Creamy Coconut Spinach and Mushroom Quinoa

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked quinoa

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cup chopped raw mushrooms

Salt & pepper to taste

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups raw spinach

2 tablespoons coconut milk

Lime, for squeeze-over

Method:

Cook quinoa, adding one clove of the garlic to the mixture.

While the quinoa is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Remember to remove quinoa from heat after cooking for 15 minutes.

Add the chopped mushrooms to the pan and stir together, coating. Season with fresh sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Allow the mushrooms to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and softer.

Lower the heat to medium and add in the garlic and stir with the mushrooms, for about 5 minutes.

Add the spinach and the coconut milk to the mushroom mixture and stir. Cover with the lid and allow to cook for another 3 minutes until spinach becomes wilted. Remove lid and stir to combine everything. Season with more salt and pepper to taste if necessary.

Add the quinoa to the pan and stir everything together until combined.

Serve immediately with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the top. Enjoy!

Notes:

1. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

2. You can add even more spinach and mushroom if you so desire to the dish. I used baby bella mushrooms, but you can use any variation that you want, bearing in mind a possible change in cook time.

How to store quinoa:

After the dish has cooled completely, transfer to a airtight tupperware container. Place in the fridge and store for 3-4 days.

How to freeze quinoa:

If freezing, store as above, and then place in the freezer, or in a freezer-friendly zipper plastic bag. Remove from the freezer when needed and reheat in a heated pan until thawed.

BBQ Chickpea Wraps with Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:

2/3 cup cooked chickpeas

3 tablespoons BBQ sauce

2 cups lettuce, washed, rinsed and chopped

2 roma tomatoes, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

2 wraps

5 tablespoons homemade oil-free ranch dressing

Method:

BBQ Chickpeas

In a small pot over medium heat, place the chickpeas and 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce. Heat for about 5 minutes until warm and the sauce becomes sticky and coats the chickpeas.

Remove from the heat and coat with the remaining barbecue sauce. If desired, you can add more barbecue sauce.

Assembling the Wraps

Per wrap:

1/3 cup BBQ chickpeas

1 cup lettuce

1 roma tomato, finely chopped

½ lime

1 wrap

2 ½ tablespoons ranch dressing

Heat ½ teaspoon olive oil or coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat (if possible, brush with a pastry brush). Place a wrap in the heat for about 30 seconds on each side. Or, microwave the wrap for about 15 to 30 seconds. Set on a plate to assemble.

Layer with BBQ chickpeas, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing, then squeeze the juice of the lime over it all. Wrap up, cut in half, and enjoy! You can also serve the ranch dressing on the side.

Credits: All recipes were created and all photos taken by Jessica Hylton Leckie. Jessica Hylton Leckie is the founder and CEO of Jessica in the Kitchen, an award-winning vegan food blog, where amongst recipes, she also shares guides, travel and wellness posts. She is also a food photographer and a videographer. She’s been a speaker at over a dozen conferences on the topics of young entrepreneurship, photography, food and wellness. Jessica’s work has been featured in numerous publications including the Jamaica Observer, ESSENCE magazine, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, SELF magazine, Buzzfeed, and many more. You can find more recipes on jessicainthekitchen.com or follow along on Instagram @jessicainthekitchen.