Healthy Veggie Bowls (Vegan)
One of the many things I love about the plant-based diet is how beautiful and colorful my food looks. I mean, look at these veggie bowls, how gorgeous are they?
I actually had a bit of a funny internal monologue as I was making these. I was wondering whether or not pouring avocado sauce on avocado is perhaps some form of cannibalism. Ultimately, I came to a conclusion that since it’s not the avocado that does the sauce-eating, it’s not cannibalism. Seriously guys, when you’re running on only a few hours of sleep, the strangest things cross your mind.
Healthy Veggie Bowls (Vegan, makes about 3 servings)
2 bags of brown rice
1 large sweet potato
1 avocado, cubed
2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 organic cucumber, cubed
3 organic tomatoes, cubed
4 cups iceberg lettuce (basically one medium-sized lettuce, chopped)
2 cups corn
4 cups mushroom (I used portobello)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
olive oil
fresh lemon juice
Creamy avocado sauce
1/2 avocado
1 TBS olive oil
3 TBS coconut milk
1 clove garlic
To make the sauce combine all the ingredients in a blender or use an immersion blender to mix until smooth. Salt/pepper to taste
To prepare these veggie bowls, you will need to work on a few things at once: roasted chickpeas, sweet potato, brown rice, lettuce mix, and mushroom and onions.
To prepare the rice: no need to do anything special, just prepare it according to package instructions.
To prepare roasted chickpeas: preheat the oven to 400°F, drain and rinse the chickpeas and pat dry with a paper towel- you want them to be as dry as possible. In a big bowl combine the chickpeas, some olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and your favorite spices. Mix well, then spread evenly on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, checking on them every 10 minutes and shaking up the cookie sheet a little.
To prepare the sweet potato: wash and scrub the potato really well, since we’re keeping the skin on. Then cube, as evenly as you can and place in a big bowl. Similarly to chickpeas, we will add some olive oil (but not too much) then add some salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. You can bake them in the oven or prepare them in a skilled- I like to make mine on a skilled since it’s much easier to keep an eye on them. Cook on medium heat stirring every few minutes until they’re done.
To prepare mushroom and onions: heat some olive oil in a large skillet, add onions, mushroom and some salt. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until tender then add some black pepper and some of your favorite herbs.
To prepare the salad mix: this is super simple, all I did was mix the lettuce with cucumber, avocado, corn, and some olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Give it a good stir and you’re all set!
To assemble these veggie bowls, start with rice then add the mushroom, potatoes, salad mix, roasted chickpeas, and tomatoes. Finish off with some creamy avocado sauce, parsley (or cilantro), serve with lime wedges. I also love having some fresh salsa on the side as well!
