Garlicky Quinoa Bowls

One day a week Dave and I are both home during lunch, so we're always looking for quick, but healthy recipes to put together. This garlicky quinoa bowl was easy to make and was a filling lunch for both of us. We divided the large bowl pictured above into four smaller servings.

Adapted from Amuse Your Bouche.

Ingredients:
-3/4 cup quinoa
-1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
-1 cup broccoli, separated into florets
-Small onion, diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-14 ounce can chickpeas, drained
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-Juice of half a lemon
-Black pepper

Add the quinoa and the vegetable stock to a pan, and place over a low heat. Simmer gently, stirring regularly, until all of the stock has been absorbed, the quinoa is soft.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, and add the onion, broccoli and garlic. Cook over a very low heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the garlic is soft and the broccoli crisp tender. Add the chickpeas to the skillet, and cook for another 5 minutes.

When the quinoa and vegetables are both ready, combine them, along with the olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper. Mix to combine, and serve warm.

Cooking the quinoa in vegetable broth helps to give it more flavor. I used cooking spray for sauteing the veggies to cut down on the calorie count and used the olive oil for a dressing instead. The veggies added a nice freshness to the dish and the quinoa and chickpeas were filling.