Welcome to week 3 of the Cooking Up Kindness Project. This week’s meal is:
Vegan Quinoa Bowls
This meal is a colorful blend of both cooked and raw veggies on a bed of mixed greens and a base of quinoa. With more than 13 different plant foods in one meal, it goes a long way to reaching a weekly goal of 30 different plant foods which may optimize gut health.
These veggies and spices contain a boatload of vitamins and minerals that will help your body function at its best. Colorful vegetables are loaded with compounds called anthocyanins which are responsible for their vibrant colors.
Anthocyanins act as antioxidants protecting cells from damage by free radicals. They are anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and protect the brain, liver, and heart. This meal is also packed with fiber which most Americans just don’t get enough of and is important for digestion and a healthy microbiome. In addition, the quinoa and chickpeas provide a healthy dose of protein. Quinoa is one of the few plant foods that contains all nine essential amino acids, the basis for protein synthesis.
The shopping list for this week’s meal can be found here.
Start this meal by making the balsamic vinaigrette and set aside. The balsamic vinaigrette recipe can be found here. Next make the quinoa, cauliflower, and beets. The cauliflower recipe can be found here. Directions for the quinoa and beets are included in the Vegan Quinoa Bowl recipe found here. The cauliflower and beets can be roasted at the same time. While they are cooking, make the lime-garlic chickpeas and prepare all of the other elements. The lime-garlic chickpea recipe can be foud here.
Assembling the meal to gift
I found that a large aluminum pan works well for this meal. Line the bottom of the pan with the greens. Pile the chickpeas into one corner, the cauliflower in another corner, and the beets in another corner. Arrange the raw vegetables in individual piles in the fourth corner and along the edges of the so it looks like a colorful dish. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. Put the cooked quinoa in a jar or other repurposed container. Pour the balsamic vinaigrette into a jar with a tight fitting lid. Package it all in a box or sturdy bag and include a label of the meal components and any instructions. Add a note telling the recipient what is in the meal and how to reheat it. My note will look something like this:
Lime-garlic Chickpea Quinoa Bowls
This meal includes white quinoa topped with mixed greens, sliced red onions, red bell peppers, and cucumbers, shredded carrots, roasted golden beets, roasted chile-lime cauliflower, and lime-garlic chickpeas with a balsamic vinaigrette on the side. The meal is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan. To serve, spoon about ¾ cup of quinoa into a shallow bowl and flatten with the back of the spoon. Top with the mixed greens. Place a handful of onions, peppers, carrots, and cucumbers near the outside edges of the greens. Place a scoop of each of the beets, cauliflower, and chickpeas in the center of the dish. Top with a drizzle of the vinaigrette. The cooked elements can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes and suggestions:
- If you cannot find white quinoa, any other version will work.
- If you want to save a little time, use a pre-made chile-lime spice mix in the cauliflower. I love Trader Joe’s version.
- Avoid substituting store-bought salad dressing for the balsamic vinaigrette. Most commercial dressings are made with canola oil or other seed oils and generally should be avoided. If necessary, a store-bought dressing made with organic canola is a lesser evil.
- If you don’t have all of the vegetables listed, improvise with some other veggies like grape tomatoes, yellow peppers, green onions, and celery, just try to make the meal colorful.
- If making the cauliflower and the chickpeas is too much, leave out one of them. I would suggest leaving out the cauliflower because the protein and fiber in the chickpeas will make the meal more satiating.
- As always, don’t stress too much about all the guidelines. Do what you can.
Now for Gifting the meal:
When I am ready to post the meal, my message on Buy Nothing looks something like this accompanied by a photo of the meal:
Hey Buy Nothing Community, once again for Lent this year I would like to offer one healthy nutritious meal each week to someone who could use it. I was hoping you could help me find some hungry takers. If you or someone you know could use a meal, pm me. I would be happy to deliver it. I’ll try to have it made by the middle of each week.
This week I am offering Vegan Quinoa Bowls. The meal includes all the fixings to assemble your own quinoa bowls: white quinoa, mixed greens, carrots, red onions, peppers, cucumbers, roasted golden beets, roasted chile-lime cauliflower, and lime-garlic chickpeas, with a balsamic vinaigrette. This nutrient-packed meal is vegan and gluten free. It is made with all natural ingredients, most of which are organic. I do not have a strictly gluten free kitchen but I am really careful about cross contamination.
Feel free to use the photos from my recipe if needed.
Thank you for joining me in this endeavor to spread a little kindness in our world.
I hope you enjoy making and gifting this meal. Please share any positive feedback you get when you gift your meal. I would love to hear it! Also, reach out with any questions or comments.
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