Vegan curry superfood bowl of zesty black bean quinoa served with a simple but full of flavour creamy curry. The curry is so easy to make, which makes it perfect for a busy mid-week dinner. It’s frugal, nutritious and tasty.
When I was at Uni, this was always my go-to dinner as making it is really not time-consuming, and does not require expert skills. It’s also frugal, and as a student, I didn’t have much money but still wanted to eat healthy good that tasted good. So I always made dinners like this curried bowl, that not only filled me up but also made me feel good and healthy.
VEGAN QUINOA RECIPES
Now let’s talk about quinoa.
First of all, I buy quinoa in bulk to save money and use less packaging. And also to make sure that I always have quinoa on hand.
How to cook quinoa? The quinoa to water ratio is 1:2. So for this recipe use 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of salted water. I rinse the quinoa first as I found that it helps get rid off any bitter taste (you can skip this step), and then put it in a pot along with the salted water.
Bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Leave the pot uncovered.
The quinoa will absorb the water, and the rest will evaporate. I simmer on the lowest heat possible and watch it so it doesn’t burn at the end when I think that the quinoa is almost cooked. Once it’s cooked, remove from heat immediately, and fluff with a fork.
ZESTY BLACK BEAN QUINOA
To jazz things up, I add half a cup of black beans to the quinoa (if using canned beans, then quickly rinse the beans under running water). You could use any kind of beans that you like, kidney beans work great!
Then squeeze a lime (or half a lemon if lime is not available), and mix in some chopped coriander. And that’s it, the black bean quinoa is now ready!
VEGAN COCONUT CURRY
This vegan coconut curry is loaded with loads of veggies that you probably already have in your kitchen. Making this curry is so easy that you’ll find yourself making this over and over again.
Heat a little bit of olive oil in a wok or a large deep pan. Saute a diced onion and a diced carrot. If you like spicy food, then add a pierced chilli or 2. Add the bell peppers and cook everything together until they start to soften. If the diced onion starts to burn, just add a splash of water and continue.
Add the diced potato, frozen peas, mild or medium curry powder, and ground turmeric (if using). And finally a can of full-fat coconut milk. Reduce heat, and simmer until the sauce thickens and potatoes become soft (should take around 10 minutes). Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve the black bean quinoa in bowls along with the vegetable curry, squeeze some more lime on the curry before eating and enjoy!
And that’s it, a healthy and filling dinner cooked in just 25 minutes!
If you make this recipe, please don’t forget to rate this recipe and share a picture on social media. Tag #LittleSunnyKitchen in your posts as I would really love to see what you make! Thank you for supporting Little Sunny Kitchen, so I can keep sharing my tasty recipes with you for free.
Vegan Curry Superfood Bowl
Ingredients
Zesty black bean quinoa:
- ½ cup quinoa uncooked
- 1 cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup black beans cooked and rinsed under water
- 1 small lime juiced
- 2 tbsp coriander or parsley chopped
Vegan coconut curry:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil for the saute
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 2 small carrots diced
- 2 green chillies pierced (omit if you don't like spicy food)
- 1/2 cup mixed bell peppers red, green, yellow
- 1 potato diced
- 1/3 cup peas frozen or fresh
- ¾ can coconut milk 300 ml in total
- 2 tsp lemongrass paste optional
- 1 tsp curry powder
- black pepper & salt
Instructions
To make zesty black bean quinoa:
- Rinse the quinoa first as it helps you get rid off any bitter taste (you can skip this step), and then put it in a pot along with the salted water.
- Bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Leave the pot uncovered. When the quinoa absorbs all of the water, remove from heat immediately and fluff with a fork.
- Add the cooked black beans to the quinoa and squeeze a lime (or half a lemon if lime is not available), and mix in some chopped coriander.
To make the coconut curry:
- In a frying pan or medium wok, heat a little bit of oil over medium heat.
- Add the diced onions, carrots and bell peppers. stir frequently until onions are soft.
- Add diced potato, peas, coconut milk, and curry powder (if using lemongrass paste, then add it now). Stir quickly and cover with a lid. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or until liquids reduce and potatoes are soft.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately with the zesty bean quinoa in one bowl.
Diana's Tips
This recipe first appeared on Little Sunny Kitchen in January 2017, and was updated with new images and more info in June 2019. The recipe remained the same.
Jasmin Fisher
Love the recipe – ditch the plastic! Dice your own onions and pepper and stick them in the freezer in a container
Diana
Thank you Jasmin for leaving feedback! Delighted to hear that you love this recipe. I just updated the recipe with new images, and added more info. I posted this a few years ago when we weren’t really aware of the plastic issue, we now try to stay away from plastic packaging as much as possible so we order a weekly veg box and definitely dice our own onions 😁
Lyn
How many portions is the recipe please?
Diana
2 portions. Enjoy!
Kate
What a fantastic quicky, healthy and yummy looking meal! Frozen food are so convenient.
Diana
I really prefer frozen foods to fresh ingredients now as it’s much more convenient to cook with them.
Julie
Such a nice combination of flavors. I eat vegetarian and look for ways to get protein in. Quinoa always a good choice.
Diana
Quinoa is amazing, I like adding it to my salads, veg bowls and even porridge!
Debra C.
I love the shortcuts you’ve show here! What a wonderful meal to have together in a snap. Love all the yummy veg!!
Diana
Thank you Debra. I love such easy and delicious dishes!
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
I try to add lots of vegan food into my diet too! I can’t seem to stay organized well enough to be totally vegan- I just can’t seem to get enough protein (although I’m sure it’s possible!). So I add in fish and feel a lot better that way!
This sounds so tasty- what a great weeknight dinner!!!
Diana
I know what you mean, I also love fish and wouldn’t wanna go completely vegan. But having a couple of vegan days every week makes me feel good!
Sarah
I’m always looking for new meatless recipe to try…this one looks and sounds amazing!!
Diana
Enjoy it Sarah!
Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
I’m also not a vegan or vegetarian, but I do love eating such food! If I had a bigger freezer, I would also have no hesitation to cook more with frozen vegetables. They would make getting dinner on the table just a bit faster!
Willow | Will Cook For Friends
I love to eat vegan some of the time, too! Honestly, I’ve gone entirely vegan in the past and found that for me personally, my body does better with meat and dairy in my diet (in moderation). I would say about 70% of my meals are vegan or at least vegetarian, and that’s where my body feels its best.
I would be all over a bowl of those curried vegetables right about now! And I’ll have to keep my eye out for those bags of Iceland Foods veggies — what a time saver!
Diana
I don’t think that I can become a completely vegetarian or vegan, as I love fish, poultry and meat but I like to have a couple of meat free days every week. I would say that about 50% of my days are meat free, and it works very well for me too. Iceland stock a great range of frozen foods, the quality is excellent and they’re very convenient to cook with.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
Just the sort of healthy comfort food that I am currently craving.
Diana
I’ve just started meal planning, and we will be having this again on Wednesday! A good way to start a new month 🙂
Christine
What a beautiful delicious bowl this is. I also consume many vegan meals every week. It’s a great way to get the fruits and veggies in!
Diana
Thank you Christine! It’s great to do meat free days or vegan days at least a couple of days a week.
Just Jo
I’m with you on eating vegan or veggie without committing to it full time. I do that too. I didn’t know Iceland did ready cooked quinoa in the freezer section! I haven’t been in years, but now I am thinking I’ll have to go see what else they stock. Lovely recipe I would really enjoy eating.
Diana
I don’t think that I can commit to eating vegan or vegetarian full time, but I like to be vegan a few days a week! You should check out the zesty bean quinoa as it’s sooo good!
Julia @ HappyFoods Tube
Your superfood bowl must taste amazing! I love quinoa and healthy bowl dishes! Thanks for the inspiration!
Diana
I love adding quinoa to these healthy bowls, but this zesty bean quinoa from Iceland is just amazing!
Jane
Dee, that looks gorgeous! I think I have all of the ingredients in my freezer too – if so I shall be whipping it up this coming week for a quick evening meal. Thank you 🙂
Jane x
Diana
Give it a try Jane, you’re gonna love it! x
Tracy
I love how colorful and healthy this is! And easy? Even better!