Serves 2
This bowl has it all and is perfect for a meatless Monday meal – fluffy quinoa, crunchy seeds, healthy fats and lots of delicious roasted veggies! It’s super easy to throw together because all the veggies take approximately the same amount of time to cook so they can be roasted on the same pan. When they’re ready just put in a bowl with quinoa, avocado, pumpkin seeds and drizzle with tahini dressing. As always feel free to substitute with any other veggies of your choice but this is a winning combo!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee, olive oil or combination of all three
1/2 head cauliflower cut into florets
1 delicate squash, sliced
1 avocado mashed
1 cup sliced sunchokes
1 large red beet cubed
1 zucchini spiralized
½ cup raw or dry roasted pumpkin seeds
2-3 tablespoons sesame seeds
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Tahini Dressing
1/3 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds)
1 medium lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
¼ cup cold/iced water
Preparation:
Rinse and drain the quinoa. Add rinsed quinoa, 1/4 tsp. salt, and vegetable broth to a small saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, until liquid is dissolved.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Toss cauliflower, beets, squash and sunchokes with oil/ghee and spread on baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing halfway during cooking time. Remove any veggies that are lightly browned and continue to roast the rest until done checking every few minutes to avoid burning.
Toss zucchini noodles with oil/ghee, spread on baking sheet and cook for about 10 minutes, toss and another 5-10 minutes until just starting to brown.
To prepare tahini dressing:
In a bowl combine the garlic and lemon juice. Let mixture rest for at least 10 minutes, to give the garlic time to infuse the lemon juice with flavor.
Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into another bowl, pressing the garlic with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the garlic.
Add the tahini, salt, pepper and apple cider vinegar to the bowl. Whisk until thoroughly blended.
Add water 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. By 6-8 tablespoons dressing should be perfectly creamy and smooth.
Serving:
Assemble the bowl with the veggies and quinoa. Top with mashed avocado and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with pumpkin and sesame seeds. Finally, drizzle with tahini dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
Leftover tahini dressing can be stored in the refrigerator covered for about 1 week. Dressing may thicken with time so whisk in additional cold water as necessary to thin.