spots. Remove from pan. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the almonds for garnish, the rest will go into the dressing.
Now, in the same large pan, saute the broccoli in oil and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, tossing frequently, until tender. When it’s done, just let it sit in the pan uncovered.
Now prepare the sauce. Place the garlic clove in a small food processor (I use the Magic Bullet) and pulse to chop. Add the almonds (except for the reserved 2 tablespoons) and grind to a coarse powder. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. If it’s too thick, thin out with a little water.
To assemble, toss the quinoa, black beans and broccoli together in a mixing bowl. Reserve about 1/3 of the dressing. Pour the rest of the dressing into the mixing bowl and toss everything to coat. Transfer to plates, drizzle with the extra sauce and garnish with almonds.
Just made this and used dried chipotles (2) instead of in adobo and just added a splash of apple cider vinegar and ketchup (the basics of adobo sauce, if I recall). Mind you, the peppers weren’t seeded, so HOLY HECK it was spicy, but SO GOOD. Thanks for a new twist on the legumes+grain+greens idea!
I was aware of this previously, but still there were some beneficial pieces which concluded the image to me, appreciate it!
Hi Isa – We made this last night and it was delicious! Used 3 chipotles (seeded) and maple syrup instead of agave. Also added a little extra maple syrup – about another teaspoon. It was the perfect level of spice/sweet/tang. We served it with a big salad and everyone loved it, even our non-vegetarian friends. I’m breast-feeding right now and have had to cut soy and wheat out of my already vegan diet, which really limits the options (but helps the baby’s tummy). Thank you so much for this creative and super easy soy- & gluten-free recipe. We plan to make it often! (Also, just have to mention that my husband and I are huge fans – keep up the awesome!)
This recipe is FANTASTIC. The toasted almonds, chipotle, and raspberries all have strong flavors and I was concerned they might not marry well. Boy was I wrong. The flavors all stood out, together, and were a beautiful combination. I would use only two chipotles as I found three to be just a tad too much spice for me. The sauce was absolutely flavorful and fabulous, the quinoa and black beans gave a perfect chew and satisfying mouth feel, the broccoli was pretty and freshened things up, and the almonds were toasty, crunchy and just plain delish. Very different flavors here and I never would have put them together, bravo! My husband and I fought over the leftovers and I debated making it again this week. =)
Delicious! My partner is pre diabetic & on a low sodium diet (even though an athletic slim vegan) so I eliminated the sweetener and salt, and used a quarter teaspoon of chile chipotle powder. A great success!
When cooking the black beans, dried , in a pressure cooker, I added cumin, turmeric and chopped fresh cilantro since I was going to make a very tame raspberry sauce. Definitely a keeper!
Isa
Followed the recipe exactly EXCept I had no broccolli. Used frozenskinny greenbeans It was wonderful! Your comments about the magic bulle t got me looking at them but too expensive. Then a couple months ago my husband &I were browsing the local thrift store. He jokingly asked ” hey do you want a magic bullet? Thought he would pass out when I yelled yes!!!! Evrything was
there. All parts blades cups – $5.00. Such a deal & I love it. Use it almost every day. Thanks for sharing your talent with food. You are so much fun!
Made this last night. Absolutely delish. Included sauteed spinach instead of broccoli. Blended the sauce in my vitamix, which worked just fine for this purpose. 3 chipotles (didn’t even seed them) and the spice level was perfect for us.
This recipe really disappointed me. I have never once found a recipe off of this website that I didn’t like until this one. I’m sorry, Isa, but this recipe does not do you justice. The combination of the raspberry seeds and the quinoa was pretty nauseating. Don’t worry, though. I still think you rule! And I love all of the other stuff you’ve got on here. I’m going to keep using your other awesome recipes.
Brilliant. Wowed my vegan friends from out of town, perfect amount of everything, flavor profile spot on…. And I’m not a vegan myself. I will be making this for lunches during the week for me and the husband for as long as broccoli is in season. Thank you, Isa. You sure know how to talk a meat eater out of using animal products. De-lish.
This sounds so delicious! I love raspberries and chipotles but it never occurred to me to throw them together…
Unfortunately, I am allergic to almonds. Do you think I could use walnuts or maybe hazelnuts instead?