Improvised Quinoa Lunch

Sometimes, around lunchtime, just when I’ve come home from a run, I feel desperate. For food. Especially on a day like today, when I had a protein-poor whole wheat biscuit (ok, two!) for breakfast. Sometimes I end up eating peanut butter and jelly or bread and cheese, not that there’s anything wrong with that. But since I plan to work out again later (with a friend who just joined my gym and works a regular job–it’s really more social than anything else) and because I plan to eat a saturated-fat rich dinner later, I wanted something megahealthy for lunch.

I cased my fridge and pantry and found:

• Some quionoa–that protein rich marvel of the grain world beloved by nutritionists
• A runt sweet potato that was deemed too small for other uses
• A bunch of kale whose outter leaves were sad and wilted but whose five inner leaves were just fine
• A container of diced onions–we often predice an onion so it’s handy when we need it

First, I covered a little quinoa with water, brought it to boil, lidded it, lowered it, and left it.

Next, I preheated my toaster oven to 400 degrees. I diced the sweet potato as small as my limited knife skills permitted, because I was hungry and I wanted it to cook fast, and then I shredded up the kale leaves. I tossed sweet potatoes, kale, onions, salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil on a foil-lined toaster oven baking sheet, and slid them in.

I tasted the quinoa, and it was done, plus, magically, I had added almost exactly the right amount of water. Just a little moisture clung to the cooked grains and I knew that would help bring this impromptu dish together when I added the vegetables. If the water wouldn’t have been absorbed to this degree, I just would have drained it. No big deal. Quinoa is more forgiving than people think.

In less than 10 minutes, the sweet potatoes and onions were tender and the kale took on a roasty brown crispness at the edges. I added a little salt, mixed it up, and dug into what was not just a wacky healthy lunch (vegan, even!), but a really delicious one, too. I had no intention of eating the whole bowl, but I did. And does it not look good? I will absolutely make this again–maybe with a few lentils added to the mix. When I do, I will take notes and give you a real recipe.