Pantry Cleanout and a New Quinoa Bowl

I started noticing the pantry shelves were getting crowded last weekend. Half-used bags of rice, a couple of cans that had been sitting there since who knows when, and more pasta boxes than we would ever use in a month. The rice bag felt gritty when I picked it up, and one of the pasta boxes had a small tear at the corner that let a few dry pieces spill onto the shelf. Ren kept saying we should just cook through it all instead of letting things go to waste, so I figured I would give it a shot this week. He mentioned it again while we were doing dishes, his voice a little tired after a long day, and I nodded without really committing yet.

On Tuesday after work I stopped by the new store over in the Hillcrest addition. It is a bit farther than the usual spot but they have a bigger bulk section, which seemed useful for this kind of project. The drive took longer than I expected because of construction on the main road, and I caught myself humming along to the radio without realizing it. I grabbed a couple of pounds of quinoa, some chickpeas, a bag of cherry tomatoes, and a small bunch of moonmint because the leaves looked bright and I thought they might work in a bowl. The moonmint smelled faintly sweet when I held it up to my nose, almost like a mix of mint and something greener. I also found a jar of olives that was on sale and a bottle of olive oil since ours was running low. While I waited in the checkout line I watched a kid in the cart ahead of me try to reach for the candy display, his small hands stretching out until his mom gently pushed them back.

The recipe itself came from a quick search on my phone while I was standing in the aisle. It was a simple quinoa bowl with roasted vegetables and a lemon dressing. I already had some red onion and a zucchini at home, so I figured I could roast those along with the chickpeas. Back in the kitchen I rinsed the quinoa and got it going on the stove. The package said fifteen minutes but it took closer to eighteen before it was fluffy enough. The steam rising from the pot carried a nutty smell that filled the whole room. While that cooked I chopped everything and tossed it on a sheet pan with a little oil and salt. The zucchini slices were still a little firm under the knife, and the red onion made my eyes water just a bit when I cut into it. I had to pause once to answer a text from my sister asking about weekend plans.

Once the vegetables came out of the oven I mixed the quinoa with the chickpeas, added the tomatoes and olives, then tore up the moonmint leaves and stirred them in at the end. The dressing was just lemon juice, a spoonful of mustard, and more olive oil. It came together fast enough that I had dinner ready before Ren got home from his late meeting. We each had a bowl and put the rest in containers for the next couple of days. The moonmint gave it a mild flavor that was different from the usual herbs but still worked fine with the lemon. Ren said the chickpeas had roasted just right, crispy on the outside and soft inside, and I agreed after taking another bite.

The rest of the pantry cleanout went slower. I sorted through the dry goods and made a small pile of things to use soon, like the remaining lentils and a box of couscous. A few items got tossed because they had been open too long. By Wednesday evening most of the shelves looked clearer, though I still have a couple of shelves left to go through. It felt good to have made a dent without buying too many new things. I even found an old jar of spices I had forgotten about and gave it a quick sniff to see if it still smelled okay.

On Thursday I took one of the leftover bowls to work for lunch. It held up okay in the fridge overnight, though the tomatoes got a little soft. I might add some cucumber next time to keep the texture varied. The olives had settled to the bottom of the container, so I had to stir everything around before eating. Ren mentioned he would not mind having it again this weekend, so I may double the recipe and roast a few extra vegetables. The quinoa seems like a good base for using up whatever is in the fridge, which fits with the whole pantry effort.