A good portion of my childhood was spent as a vegetarian. At the time all it meant was sneaking junk food from the school vending machine and sharing my friends fruit snacks. Oh, how I adored fruit snacks...Gushers anyone? As an adult it means I am 100% happy with a vegetarian meal a few times a week. I could honestly do without meat, but I'm pretty sure Jason would go on strike so I compromise. One of my favorite ways to serve up a hearty vegetarian dinner, that won't leave Jason starving, is with meals like these Veggie Bowls with Cilantro Tahini dressing...
A hearty bowl filled with brown rice, roasted sweet potato, sauteed cremini mushrooms, zucchini and chickpeas. It's so hearty and filling you won't even miss the meat! The seasonings are simple: garlic and cumin, salt and pepper and of course a savory cilantro tahini sauce to drizzle on top. That sauce you guys...it's a-mazing. Luckily it makes a whole lot so you can keep a jar of leftover sauce in the fridge for dipping pita chips or veggies in.
I call these Falafel Bowls because the combination of flavors, the chickpeas, the tahini, all together taste so much like a deconstructed falafel without all of the fried greasiness. Yum! Of course you could serve this dish with a warm pita on the side. Are you hungry yet? Give this dinner recipe a try and let me know what you think! Do you have any favorite meatless meals?
Veggie Bowls with Cilantro Tahini
Roasted sweet potato, chickpea and veggie bowls with cilantro tahini sauce served over brown rice.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large sweet potato
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 1 large zucchini, cubed
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup Tahini
- ½-3/4 cup water
- 2 garlic cloves, divided
- handful cilantro
- 1 lemon, juiced
- cumin
- sea salt & seasoned salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the sweet potatoes into small cubes and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon cumin, seasoned salt and pepper. Roast 30 minutes or until fork tender.
- Make the herb Tahini: In a blender or food processor combine the Tahini, water, garlic, cilantro and lemon juice. Process until smooth and well combined. Note: Start with ½ cup and add up to ¾ cup until thin enough to drizzle.
- In a large sautée pan heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in mushrooms, zucchini, and 1 minced garlic clove. Sautée about 5 minutes until veggies were tender. Add in chickpeas, 1 teaspoon cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Cook just until chickpeas are warmed through.
- To assemble the bowl, place the rice in serving bowls. Top with sweet potatoes and sauteed veggies. Drizzle with cilantro tahini and garnish with fresh parsley.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 967Total Fat: 51gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 41gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1170mgCarbohydrates: 107gFiber: 22gSugar: 18gProtein: 33g
Taylor - Lights Camera Catwalk says
This sounds so delicious! Obsessed with that dressing. Yum!
Xx Taylor
http://lightscameracatwalk.com/
Tammy Thiele says
This looks delicious! Hoping to try it soon! A favorite meatless meal of ours is roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos...we roast the two with cumin and olive oil and serve them in soft shells with whatever toppings we have on hand! So yummy!
Leah Bergman says
Those sound delicious! literally just made roasted sweet potato and black bean tacos that I roasted with cumin and olive oil last night! Ha!