The vegan bowls just keep coming. And why not? This, along with the other bowls I’ve shared in the past few months, is a complete meal. I love having a variety of flavors and textures all in one bowl. This one-dish wonder fulfills my intention for every meal to be at least half veggie and half protein. The avocado sauce is refreshing and adds a nice kick.
This particular bowl took three pans to make—a medium sauce pan for the quinoa, a cast-iron sauté pan for the chickpeas and a flat roasting pan for the veggies. The original recipe from Avocado Pesto calls for asparagus instead of the broccoli. While I love asparagus it’s not in season at the moment, and I try, whenever possible, to cook with produce in its season.
The recipe below made two healthy-sized bowls for my partner and me. After our first dinner, I had enough chopped beets and yams left for the next day. I also had some broccoli and cauliflower left, but I augmented it a bit for the next day’s meal.
Meatless Monday: Quinoa Veggie Bowl with Avocado Sauce
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 beets, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 large or 2 small yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into medium florets
- 1 broccoli “tree,” cut into medium florets (Also, peel the big main stem and slice it into 1/4-inch pieces)
- salt, to taste
- few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups chickpeas (one can)
- For the dressing:
- 1/2 avocado
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup water (or more depending on desired consistency)
- salt to taste
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Just before the water boils, rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve under running water. (Rinsing quinoa removes its natural coating of saponin, which can sometimes cause a bitter or soapy flavor. Some people like this flavor and some don’t.) Add the quinoa, return the water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered 15-20 minutes until quinoa is cooked through.
- Separately toss each of the veggies with a drizzle of olive oil (just to coat them) and salt to taste.
- Place in single layer on baking sheet and roast in preheated oven until cooked through. The beets and sweet potatoes with need 30 minutes, the cauliflower will need 20 minutes and the broccoli will need 15 mins. Watch the time and add the cauliflower and broccoli to the baking sheet so that they roast for the proper amount of time.
- Heat pan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add chickpeas and toast until browned.
- In a blender combine the ingredients for the dressing and process until smooth.