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Tag: zucchini

Harissa Quinoa with Zucchini and Mushrooms

I was in the mood to add a little kick to my quinoa bowl tonight and I choose the Moroccan sauce harissa to help me out. I love the spiciness level of the “Spicy” Mina brand that I buy because it has the perfect amount of heat, but there is still a depth of flavor to it. You aren’t simply setting your mouth on fire for the kick of it. I like to make a batch of a couple of different grains throughout the week and then I portion them into single servings so I can mix and match flavors everyday. Grain bowls can get boring and I like to have some variation, but I don’t always have the desire to make a sauce or dressing. Recently, some of the pepper sauces from other countries have been really amazing at keeping things fresh. I get really excited when I find a new product to try.
Of course, I don’t typically just eat the grains and the sauce. Tonight’s starring vegetables were zucchini and mushrooms, plus I had a little parsley left over, so I threw that in. The mushrooms went in raw, but the zucchini was sauteed during meal prep and reheated with everything else in a small pan. Is it technically a one pot meal if everything is already prepped? Who cares… Bowl meals reign supreme around my life. May I never tire of them.

Black Soybean Noodles, Carrots, Zucchini, and Mushrooms

Dinner was another “pasta” plate, this time black soybean spaghetti. Now that I have leaned into the single ingredient alternative noodles, you can expect to see lots more of them in my rotations. I do this with most new ingredients that I get into…potentially eat it too often…but I’m reminded why so many people are drawn to making and eating pasta. Obviously, actual, real, good pasta is also amazing, but pulling a meal together with a base of pasta is SO easy and fast. The bonus with the alternatives is that you get the plant protein you want, the downside is that none of them are pasta.

The packaging is a little deceptive on this one in that it says black bean on the front, but the black beans that come to mind don’t have the protein content this product boasts about. It’s because the noodle are actually made from organic black soybeans, so be wary if you are sensitive to soy. I’ll say it a little louder for the people in the back…ALWAYS READ THE INGREDIENTS! Sorry, I don’t mean to be so aggressive about it. Anyway, at the end of this month long challenge, I will do a whole taste test comparison of a few varieties to actual pasta. The soybean ones have a little chew to them versus the chickpea noodles, but I really like most of the varieties that I have tried.


Tonight’s plate had the noodles, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, sea salt, and dried thyme. I cooked the noodles in salted water, drained them, and mixed them in a small bowl with 1tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. I heated a sauté pan over medium heat and added 1/2tbsp avocado oil to it. Once that was hot, I added the sliced raw mushrooms. I let them get a bit dark and wilty and then I added the carrots and gave it a stir. I cooked them for a bit and then added the zucchini, salt, and thyme. You can obviously add whatever you have a taste for or whatever needs using from your fridge drawer and then cook each veggie as much or as little as you like. Once everything was cooked the way I wanted it…I enjoy it really crunchy, so just a few minutes later…I added the EVOO coated noodles, stirred everything to bring it together while reheating the noodles, and then it went onto the plate. I love the texture variation on this one.