My nutritious black bean stew with vegetables, quinoa and amaranth is influenced by Mexican cuisine and is comfort food at its best. This slow-cooked, tomato-based dish is full of nutrients and is bursting with flavour.
Jump to RecipeGluten-free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free, Lactose-Free
What are the main ingredients?
Black beans are used in many Mexican dishes and all across Central and South America. I always use dried beans for this recipe and soaked them overnight. I know this is a bit more work, but I can guarantee they taste much better. And if you can’t get hold of any black beans worry not, you can use pretty much any beans you like, and it’ll still taste great!
The stew is enriched with the ancient Aztec amaranth and quinoa grains. Both amaranth and quinoa are naturally gluten-free, high in protein fibre and have numerous health benefits.
In addition, I flavoured it with Mexican dried oregano, which is slightly different from Greek oregano and has much more potent phytochemicals.
Freshly squeezed lime together with chopped coriander (also called cilantro) and scallions are a very important part of this stew and bring this dish alive. They instantly give it an authentic flavour and transfer you to sunny Mexico. As the toppings are raw and not cooked, it’s always very important to wash them first.
Why I like this dish?
It cooks in one pot and requires very little preparation.
I used to eat it very often during my chemo and could taste everything that went into it, even when there were many foods I couldn’t taste at all.
It instantly became one of my favourite dishes. The stew is perfectly fine on its own or can be served with a fresh, warmed up corn tortilla. It makes a perfect lunch or dinner. Moreover, as it is with all stews, it tastes even better the day after.
It freezes very well, therefore I always make a bigger batch and freeze a part of it for another day.
And most importantly, this moreish dish provides excellent nourishment. I used to eat my black bean stew with vegetables, quinoa and amaranth towards the end of each chemo cycle.
It always helped my body to gain the much-needed strength for a new cycle ahead.
Quick tip:
If you’d like to reduce the cooking time of the stew itself almost by half, you can cook your beans beforehand and just add them in when all the veggies are cooked.
Black bean stew with vegetables, quinoa and amaranth
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup black beans (or red, kidney, cannellini or pinto beans), soaked overnight
- 2 carrots, preferably organic, peeled
- 1 leek, peeled
- 1 medium-size red onion, peeled
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 courgette
- 1 yellow bell pepper (or any pepper), preferably organic
- 1 cup frozen corn, preferably organic
- 1 tomato Passata, preferabaly organic and in a glass jar
- 1 tsp tomato puree
- 2 Tbsp amaranth
- 2 Tbsp quinoa, ideally a mixture of different colours
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried paprika
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- a pinch of cayenne pepper, optional and only when the treatments have ended
Garnish for 1 portion:
- 3 scallions
- 1/2 lime
- a handful of spinach leaves or cavolo nero
- a handful of fresh coriander (cilantro)
Instructions
- Wash all your vegetables thoroughly. Pay special attention to the leek making sure there’s no soil residue left on it.
- Slice the onions and leek, cut the courgette, carrots and pepper into small pieces and finely chop the garlic.
- In a large, deep pan heat the olive oil over medium low heat, add the onion, leek and carrots, lower the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.Add the turmeric, cumin, oregano and thyme, stir well and cook for further 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato puree, stir well again and after a minute or so. Turn up the heat to medium, add the passata and a glass of cold water together with quinoa, amaranth, beans and peppers, making sure it’s all mixed well. Bring it to boil, lower the heat, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- Add the courgette together with the corn and paprika. Stir again and let it simmer for further 10 minutes or until the beans are soft.
- Just before the serving, add the spinach which will cook in the stew almost instantly, in about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve in a bowl with the lime squeezed over it and topped with sliced scallions and chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.
Notes
As they’re raw (not cooked) make sure you pay special attention when washing them.
