Discovering a new delicious, where-have-you-been-all-my-life food can open up a world of possibilities — for everything from your next on-the-go snack to your weekly meal planning.
But when you combine two great foods, the effect is exponential. You don’t need to be a gourmet chef to know that certain foods, when paired, just bring out the best in each other. And with a bit of imagination, you can take an old standby and reinvent it — with benefits for better eating.
Take beans and rice — a duo that’s truly stood the test of time but probably doesn’t exactly put your appetite in overdrive.
Here’s your answer: elevate. Instead of rice, try quinoa. If you haven’t met, quinoa is a healthy grain that’s been enjoyed by people around the world going back thousands of years. It’s a good source of a variety of vitamins and minerals and one of the only plant foods that’s a complete protein. You’ll find that each kind of quinoa – there’s white, red, purple and black – has its own distinctive qualities. (Red, for example, is known for maintaining its shape after cooking.) But each has a fluffiness that breathes life into any meal while keeping it light — the perfect base to build on.
Which brings us to the beans. Beans are one of those hard-working, unsung heroes of the food world. They can be considered a vegetable or protein, and they’re high in fiber and nutrients like potassium and iron. This versatile legume comes in various shapes and sizes – black beans, kidney beans, lentils, the list goes on – so the culinary possibilities are virtually endless.
Let’s look at how these two ingredients can come together to yield a truly delicious, nutritious power duo.
Mix It Up
Well Yes! Black Bean with Red Quinoa Soup brings this together for you deliciously (along with tomatoes, corn and red bell peppers) in a single bowl. All the ingredients are chosen purposefully, so you can feel good about what you’re eating. It’s all about helping you say yes to real food and smarter choices — in a world where career and life demands, confusing labels and suboptimal choices can make that much harder than it should be.
With Black Bean and Red Quinoa Soup, and other Well Yes! soups with deliciously unexpected pairings like Butternut Squash Apple Bisque and Braised Beef and Black Barley, you get carefully sourced, non-GMO ingredients and no artificial colors or ingredients. And with cans that are non-BPA lined and recyclable, you can be sure you’re choices are both good for you and good for the earth.
Keep It Simple
What puts the power in power duo? Simplicity.
If you’ve ever read the list of a food’s ingredients on the label, you know that even foods that are supposedly good for you can be packed with questionable, hard-to-pronounce ingredients that are anything but. Add in a busy schedule and the challenge of coming up with fresh ideas for yourself and those you love, and suddenly putting together a healthy meal isn’t so simple.
That’s why keeping it simple is so important. From fruits and vegetables to responsibly-sourced meats and wholesome ancient grains, the ingredients that make up a nutritious meal don’t need much of an introduction, or explanation. They’re clean. They’re real. In many cases, you’ve been eating them all your life.
So, say yes to exploring more power duos that can elevate your eating life, in ways that fit your lifestyle. You can learn more about delicious Well Yes! soups that bring together nutritious, delicious, unexpected ingredients here.
This article was produced by Thrive Global and sponsored by Well Yes!®