Who doesnt love an easy, healthy quinoa salad! This spicy quinoa, black bean and asparagus recipe is a variation to quinoa salad. Its served veggie bowl style, with toppings of your choice and a dollop of sour cream.

You can use pinto beans or chickpeas instead of the black beans if you like. The recipe says 1-2 chipotle peppers; use them according to your taste. For an extra spicy kick, I also add some paprika, but its totally optional.

Select slim, tender asparagus, they will cook quicker. If you use thicker asparagus, make sure you cut them smaller.

Spicy Quinoa, Black Bean and Asparagus Bowl Recipe

serves about 4

Ingredients
1 tabespoon olive oil
1/2 a red onion, peeled and sliced thin
1 red pepper, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4  cups quinoa
½ teaspoon paprika, optional
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
30 thin asparagus spears (about 8oz), each cut into three pieces
One 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 ½ cups)
1 cup sour cream, I used low fat

Method
1. Heat oil in a saucepan and add onion, red pepper and garlic. Saute on medium till the onion and pepper is soft.
2. Add the quinoa, paprika if using, chipotle peppers and oregano. Stir for about 30 seconds.
3. Add 2 1/2 cups water and salt to the quinoa. Let it boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover with lid and let it simmer for about 12 minutes.
4. Two minutes before the quinoa is done (at approximately the 10th minute), add the asparagus to the pot, cover again and let the quinoa and asparagus cook for about 2 more minutes.
5. Removed lid, add black beans, and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
6. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and any of the other toppings below.

Optional toppings  – pick what you like
Chopped tomato
Sliced avocado
Chopped green onion
Diced mango
Sliced Olives
Shredded pepper jack cheese or cotija cheese
Chopped cilantro or parsley or green onion
Chopped calnuts
Lime wedges

Feijoada is a popular Brazilian stew of cured meats and black beans. This Brazilian national dish relies heavily on meat for flavor and texture. In my vegan version of Feijoada, I add smoked tofu instead of the meats and use paprika and cumin for extra flavor. I admit this is not an authentic Brazilian dish, but it is certainly tasty and filling. Serve with rice or chipotle corn bread on a chilly night.

If you cant find smoked tofu, just use regular, firm tofu and add a few drops of liquid smoke to your stew. If you don’t want to use tofu for whatever reason, substitute it with another kind of bean (kidney beans or white beans), or TVP or tempeh, or store bought veggie crumbles (like Morningstar). Check out this Brazilian black bean stew with sweet potatoes on Allrecipes. Martha Stewart has a Cuban black bean stew. Vegkitchen features a vegetarian feijoada or brazilian black bean stew. 

This goes to Chef in you’s AWED Brazil event hosted by Sara’s Corner.

Brazilian Style Black Bean and Smoked Tofu Stew (Vegan Feijoada)

Serves 2

For the smoked tofu
4 oz smoked tofu (I used Soyboy brand), cut into small cubes (about ½ cup when cubed)
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the stew
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped finely
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
One 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans)
3 cups water
Salt

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the tofu cubes and cook on medium-high heat till the tofu is browned and crispy – about 6 minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat ½ tablespoon olive oil. Add onion, carrot and bell pepper. Sauté on medium heat till the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add cumin, paprika, and oregano. Stir for about 20 seconds.

Add the black beans, water and salt. Bring the stew to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes or till most the liquid has evaporated. Mash some of the black beans using the back of a wooden spoon. Add the reserved tofu and cook another 5 minutes.

Top with your choice of chopped tomatoes, red onion, parsley, cilantro, orange zest, sour cream or grated cheese. Serve with my yogurt cornbread with chipotle and sweet corn niblets.

Please make this recipe, its incredibly delicious. Thats all I can say. I was going to make this recipe and freeze half of it, but we’ve eaten it all. The brown rice in this burger is filling and adds great, chewy texture. The black beans are luscious and creamy. And taco seasoning in the patties takes this to a whole new level of yumminess. Pair the burgers with my chilled sweet corn and roasted poblano salsa and you will be in heaven. Make this NOW!!

Also check out Alanna’s black bean burger recipe, and this southwestern brown rice and black bean burger recipe on feed the moose.

To roast poblanos, place them over an open flame. Keep turning till they are charred all over.

Keep roasted poblano wrapped in foil for about 5 minutes. Then using a paper towel, wipe off the charred skin. Roasting poblanos gives them great flavor which is wonderful in this roasted poblano sweet corn salsa.

Serving suggestions for vegan southwestern black bean and brown rice burger patties:

Serve with your choice of chipotle mayonnaise, avocado slices, sour cream, ketchup, barbeque sauce, tomato slices, red onion, pickled jalapeno, lettuce, lime wedges, roasted poblano and sweet corn salsa ( recipe below)

- as a southwestern veggie burger with toasted burger buns

 - as a sandwich with bread slices
- as a tortilla wrap
- in pita bread pockets
- my favorite – in a salad with shredded lettuce, carrots, roasted poblano and sweet corn salsa (recipe below) and my cumin vinaigrette recipe
- lettuce wraps- serve burger patties and salsa with large, un-cut pieces of iceburg lettuce

I like RiceSelect brand’s Royal Blend brown and red rice for this recipe. Its nutty, chewy, and just perfect.

Vegan Southwestern Black Bean and Brown Rice Veggie Burger Patties Recipe

makes 8 patties

1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked. I recommend RiceSelect Royal Blend brown & red rice
One 15 oz can black beans

sauté
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small red (or green) bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon store bought taco seasoning (substitute with 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder + 1/2 tablespoon paprika or red chile powder)
salt

to cook the patties
1 tablespoon corn starch
6 tablespoons olive oil

In a large pot, bring plenty of water to boil. Generously salt the water. Add brown rice and cook uncovered till the rice is done, about 20 minutes. Rice should be cooked through, but still chewy and not mushy. When done, drain the rice, run some cold water over it to stop the cooking. Make sure the rice is drained very well before using. Spread it on a kitchen towel to absorb moisture if needed.

Drain the canned black beans. Again, make sure it is drained very well.

While the brown rice is cooking, work on the satueeting. Heat a large non-stick skillet with the oil. Add onion and red pepper. Cook till onions are soft. Add garlic, stir for about 30 seconds. Add taco seasoning and drained black beans. Stir on high heat for about a minute. Turn off heat. Add salt (remember store bought taco seasoning already has some salt).

Using a potato masher or fork, mash the black bean mixture. Mash roughly, so that some black bean pieces remain. Add cooked, drained brown rice. Using a spatula, mix everything together. Taste and adjust salt and taco seasoning.

When the black bean brown rice mixture is cool enough to handle, divide it into 8 equal portions. Dust your hands with corn starch and make 8 balls. Flatten the balls down to shape into burgers. Dust a little corn starch on the patties; not too much, just a sprinkle. (You can freeze the patties at this point in a single layer in air tight containers).

Heat about 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet.  Place 2 burger patties on the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat on each side. Remove when a crispy golden crust forms on both sides. Add more oil to the skillet and fry up 2 more patties at a time. Repeat till all patties are cooked.

Roasted Poblano and Sweet Corn Salsa Recipe

 enough to serve with about 4 burgers

1 poblano pepper (substitute with bottled roasted red pepper or sauteed jalapenos or canned New Mexican green chile)
1 can drained sweet corn
1 cup chopped tomatoes
zest of 1/2 a lime, optional
2 tablespoons lime juice (juice of about 1 large lime)
1-2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Roast the poblano pepper over an open flame either on your stove or an out door grill. Char the pepper on all sides. Then wrap it in foil and let it sit for about 5 minutes. When the pepper is cool enough to handle, open the foil and peel off the charred poblano skin. Wipe off any remaining charred skin with a paper towel. Remove the seeds inside. Dice the roasted poblano.

Mix together the roasted poblano and all other ingredients. Refrigerate till ready to serve.