A Vegan Essential: The Bowl

Sorry this is so late! I had a very busy day full of unpacking and cleaning after getting back from my family vacation and I ended up making dinner much later than I had planned! Without further ado, enjoy!

Today I wanted to talk about a staple in my diet, "the bowl." Simply put this is an entree where a bunch of ingredients, normally a mixture of vegetables, grains, and legumes, are thrown into a bowl. There are lots of ways to make bowls and I have enjoyed many different types!

For example, on my recent road trip I enjoyed a delicious bowl at Savory Cafe and Pizzeria in Newport, OR.

This bowl was called the "Savory Bowl" with brown rice, black beans, steamed veggies, cilantro, and a tofu kelp sauce. Yummy!

Last night in Portland I enjoyed another bowl at the restaurant Prasad in the Pearl District. I had the "Urban Bowl" made with steamed kale, cabbage, sea vegetables, avocado, carrots, scallions, sesame and hemp seeds. I added some quinoa and had it with their peanut sauce. My Dad also enjoyed a bowl for dinner, the "Chili Bowl." Unfortunately I was distracted by the delicious food in front of me and so I didn't get to snap a photo, it was amazing though!

One of my most favorite bowls, at Chaco Canyon here in the University District of Seattle, is the hippie bowl, which is one of my staple orders when I visit this cafe, which is often. This bowl is made of quinoa, baked tofu, carrots, sprouts, sesame seeds and a garlic tahini dressing.

These bowls and other bowls I've had in the past have inspired me to make my own bowls at home! Here's the one I made today!

Quinoa Veggie Bowl with Tangy Peanut Dressing

This bowl is just what it sounds like and is pretty tasty!

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups veggie quinoa (recipe below)
• Tangy peanut dressing (recipe below)
• 1 cup sliced pepper
• 1 cup cucumber, sliced into half moons
• 1 1/2 cup zucchini, sliced
• 1 cup shredded veggies (I used Trader Joe's broccoli slaw)
• 4 handfuls spinach

All the veggie toppings

Directions:

1. Prepare veggie quinoa. While it is cooking, wash and prepare veggies. 

2. Prepare dressing. 

3. Line plate or bowl with a handful of spinach, top with veggie quinoa, veggies and tangy peanut dressing. Mix and enjoy!

Yummy!!

Note: This recipe is easily customizable. Use whatever veggies you like and have on hand. I love making this bowl with green onions and avocado as well, which I did not happen to have on hand this time around. 

Veggie Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, diced
• 1 cup carrot, diced
• 2 cups dry quinoa
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 4 cups water

Directions: 

1. Wash and dice veggies. 

2. Place veggies, quinoa, rosemary, and water into a large pot and prepare as you would normal quinoa.

Pre-cooking

All done and delicious! 

Tangy Peanut Dressing: 

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup vinegar of choice (I used raw apple cider vinegar and white balsamic vinegar)
• 1 tbsp tamari
• 2 tbsp non-dairy milk
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Maple syrup or other liquid sweeter, to taste (I used about 1/4 tsp)

Directions: 

1. Mix all ingredients except maple syrup together until they form a smooth sauce. 

2.  Add maple syrup as desired to reach desired taste.

Note: This sauce is definitely tangy, if you are looking for a more mild sauce replace all or some of the vinegar with water or more non-dairy milk to achieve your desired taste. 

All mixed up! Delicious!