Quinoa and Black Bean Buddha Bowl (Iron-Rich)

How To Get Enough Iron on a Plant-Based Diet

quinoa: 100 g of cooked quinoa have 1.5 mg of iron.
black beans: 100 g of cooked black beans have 2.1 mg of iron.
tomato puree: Tomatoes are great because they not only have iron but also vitamin C which helps absorb the iron.
tahini: 25 g of tahini have 2.2 mg of iron.
pumpkin seeds: 25 g of pumpkin seeds have 2.2 mg of iron.
lemon juice: It is recommended to drink a glass of orange juice with your meals or add lemon juice as a source of vitamin C. Especially since plant-based iron has a lower absorption rate per se, this is a simple tip to increase iron absorption.

- 50 g quinoa, uncooked

- 150 ml vegetable broth

tahini sauce

- 1 tsp tahini (~ 10 g)

- juice of ½ lemon

- 1 tsp agave syrup

- pinch of salt

black beans

- 1 onion

- 1 tbsp tomato puree

- 1 can black beans (~ 200 g)

- ¼ tsp cumin

- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

- ½ tsp paprika

- 1 small bell pepper

- handful of small tomatoes

- 2 handful of spinach

- pumpkin seeds

Start by cooking the quinoa for ~ 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you don't have vegetable broth, simply mix 200 ml of water with a teaspoon of vegetable broth powder or a vegetable broth cube.
While the quinoa is cooking, make the sauce. Mix all the ingredients until well incorporated.
Finely dice the onion and sauté in a splash of water in a pan over medium-high heat for ~5 minutes. Strain the black beans. Then, add the tomato puree, black beans and spices to the pan and let simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Wash the vegetables. Cut the bell pepper into thin strips and the tomatoes into halves. If you want, you can mix half of the spinach with the quinoa.
Assemble your bowl by first adding the spinach leaves, then the quinoa, black beans and vegetables. Drizzle the tahini sauce on top. Garnish with a few pumpkin seeds.