Spicy Quinoa with Sweet Potatoes and Avocado

This dish may not look pretty but it was pretty darn tasty. It was made up while at the grocery store with my only criteria being that it had to include quinoa, avocado and pine nuts.

I sauteed a shallot, 2 cloves of garlic and cooked them until soft and fragrant. I added a diced sweet potato (one large one, about 1 lb). Then added some cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper (I didn't measure I just started throwing things in because I was hungry and really, what could go wrong??). I added a splash of veggie broth, covered the pan and cooked until the sweet potatoes were soft but not falling apart.

In a separate pan I toasted 1 cup of quinoa until it was lightly brown and smelled nutty (in my limited quinoa experience this toasting step makes a BIG difference). Add 2 cups of broth (veggie or chicken) and cook until all the liquid is absorbed and then tun off heat and cover. Then I added 2 cups of cooked quinoa to the sweet potato and tested for seasoning (add S&P at this stage if needed).

Stir in a very generous handful of cilantro and garnish with diced avocado and toasted pine nuts. Just ridiculously tasty and comes together in 15-20 minutes.