As most of you know, I love bowl food. I enjoy mixing different vegetables with different sauces, served over different grains. I whipped this bowl up the other day and really enjoyed the complexity of texture and flavor in this dish. It really was one of those meals that felt effortlessly gourmet.
Chimichurri is an African sauce, traditionally made with uncooked veggies. This sauce is often served over meats or used as a dip. The distinguished raw garlic and spicy flavors pair nicely with the veggie’s cumin and chili powder. Chimichurri is also often made with parsley. Instead, I used cilantro and spinach (because that is what I had on hand), but feel free to experiment with whatever greens you have.
I will say though, this is the perfect winter bowl for those cold days when you just want a big bowl to sit down to and feel satisfied, but also nourished.
One of the things that I liked most about this dish was that it tasted great re-heated and was a stellar lunch at work throughout the week as I munched on leftovers.
Give this recipe a try, use whatever veggies you have on hand and let me know what you think!
- bowl
- 1 cup white quinoa
- 2 cups cauliflower, chopped into small florets
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 3 large white potatoes, chopped into 1-inch cubes
- 1 kaboucha squash sliced into rings and quartered
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
- corn chips or corn tortillas (optional)
- jalapeno chimichurri sauce
- 5 large garlic cloves
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded
- 1 cup packed cilantro
- 1 cup packed spinach
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp. lime juice
- 2 tsp water to thin (or more as needed)
- Cook quinoa according to packaged instructions and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spead the chopped veggies around baking sheet and drizzle with oil.
- Sprinkle and toss with spices and maple syrup. Roast for about 20-25 minutes or until veggies are soft and darker in color.
- While the veggies roast, make the sauce by throwing garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, spinach, avocado, salt, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Add water to thin. Scrape the sauce into a small bowl and refrigerate until serving.
- Serve veggies over quinoa and drizzle with the chimichurri sauce. Serve with corn chips or tortillas if desired. Leftovers will keep up to 5 days.
