This year I’m making an effort to mix up some of the more complicated recipes I do with really simple ones. Things with shorter ingredient lists, less processes and less time required to make them. Because I don’t want healthy to feel hard for anyone! I’ll still be writing things that have a few more processes and things because it’s also great to challenge oneself – just not every night of the week, right?

So with that in mind, and because it’s a Monday, I thought something simple and delicious would be good to start the week. A lot of buddah bowl recipes are complex in terms of the amount of processes and flavours you put into them. They’re all about building flavour and fun through fresh ingredients, different textures and bursts of yum. This bowl is about doing this in a simpler way!

So we have some quinoa to help fill you up and give your body the fibre, protein and essential nutrients it needs. Along those lines there’s also some yummy roasted sweet potato. Then for texture we’ve got green beans, sprouts and seeds for crunch and creamy avocado. Everything is pulled together with a nutty and sweet tahini and maple dressing.

This makes a great lunch bowl for the week or a nourishing vego dinner that you can prep at the start of the week in terms of the roasties and dressing and then throw the ingredients together fresh on the nights you choose to have it. Not only is this vegetarian it’s also gluten free and vegan.

Chick pea sprouts are awesome but any sprout will do. Or if you can’t find sprouts or just don’t love them you could replace these with some fresh or frozen peas.

Including preheating your oven and prepping all the veg this should take you 45 minutes or less. Unless your oven is a slow one. In that case consider steaming the chopped up sweet potato while you wait for it to preheat to cut the cooking time down. Also if cooking the quinoa fresh for this recipe (I sometimes batch cook it for lunches and to build salad bowls at the start of the week) then start it after you have the sweet potato in the oven.

Serves 4 

Ingredients

3 cups quinoa
3 sweet potatoes
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp chilli powder (optional)
300g green beans                                                                                                                                               4 cups mixed lettuce
1/3 cup chick pea sprouts (or any sprout)                                                                                                     1 Avocado, finely sliced
2 Tbs sunflower seeds
2 Tbs pumpkin seeds

Dressing
3 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs maple syrup
Pinch of chilli powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs water
1 Tbs lemon juice (or sub with white wine vinegar)

Directions

Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius.Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Peel your sweet potato and cut into 2cm chunks. Place in a bowl with the chilli powder, oregano and oil. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and toss to combine. Lay in a single layer on your baking tray and roast for 30-35 minute or until caramelised and golden.

Next, trim your green beans. Bring a small pot of water to the boil. Once boiling blanch the beans for 1-2 minutes, drain and refresh under cold water. You want them to still be a little crunchy.

Make your dressing by combining all the ingredients in a jar and shaking vigorously. Use a spoon to make sure all the tahini has been mixed in then shake again. It should be creamy and thick but not stiff. If it seems stiff add a little more water and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as you see fit.

Build bowls with quinoa at the bottom, topped with the lettuce and green beans then the sweet potato, avocado sprouts and seeds and drizzled in the dressing. Serve extra dressing on the side.

HH. x