Spiced Quinoa with Lentils and Kale

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, or more to taste
• 1 cup rainbow quinoa
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups chopped kale
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, or more to taste (Optional)

Step 1

Bring the water and broth to a boil in a large pot. Once it’s bubbling, add the lentils, chopped onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Cover the pot, turn the heat down to medium, and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in the quinoa along with all the spices—cumin, curry powder, salt, chili powder, cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, cardamom, and cloves. Give it a good mix and bring it back up to a gentle boil. Cover again and let it cook until the quinoa is tender, which should take around 10 more minutes.

Step 3

Finally, toss in the kale, peas, and butter. Bring the pot back to a boil one last time, then cover and cook until the kale is wilted and the peas are heated through, about 10 minutes. Once everything is tender and flavorful, it’s ready to serve.