Friday, June 22, 2012

Your taste buds will smile: {Mexican Quinoa Bake + Shrimp Tacos}


Would you like something for dinner that is easy, healthy, zesty, and super tasty? Then this quinoa bake is for you! Here's what you'll need:

  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (if you like that kind of thing), drained {I used Hunts}
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
  • 1/2 chopped vidella onion
  • 1 diced zucchini {feel free to add any other veggies that might strike your fancy}
  • 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon of cumin
  • 2 eggs


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook your quinoa according to instructions. (I rinsed it, then cooked it in 2 1/2 cups of water with one swanson concentrated stock "pod".) Once the quinoa is cooked, combine in casserole dish (if you've got one with a lid, use it!) with black beans, zucchini, & chopped onion. In a separate bowl combine tomatoes, salsa, 1/2 of your cheese, eggs, & cumin. Stir to combine, then pour over quinoa/veggie mixture. 





Bake on the middle rack, covered, for 25 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until cheese has browned. I turned on the broiler to aid in this process.



I suggest you let it rest once you've pulled it from the oven for a few minutes so it has time to loose a little bit of that molten heat. At this point your house is going to smell amazing.

I decided to serve my Mexican quinoa bake with shrimp tacos. Since we were mid-summer-thunderstorm I quickly sauteed my shrimp in a non-stick skillet stove top. I would have preferred the grill but you know, lighting + grilling = danger. I mixed up a little bit of bang-bang inspired sauce to brush on my cooked shrimp before they landed in the tortilla blanket. Want to try this one too? 

  • 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Mayo
  • 2 Tablespoons of Sweet Chili Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha (you can do this part to taste if you don't like lots of spice)
  • Small squeeze of lime juice (added bonus, but not 100% necessary)
Stir to combine. Brush on cooked shrimp. Bang. It's really tasty. (This is enough sauce for about 40 shrimp, and will keep for a little bit in your fridge in a sealed container.) 




{yes, that is a giant sized jar of Dukes. yes, that lives in my fridge. hubby + costco w/ bbq partner=trouble}



{Bang-Bang-Esq} Shrimp Taco w/ avocado & sauteed peppers & onions
Watermelon-Blueberry Fruit Salad
Mexican Quinoa Bake

Have I made you hungry? 

4 comments:

Belle on Heels said...

A) This looks amazing and I can't wait to try it!

B) I have a newfound respect for you because of that jar of Duke's. Anyone with that much Duke's in their house is A-OK by me :)

WorthyStyle said...

yum yum yum! I might have to try this recipe next week!

also, Dukes is the best. Period. Everything else is crap!

Nat said...

Wow!! This sounds delicious I need to try this soon!

Kim said...

I'm obsessed with quinoa so I will definitely be trying this recipe!

Also, we also have that same size Duke's in our fridge - it's the BEST!!