Over the years, I've had my fair share of dinner recipe failures. Sometimes it's just a matter of taste: the fancy pasta dish that led to the realization that Mike and I share a vehement dislike of Brie; the anchovy flatbread that ended up in the garbage (it was part of the Brooks Bakes Bread project); and a truly bizarre pasta salad that involved bow tie pasta, corn, salsa, and Italian dressing. Some recipe failures are based on faulty instructions, like the Mexican rice that was strikingly short on liquid. I followed the recipe anyway, and half of the rice burned to the bottom of the saucepan and the remaining half tasted like charcoal. It took me a half a box of baking soda and a day of soaking to clean up the mess.
But then there are the near misses, the recipes that look so good on paper and contain a glimmer of potential beneath the sad, soggy mass of food upon your dinner plate. Jamaican quinoa and sweet potato stew was one such recipe. I had high hopes, since the recipe was from my Crock-Pot Vegetarian Recipes cookbook, source of some stellar soup and chili recipes. The ingredient list looked promising--quinoa, sweet potato, red pepper, and jerk seasoning, with a garnish of of toasted almonds and cilantro--but the results that emerged from my slow cooker were disappointing. There was a faint hint of flavor from the jerk seasoning, and the garnish was nice, but the majority of dish was flavorless mush. Usually I just cross mediocre recipes off my list and move on, but in this case I thought the ingredients had potential (also, I now possessed a mostly-full jar of jerk seasoning that I had no idea what to do with). Using the cooking method from my quinoa with sweet potato and spinach recipe as a guide, I converted the recipe from slow cooker to stove top, boosting the flavor of the sweet potato with olive oil and salt. The resulting dinner was more flavorful and even more importantly, chewier. This recipe's a keeper.
Inspired by Jamaican Quinoa and Sweet Potato Stew from Crock-Pot Vegetarian Recipes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon jerk seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Toast almonds in a medium skillet over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Prepare quinoa according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and tilt to evenly coat. Add the sweet potato, jerk seasoning, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until sweet potato is just starting to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook until sweet potato is completely softened and red pepper is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
Serve the sweet potato mixture over quinoa and garnish with toasted almonds and cilantro.
