holy hippy yummm bowl

I love veggie bowls and yet I don’t make them as much as I’d like. I think I just forget about them so this post is a reminder to myself to make up a veggie bowl on a weekly basis. They’re healthy and colourful and taste amazing. The best part is that the ingredients are super flexible. Add kale, broccoli, zucchini or whatever vegetable available. Add beans or salsa or roast up some chickpeas. But it’s the sauce that you choose that really makes the magic happen.

This time, I wanted to try a new sauce instead of my usual standbys. I had this recipe bookmarked on pinterest for ages, unfortunately it’s an almond-based sauce and I was out of almonds. I did have an abundance of walnuts though, so found a different but similar recipe that also threw in some chickpeas. Since the recipe wasn’t so reliant on just a nut, I figured I could mix things up and that’s exactly what I did. I changed up the seasoning too and I’m thrilled to report that the results were delicious.

Usually when I make up a veggie bowl, I use roasted vegetables so that I can pump up the flavour with spices and all that sexy caramelization that comes from roasting. But it’s hot outside and I didn’t want it to be hot in the kitchen too. Plus, let’s face it, roasting can make a big ol’ mess. So I decided to steam some beets, sweet potato and asparagus and mix it up with some raw vegetables, along with some leftover brown rice. And because I couldn’t leave my love affair of roasting alone, I did lightly roast the leftover can of chickpeas that I didn’t use in the yumm sauce. It was worth it.

This is a healthy vegan meal that tastes amazing. I don’t often steam vegetables (why is that?), but I really loved it here. To properly steam vegetables, add the heartier vegetables like beets first and let steam for a bit and then add vegetables that take quicker to cook. For instance, I steamed the beets for 10-15 minutes, then the sweet potatoes and then at the very end, the asparagus for just a minute or two. You still want lightly crisp vegetables here. It’s a good healthy option and because the yumm sauce is so bold and in your face that you don’t need highly seasoned vegetables. Make sure you throw in some raw vegetables too for extra crunch.

holy hippy yummm bowl
I used vegetables that I had on hand but you can add whatever vegetables or grains that you love most. Use my suggestions or create your own version.
cooked brown rice or a grain of your choice (millet, quinoa, farro would be good options)
roasted chickpeas (tossed with oil, salt & pepper & roasted in a 400F oven for at least 20 minutes)
steamed vegetables: diced beets, asparagus, sweet potato, carrots
raw vegetables: grated or julienned carrots and beets, chopped scallions, chopped orange/red sweet peppers, sliced cabbage, diced cucumbers
toasted chopped walnuts or almonds for crunch

yumm sauce
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c walnuts or almonds*
3/4 c chickpeas
4 garlic cloves
1/2 c water
1/2 c lemon juice
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t reduced sodium soy sauce or Braggs (use Braggs if you want this gluten-free)
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t ground cumin
1/2 t dried oregano

Dump all ingredients into a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Taste & adjust seasoning.
*soak almonds overnight if you don’t have a high-powered blender.

For each bowl, layer with rice or grain of your choice, roasted chickpeas, steamed vegetables, raw vegetables, nuts, and then drizzle with yumm sauce. If you’re like me, you’ll want to add more sauce as you dig deeper in your bowl. It’s that good.
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