Cooking up gargantuan batches of meals on the weekends is fabulous for easy nutrition during the week, when you get home ravenous yet worried about your impending midterm. Stews are great for people with limited grocery budgets and limited cooking time (ahem students!).

This one is delicious and healthy, and came into creation by scraping together the last bits of my cupboard one foggy Sunday evening. It is one of those “everything but the kitchen sink” kinda stews, but in the tastiest way possible. The creaminess of the coconut milk makes it incredibly satisfying, while the diced tomatoes create great texture. It is also vegan and gluten-free, so multi-diet happy. Some variations to play with would be stirring some spinach in just before serving, or substituting the black beans for chickpeas. Have fun experimenting in your kitchen!

Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings:  4

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dry quinoa
2 cans cooked black beans
1 750 ml can diced tomatoes
1 can full-fat coconut milk
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cumin

Directions:
1. In a large pot, cook quinoa following instructions.
2. Once cooked, turn heat to medium and add the diced tomatoes, black beans, coconut milk and spices.
3. Let simmer covered for about 20 minutes, for flavors to develop.

coconut quinoa stew

Photo by Keah Hansen

A few other easy stews for following Sundays: