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    Watch What U Eat > Main Course > Healthy Cilantro Lime Quinoa

    Healthy Cilantro Lime Quinoa

    Published: May 11, 2017 · Modified: May 28, 2020 by Watch What U Eat · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Recipe Print
    Healthy Cilantro Lime Quinoa Recipe - quick and easy healthy side dish to pair with many Mexican dishes. Perfect alternative to cilantro lime rice. | #watchwhatueat #quinoa #healthysides #Mexicanfood

    Cilantro Lime Quinoa – a perfect healthy side dish that can be served with a number of Mexican dishes. It is super easy and simple to make and can be a great alternative to traditional cilantro lime riceCilantro Lime Quinoa - a perfect alternative to traditional cilantro lime rice | gluten-free and vegan side dishQuinoa is a very versatile and healthy grain. Therefore, we use it frequently in our diet. I always keep experimenting with quinoa and try to replace it with white rice whenever possible. These days I am also making quinoa risotto, quinoa fried rice in my kitchen. I have even tried chocolate quinoa bowl for breakfast which to my surprise turned out pretty good!

    Super simple cilantro lime quinoa to pair with your favorite Mexican dishesAfter giving quinoa an Italian and an Asian twist, it is a time to make it the Mexican way. And cilantro lime quinoa will be a perfect fit to replace rice in Mexican dishes/recipes. Trust me, it really tastes yummy that you won’t miss rice. Basically it’s a twin recipe of cilantro-lime brown rice that is on the Blog.

    Moreover, you can easily turn this quinoa dish into a perfect healthy gluten-free entree. Just add roasted vegetables, some proteins like beans or tofu or grilled lean meat like chicken thighs or mini turkey meatloaves and turn it into a wholesome quinoa bowl for dinner or lunch. You can find inspiration for such healthy quinoa bowl here.

    Cilantro Lime Quinoa - a perfect healthy side dish that can be served with a number of Mexican dishes | Gluten Free, Vegan

    How is this Cilantro Lime Quinoa healthy?

    • Quinoa is the main healthy grain in this recipe. It is an excellent source of phosphorous and manganese. And it also contains protein, dietary fiber, folate, and dietary minerals in moderate amounts. It is a gluten-free grain and is easy to digest. Therefore, quinoa is also known as a superfood
    • Lime is an excellent source of vitamin C. And it is also a good source of diverse phytochemicals
    • It is low in fat and does not contain added saturated fats
    Super simple cilantro lime quinoa to pair with your favorite Mexican dishes
    Super simple cilantro lime quinoa to pair with your favorite Mexican dishes

    Cilantro Lime Quinoa - a perfect healthy side dish that can be served with a number of Mexican dishes | Gluten Free, Vegan

    You may also love these Mexican flavors 

    • One-Pot Mexican Chicken Rice
    • Instant Pot Mexican Brown Rice
    • Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken
    • Cilantro and Lime Brown Rice
    • Turkey Mini Meatloaves

    📖 Recipe

    Cilantro Lime Quinoa - a perfect healthy side dish that can be served with a number of Mexican dishes | Gluten Free, Vegan
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Cilantro Lime Quinoa

    Super simple cilantro lime quinoa to pair with your favorite Mexican dishes
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes minutes
    Servings :4
    Calories :280kcal
    Author:Swati Kadam Gulati

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cup quinoa
    • 3 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock if not vegan)
    • ½ cup fresh cilantro (plus more for garnishing)
    • 2 tablespoon lime juice
    • 1 teaspoon lime zest
    • 1 jalapeno seeded
    • 2-3 garlic cloves
    • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
    • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
    • salt to taste

    Instructions

    • In a food processor or blender add garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, and pulse it to get the minced texture. Do not over blend and make it into a paste
    • Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add cilantro-garlic mixture and cook for about a min.
    • Then add quinoa and saute for about 2-3 min.
    • Add lime juice, lime zest, cumin powder and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil
    • Season with salt and simmer it on low heat for 18-20 min or until quinoa is nice and tender
    • Garnish with some fresh cilantro and lime wedges before serving

    Nutrition

    Calories: 280kcal
    Tried this recipe?Tag us on Instagram @watchwhatueat or tag #watchwhatueat! OR leave us a comment & rating below. Your feedback is very important to us.

    This post contains affiliate links. For more information on our Affiliate and Advertising Policy, please click here.

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    About Watch What U Eat

    We are Swati and Tushar, our passion for food and cooking has now led us to share some healthy, tasty recipes and the benefits of eating certain ingredients with the goal of inspiring you to eat well and live well.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Caitlin says

      September 18, 2017 at 10:34 am

      Yum! What a good side for taco night 🙂

      Reply
    2. Bryan Carey says

      September 18, 2017 at 10:32 am

      Sounds like a nice change from the usual cilantro rice! We eat a good deal of Mexican food in my household and this would pair well with most all of it

      Reply
    3. Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons says

      May 18, 2017 at 6:51 pm

      I love this! Would be the perfect side dish for chicken or fish!

      Reply
    4. Megan @ MegUnprocessed says

      May 17, 2017 at 4:16 am

      Quinoa, a great replacement for rice and the flavors in this recipe sounds delicious.

      Reply

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