Quinoa Burrito Bowl

A few years ago my sister completed Shannon Sodano's 21 day cleanse. I was impressed by her dedication. During the cleanse, you gradually remove foods from your diet, like meat, sugar, dairy, caffeine and alcohol.  Nutrient dense foods, such as leafy greens and beans, are incorporated into your diet. (No chocolate for 21 days?? Crazy...) Early in December during Shannon's visit to Los Angeles I expressed an interest in the 21 day cleanse, but was not yet ready to commit. I consider myself a healthy eater, but a gluten-free vegan diet is intimidating. Shannon's new 3-day program seemed like the perfect option for me. I've found it to be a great way to explore exclusively eating clean foods, make time for meditation and a fun challenge for creating deliciously flavorful cleanse meals. This dinner recipe does not taste like something you should be eating during a cleanse. All your favorite fresh Mexican flavors in a bowl. Tonight, we're making cleanse tacos!

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Juice from 2 juicy limes
Sea salt, to taste
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
1 small red or purple onion, diced fine
2 small yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced fine
1 cup corn kernels
Tortilla chips
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, diced

A few teaspoons homemade taco seasoning (or a little cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes)
Fresh salsa

Directions:
Prepare quinoa according to package directions. I cook quinoa in a rice cooker. 1 cup rinsed quinoa, 2 cups water, turn the rice cooker on and 15 minutes later, perfect quinoa!

Drizzle the cooked quinoa with extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat. Squeeze on fresh lime juice and toss again. Season with sea salt, to taste.

Heat extra virgin olive oil in a pan, and saute diced red onion for 3-4 minutes. Add diced yellow pepper, and roasted corn kernels. Cook for 3-4 more minutes. Add drained black beans. Sprinkle with homemade taco seasoning.

Spoon the quinoa in a bowl. Next, add the with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with diced avocado. Top with salsa and cilantro.

Serve with an extra lime wedge.

Serves 4.