Chilly Breeze Vegan Grain Bowl (Printable)

Wholesome quinoa and fresh veggies combined with citrus-tahini dressing and crunchy pumpkin seeds.

# List of ingredients:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Vegetables

04 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
05 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
06 - 1 small carrot, shredded
07 - 1 cup baby spinach
08 - 1/2 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced
09 - 1 avocado, sliced

→ Protein & Crunch

10 - 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed if canned
11 - 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted

→ Citrus-Tahini Dressing

12 - 3 tablespoons tahini
13 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
14 - 1 tablespoon orange juice
15 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
16 - 1 teaspoon maple syrup
17 - 1 garlic clove, minced
18 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
19 - 2 to 3 tablespoons water, to thin

# Steps:

01 - Combine quinoa, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, keep covered, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool slightly.
02 - While the quinoa cooks, halve cherry tomatoes, dice cucumber, shred carrot, slice cabbage, and ready spinach and avocado.
03 - Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Set aside.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk tahini, lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, maple syrup, minced garlic, and salt together. Gradually add water until mixture is smooth and pourable.
05 - Divide quinoa evenly among four bowls. Arrange spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, cabbage, avocado, and chickpeas on top.
06 - Drizzle with citrus-tahini dressing and sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds over each bowl. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The citrus-tahini dressing is tangy and creamy in a way that makes plain grains taste like something special.
  • Everything comes together in under an hour, and you can prep most of it while the quinoa simmers.
  • It's endlessly adaptable, you can swap vegetables based on what's in your crisper and it still works.
02 -
  • If you don't rinse the quinoa, it can taste soapy or bitter from the natural coating called saponin.
  • Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan, no oil needed, and watch them closely because they go from perfect to burnt in seconds.
  • Thin the dressing with water slowly, tahini can seize up if you add too much liquid at once.
03 -
  • Let the quinoa cool for a few minutes before assembling the bowls so it doesn't wilt the spinach or make the avocado mushy.
  • Taste the dressing before drizzling, you might want more lemon or a pinch more salt depending on your tahini brand.
  • If you're packing this for lunch, layer the heartier ingredients like quinoa and chickpeas on the bottom and keep the greens and avocado on top so nothing gets soggy.

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