PHOTOGRAPHER
QUINOA BEEF BOWL & BEEF WRAP
Quinoa Beef Bowl & Beef Wrap
Two things I make when I want something good without much effort
By Ana Zaha
There are weekends when I want to cook something that feels like it took effort without actually taking much effort. These are two of those recipes. Both have beef, both come together in under 30 minutes, and both end up looking better than they have any right to especially in a ZAHA, Origen plate set, which makes everything look better.
THE BEEF & PEPPER OAT FLOUR WRAP
The wrap is for days when I want the same flavors but don't want a bowl. The oat flour makes it slightly denser than a regular flour tortilla — in a good way. It holds the filling without falling apart and has enough flavor to be part of the dish, not just a vehicle.
Ingredients:
— 200g ground beef
— 1 cup oat flour
— Pinch of salt
— Water (enough to form a soft dough — about ½ cup)
— Pepper, sliced
— Cherry tomatoes, halved
— Fresh cilantro
— Olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic
— Tzatziki
For the wrap:
1. Mix oat flour, water & salt. Add water gradually until you have a soft, non-sticky dough. Cook on a dry hot pan, about 1–2 minutes per side.
For the filling:
2. Sauté ground beef with olive oil, garlic and salt until browned. Add sliced peppers in the last few minutes.
3. Add cherry tomatoes raw at the end — they don't need heat, just a little time to soften against the warm filling.
4. Fill the wrap, add tzatziki, cilantro, fold, and serve on a ZAHA plate.
This one I also make for meal prep. The filling keeps well for two days. The wraps are better made fresh.
THE QUINOA BEEF MEATBALL BOWL
This is the one I make when I want something warm and filling that still feels fresh. A bowl of quinoa, homemade beef meatballs, roasted peppers, cherry tomatoes, a good spoonful of tzatziki, and whatever fresh herbs I have on hand — usually cilantro.
Ingredients:
— 250g ground beef
— 1 cup quinoa, cooked
— Peppers
— Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
— 2–3 tbsp tzatziki
— Fresh cilantro
— Olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin
Instructions:
1. Mix ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cilantro and a little cumin. Roll into small meatballs and pan-fry in olive oil until cooked through.
2. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
3. Roast the peppers at 200°C for about 20 minutes, or just char them quickly in the same pan as the meatballs.
4. Assemble: quinoa at the base, meatballs on top, peppers and tomatoes around them, tzatziki in the middle, cilantro over everything.
5. A good drizzle of olive oil at the end.
I serve this in one of the ZAHA ceramic bowls — the earthy tones work well with the colors of the peppers and the tomatoes. It's the kind of bowl that looks intentional even when you put it together in 25 minutes.
Both of these are the kind of recipes I come back to because they don't feel like a compromise — you're not eating something sad and virtuous. You're eating something genuinely good that also happens to be high in protein and made from real ingredients.
If you make either of them, I'd love to see it. Tag me at @ana__zaha on Instagram.
ZAHA Ceramics is available HERE — handmade in Mexico City.