I must admit. I did not plan on blogging this meal so I took basically no photos while cooking. But then I had them finished and they looked pretty good. And then after I tasted them I knew they had to make it up on the internet to live forever.

I came home from work and scrounged around the fridge, and decided I was too impatient to create anything that took longer than 15 minutes. So I took the really easy way of cooking – and opted for a pilaf (because you can throw everything into one pot!) and I confess, I microwaved the sweet potatoes. So this light meal (or appetizer, or side) literally took 12 minutes to make. Easy peasy.

What you’ll need: 

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth, or water
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1/2 a small onion
• 1/2 yellow pepper (I told you I was just digging around the fridge!)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• fresh cilantro for garnish
• Daiya vegan cheddar cheese, for garnish

Put all the ingredients into a pot except for spinach, sweet potatoes and garnishes.  Bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat so it still simmers, and cover. By the time the water is absorbed, your carrots will be cooked and it’s a one-stop shop! When the liquid looks like it’s just about absorbed, poke a couple holes in your sweet potatoes with a fork, wrap in paper towel and then microwave for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked. Just before serving the pilaf, add the spinach to the pot and mix well. This will wilt the spinach without you having to do any extra cooking.

Cut the potatoes lengthwise and scoop out a little of the flesh to make room for the pilaf. Add pilaf to fill up the potatoes, garnish with Daiya and chopped cilantro. There’s a ton of pilaf left, which I intend to add some chickpeas to and take to lunch tomorrow. I was happy with just two pieces and a pear for dinner, R had additional pilaf with the sweet potato insides. Isn’t it great to be pleasantly surprised every now and then with whatever is laying around your fridge? And let me tell you, it was healthier and faster than ordering takeout.