New Year’s Veggie Bowl

Let’s start the New Year full of flavorful plant power. Please carnivores keep reading… I promise you are going to feel so satisfied and full of energy that you won’t miss the meat. Besides, each component of this dish has a different texture and flavor, so it is actually quite amusing to the mouth.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 4 bowls

• 1 sweet potato
• 1 bag raw zucchini spirals
• ¼ fresh mint leaves
• ½ lime
• 1 Hass avocado (or two, depending if you like ¼ or ½ avocado in your bowl)
• 1 cup Feta cheese (good quality) or a plant-based cheese if keeping the dish vegan
• ½ cup Farro, raw
• 1 1/3 cup Water
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 can chickpeas (or toasted chickpeas in a bag)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• evoo
• salt
• black pepper

This recipe doesn’t really have specific quantities per plate. You will build it with more or less of what you like. Therefore the quantities stated are guidelines more than true values.

Wash the sweet potato and cut into small cubes, about 1” with the skin on.
Place them in a pot with water and salt. Bring to a boil and leave just for 1-2 minutes.
Drain and place on a sheet tray.
Drizzle them with evoo, salt and pepper. Toss very well so they are all coated.
Roast in a preheated 400F oven for about 20 minutes. Turn the sheet tray around after the first 10 and give them a shake to ensure even cooking.
Taste one to make sure they are well cooked and seasoned properly.
Remove from the oven and let them cool completely.

These days there are some fantastic crunchy chickpeas that you can buy at the store from organic brands, seasoned with all sorts of delicious herbs. However making your own is also very simple.
Drain the can of chickpeas and gently tap them with a paper towel to get rid of any excess liquid and any lose skins.
Place them on a sheet tray and season them with some evoo, salt, pepper and the teaspoon of cumin. Toss them well to make sure they are all well coated in the seasonings.
Roast in a 375ºF oven for about 45-50 minutes.
Cool them completely on the same sheet tray. Do NOT transfer until they are completely cooled.
You will have extra which you can keep in an air-tight container.

Make sure the zucchini spirals you get are fresh and NOT frozen.
Place them in a bowl to season and toss them with evoo, a splash of lime juice, salt, pepper and chopped fresh mint.
Make sure you season them RIGHT BEFORE serving though, otherwise the salt and the lime juice will begin to dehydrate them and they’ll become soggy and watery instead of crunchy.

Simply place the farro and the 1 1/3 cups of water in a pot with 2 tsp of salt.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let it stand for another 5 minutes.
Drain any excess water and fluff with a fork.
Let is cool completely in a bowl.
Season with a drizzle of olive oil and about 2 tsps of lemon zest.
Taste for seasoning, you might need to add some salt and black pepper.
You can make this in bigger quantities and leave it in the refrigerator for subsequent meals.

All your components are now ready and the only thing left to do is to put everything together.
Simply divide the ingredients into four bowls.
Depending on the size of sweet potato you might have extra, which you can save in the fridge for the next day.
I like to put a quarter of avocado in my bowl but some people like half, so it is up to you.
I sprinkle the chickpeas as if they were croutons, basically to give crunchiness and more flavor.
The feta cheese will add some creaminess and saltiness. However if you want to make this dish vegan, you can always substitute it for a plant-based cheese of your choice.

Each component has a different texture and flavor so believe me, this will be a fun dish to eat!

New Year’s Veggie Bowl

INGREDIENTS

SWEET POTATO

CRUNCHY CHICKPEAS

SPIRAL ZUCCHINI

FARRO

BUILD EACH BOWL

Do you really want to learn?

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