Easy Recipe

Quinoa and Lentil Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Sauce

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Throw together this super simple bowl for weekday lunches. The combination of sweet and tangy keeps you coming back for more!

Do you ever have a meal that just exceeds all expectations? Like you knew it was going to be edible, but maybe not anything to write home about? And then it turns out to be love at first bite and you cry a little when you realize your bowl is empty? This bowl is one of those meals. When I took inventory of my fridge, I had cauliflower and broccoletti from my Imperfect Produce box that I needed to use up and some cooked quinoa and lentils that I had to either eat or freeze. The Imperfect pomegranate seeds staring back at me helped bring my vision to light.

Lentils are one of my favorite sources of protein. They’re versatile, soak up any sauce, and provide excellent sources of fiber, iron, protein, potassium, and B vitamins. I suggest buying Trader Joe’s pre-cooked lentils for the convenience factor, but you can also boil your own. While we’re talking about convenience, splurge on the $4 pomegranate seeds. You won’t regret it for two reasons: 1) even using tricks to make de-seeding a pomegranate supposedly painless, it’s never a pleasant experience; and 2) pomegranate seeds take this dish to a whole new level. I’m usually all for substitutions, but do not leave out these little sour bursts of flavor.

This is one of those meals that works great to just book a big batch of everything, and then freeze what you don’t eat. Roast your vegetables, cook your quinoa, and cook your lentils if you’re making those from scratch. While everything is roasting and cooking away, stir together the three sauce ingredients. You may need to add a tiny bit of water to thin it out, but be careful not to add too much. No one likes a watery sauce. Taste as you go. You might want to add a dash of salt, more lemon juice, or more maple syrup to get the sauce exactly to your liking.

Once everything is prepped, start throwing your ingredients in a bowl. Top with those special red seeds and cilantro, and dig in! Comment below if you try making this!

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Quinoa and Lentil Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Throw together this super simple bowl for weekday lunches. The combination of sweet and tangy keeps you coming back for more!
Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course
Keyword 30-Minute Meal, Lentil, Quick Meal, Quinoa, Vegan
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • Broccoletti
  • Cauliflower
  • Lentils
  • Quinoa
  • Pomegranate seeds
  • Cilantro

Lemon Tahini Sauce:

  • 4 T tahini
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • 1 lemon juiced

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375oF. Cut your broccoletti and cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet with a silpat mat or foil. Roast for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender.

  2. Prepare your quinoa by following the instructions on the back of the package. If you are preparing lentils, do the same.

  3. Stir together all ingredients for the sauce. Add water to thin. Add salt or additional syrup or lemon juice to achieve your desired taste.

  4. Combine the vegetables, lentils, and quinoa in a bowl. Top with the sauce, pomegranate seeds, and cilantro. 

Instant Pot Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

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A hearty, protein-rich soup with spices that will warm you right up during the cold winter months. Don’t have an Instant Pot? I’ve also included directions for a stove top version!

Just about every Sunday during the winter, I throw some sort of soup in the incredible Instant Pot. Sometimes I follow a recipe, and sometimes I just toss things in and cross my fingers that everything works together. This week, I loosely followed a recipe, but I also just sort of trusted that the flavors would marry and create a flavorful, filling meal. I mean, can you really go wrong with sweet potatoes and black beans?

Before I get to this week’s soup, can we chat about the Instant Pot for a moment? I was just as skeptical as the next gal – did I really need another kitchen appliance? However, I can tell you that the Instant Pot is a total game changer. It gets way more love than my crockpot ever did, and I use it almost every week for soup, beans, lentils, rice, quinoa, oats, the list goes on. The best part? Once you’ve set the timer, you can totally forget about it and go conquer your to-do list instead. You can even leave the house!

Another great thing about the Instant Pot is just how much food it makes. I always make enough soup for Sunday dinner, another dinner during the week, and a few lunches for Ben. I mean, if I’m going to make soup, I might as well make enough for the week, right?

Ok, back to the soup. I had some sweet potatoes I wanted to use up, so I decided on a simple sweet potato chili. This dish is hearty, full of protein, and has the perfect amount of warming spice for a chilly (or chili?) winter evening. After cutting up the onion, garlic, and sweet potatoes, most of your prep work is already done. You will sauté for a few minutes, but then just dump everything else in the Instant Pot, set it, and walk away.

This recipe calls for dry beans, but you can use canned if you prefer. Since canned beans are already cooked, reduce your cooking time in the Instant Pot to 10 minutes. You can also make this soup on the stove by using canned beans and following my directions below.

After the Instant Pot naturally releases, you can blend half the soup if you prefer your soup on the thicker side. I used an immersion blender, but any blender will work. Stir in the lime juice, top with cilantro and avocado, and serve with some crusty bread.

This soup also freezes great, so if you can refrain from eating it all, throw a serving in the freezer for a busy weeknight dinner. Comment below if you try it!

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Instant Pot Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

A hearty, plant-based and protein-rich soup with spices that will warm you right up during the cold winter months. Don’t have an Instant Pot? I’ve also included directions for a stove top version!
Course Dinner, Soup
Keyword Black Bean, Chili, Dinner, Soup, Sweet Potato, Vegan
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 t cumin
  • 2 T chili powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 3/4 c dry black beans or 2 cans of rinsed black beans
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 lime juiced
  • Top with cilantro

Instructions

Instant Pot:

  1. Turn on the Sauté function. Add the diced onion and a little olive oil. Sauté about 5 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the sweet potato, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Give it all a big stir until the potatoes are coated in the spices. If it seems like things are sticking, you can add a little broth or water to the pot.
  3. Add 3/4 c dry black beans, vegetable broth, and diced tomatoes.

  4. Switch the Instant Pot to Manual, and set the timer for 25 minutes. Close the lid, and set to the sealing position. It will take about 10 minutes for everything to come up to pressure. Once the timer goes off, let the pot naturally release. NOTE: If using canned black beans, reduce the time in the Instant Pot to 10 minutes.

  5. If you prefer a thicker soup, use a blender or immersion blender to blend about half the soup.
  6. Stir in lime juice and top with cilantro and avocado.

Stove Top:

  1. In a large pot, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic, and sauté for about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the sweet potato, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Give it all a big stir until the potatoes are coated in the spices.
  3. Add the rinsed black beans, vegetable broth, and diced tomatoes.
  4. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender - about 30-40 minutes.
  5. If you prefer a thicker soup, use a blender or immersion blender to blend about half the soup.
  6. Stir in the lime juice and top with cilantro and avocado.

 

Vegan Pumpkin Alfredo

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This extremely simple pumpkin recipe gives you an unconventional way to use pumpkin. The ingredients may be minimal, but the flavor definitely isn’t lacking.

I love pumpkin. I love to bake with it, cook with it, and I always have one can stashed away in my pantry at all times. However, I rarely actually use it. I think it’s because pumpkin is associated with Fall, and I hate Fall because it means Summer is over. I usually just live in denial that the days are getting shorter and I need a coat every time I leave the house. And that one can of pumpkin in my pantry? I’m afraid to use it. What if I’ve used up my only can of pumpkin but I want to make pumpkin bread before September and the stores haven’t received their pumpkin shipment yet?? Total catastrophe, I tell ya.

Anyway, you all know how much I hate to waste food, so this recipe started with a botched cashew yogurt recipe. I took my cashew base and just added pumpkin and some spices. Feel free to take the heat up a notch by adding more paprika or even some chili powder. I didn’t have any garlic on hand, but I would have thrown in a couple cloves if I had them.

After blending everything in the Vitamix, I had a super creamy, almost whipped sauce. I tasted it a few times and added a little more salt and paprika until I had the flavor I wanted. The recipe below starts with minimal salt and paprika since you can’t exactly subtract spices! Keep adding about ½ teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired sauce.

Boil some pasta or rice, pick a green vegetable, and top with red pepper flakes. I added broccoletti, but I think some purple onion would be a great addition. Peas and zucchini/yellow squash would also pair well.

Enjoy!

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Vegan Pumpkin Alfredo

This extremely simple pumpkin recipe gives you an unconventional way to use pumpkin. The ingredients may be minimal, but the flavor definitely isn’t lacking.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cashews soaked in water the longer the better and overnight if possible
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • Juice of 1 lemon about 2T
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 can pumpkin puree
  • 1 t olive oil
  • 1 t paprika
  • 1 t salt and pepper
  • Optional: 2 cloves of garlic
  • Red pepper flakes for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Instructions:

  1. Put everything except for the red pepper flakes in a high-speed blender and give it a whirl.

  2. Taste to determine if you want to add more salt or paprika.
  3. Cook some pasta or rice, pick a green vegetable, and top with red pepper flakes.

 

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