This summer I’ve really been relying on the art of the bowl. It’s as easy as roasting a bunch of vegetables one day, making or buying your favorite bean dip and having a bunch of greens hanging out in the fridge. When the temperatures are hot and you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen, I lean on the bowl.
There’s a great lunch spot called Inday not too far from us where we go to sometimes (my husband and I work five blocks from each other) and they’ve truly mastered the bowl. I usually get one called the “root down”. It consists of roasted root vegetables, various dips, nut butter and charred eggplant sitting on a bed of quinoa and greens base with raisins and seeds. I took that basic framework and constructed my own as an homage to theirs.
I keep sweet potatoes on rotation for my favorite tacos (I promise I’ll share) so I roasted up a bunch of those. Sprouted mung beans fit perfectly for the occasion with a little cumin and curry for that earthy flavor. I stuck with the quinoa and greens base, but added a little curry to the quinoa and some dried cranberries. I didn’t have eggplant, but next time for sure. I added a heaping spoonful of black bean hummus w/ roasted red peppers and an equal amount of homemade nut butter (peanut and almond). For a finishing touch I drizzled a hint of tahini, though the cashew sour cream would work great here and a sprinkling of hemp seeds. The combination is unique and vaguely Indian. The overall effect is very satisfying because you’ve got your carbs, protein, healthy fats, spices and micro-nutrients. The best part of this bowl is that it’s highly adaptable. You can mix and match ingredients and condiments of your choice.
Keeping with my summer theme I have to say, I need to make more friends who have gardens. I’m jealous of those with a bumper crop of zucchini and tomatoes starting to ripen. It makes me want to ditch my city apartment and move somewhere with grass. I keep talking about making an illegal fire escape garden, but I don’t want to get evicted. I have to try out my green thumb soon.
Along the same lines, I also wanted to mention a documentary I just watched on Netflix called Chasing Coral. It was visually stunning. It showed how the earth’s beautiful living coral reefs are disappearing at an almost unbelievable rate due to the rising temperatures of the water. While it was depressing to watch, maybe this is the threat we need to get real and start looking for ways to preserve life on this planet. It’s worth a watch.
I hope you make this bowl and customize it to your tastes. It’ll save you time so you can be outside or secretly inside watching movies to stay cool!
CURRIED ROOT VEGETABLE HARVEST BOWL
INGREDIENTS:
- 2-3 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 handful arugula or spinach
- 1 cup sprouted mung beans (lentils would work well here too)
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 handful dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter or almond butter
- 2 tablespoons of black bean dip (recipe to come, but I really like this one ) or regular hummus
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons curry powder (2 for the mung beans, 1 for the quinoa)
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1/3 cup hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoons tahini and/or cashew sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
For the Sweet Potatoes:
Preheat oven to 375. Cut up the sweet potatoes into thin quarter slices. Bake in the oven for about 30-40 minutes.
For the Mung Beans:
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add mung beans. Lower heat to a gentle simmer. Let cook for about 20 minutes. Taste around 15 minutes to see how they’re doing. When they’re finished add the salt, curry powder and cumin. Mix.
For the Quinoa:
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa. Lower heat to a gentle simmer. They’ll be done when there is a white ring around the quinoa and there is no more water left. When it looks about ready, turn off heat, add the generous handful of dried cranberries, 1 tablespoon curry powder, salt and pepper to taste and cover.
Assemble:
When all of the elements are ready assemble in a large bowl. Start with the greens, as a base. On top add the mung beans, add the quinoa next to that, then the nut butter, the black bean dip/hummus. and the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with hemp seeds. Drizzle with tahini and/or cashew cream. Enjoy!
Love roasting vegetables and adding them to a dish. so much flavor..Bowl looks good.
Thanks for the documentary tip.
Thanks, Jovina. You really can get creative here. The documentary was beautiful and sad, but important. I hope you’re staying cool down there!
Great idea and looking forward to hearing more about the tacos!
Thank you, Stacy! I want to do this bowl with eggplant soon. Stay tuned for the tacos. I hope you’re well!
This bowl looks so nourishing and delicious! I love roasted sweet potatoes and I can imagine the flavors are really lovely with all the other ingredients you have here. I need to play around more with bowls. I recently made a curry bowl from my husband’s Thrive cookbook, and it was so good! The possibilities are endless, I just need to be in that frame of mind more often. I am also looking forward to your sweet potato taco recipe! 🙂 Hope you are staying cool this weekend! It is so hot here! I like the description of secretly staying inside to watch movies–sometimes being in the a/c is the best option! 🙂
Thanks, Jenny. Everything you make from that cookbook sounds good. I need to get a copy. The bowl is an art form these days and with all the cool produce, I just pile it on. It has been hot here too. It makes me want to be on the beach! I’m actually staying put in the city this weekend. I don’t mind. Sometimes a weekend on the couch is ideal! Have a great weekend.
So I thought I wrote something here but it seems not to have come through! I like recipes where everything can be made ahead of time and separately, and that the choice of combinations, sauces, spices, and garnishes is what makes each dish unique. It is especially convenient during the summer, when you don’t always want to spend lots of time in the kitchen. I owe an answer to your last email, sorry it is taking so long! I hope you’re well!
Thanks, Darya. That’s exactly what I love about it. Never apologize for taking time with long emails! I can’t wait to see you hand rolled pasta dish over on your blog! Xo
That’s a great rationale for summer food, though I find it hard not to light up the oven several times a week, even on the hottest days. Is it possible (or allowed) to create a hanging garden with window boxes outside windows?
Hi MD! I’m with you. I make almost everything in the oven. There’s just no getting around it. Maybe a giant salad. Window boxes wouldn’t work because of the fire escape but I can definitely do something on the inside. I also just sprouted lentils for the first time. We’ll see if they’re ok. I’m nervous to try them. Nice to see you!
Sprouting lentils sound good – they’d definitely be OK cooked!
i say start an illegal fire escape garden. have a pot or two of herbs and see how that fares? our illegal fire escape garden is not doing so well this summer, BUT, my office window sill is flush with basil and thyme right now. i’m crazy office mate coo-ing at her plants every morning.
anyway, i am a fan of pile bowls, heaped with summer’s bounty, and throw in a fruit piece or berry here or there and it adds even more sunshine.
If you’re doing it, I might have to. I need more green in my room. Great idea about the fruit! You’d be an awesome office mate cultivating something living instead of just corporate documents! Be well! Xo