Vegan Power Bowl

. April, 2015
Photography by Kelly Gibney .
Vegan Power Bowl

This balanced and nourishing meal satisfies on every level. Nutritious quinoa is cooked in vegetable stock so it has loads of great flavour. I’ve paired it with roasted sweet potato, raw beetroot and tahini salad and a robust lemon and olive oil dressed kale salad.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

Quinoa
1 cup quinoa (I used white, see my tips for cooking quinoa here)
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
Roasted Kumara
1 large orange kumara, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
ghee or oil for roasting
Raw beetroot and carrot salad
1 medium beetroot
1 medium carrot
1 heaped tablespoon tahini
juice of one lemon
pinch sea salt
Kale salad
150-180 grams kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon coconut sugar (could also use raw or brown sugar)
sea salt and cracked black pepper 
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
Toasted turmeric and tamari seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 teaspoon tamari (or say sauce)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
Creamy hummus
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 heaped tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
juice of one lemon
¼ cup water
sea salt and cracked pepper

METHOD

Preheat oven to 190˚c.

Toss the kumara cubes in oil/melted ghee and season generously with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
Roast for approximately 35 minutes until tender and golden.

Rinse quinoa well using a fine strainer. Place in a saucepan with the vegetable stock bay leaf. Place on a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce to a low simmer with a lid partially covering for 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Take off the heat, remove bay leaf and let sit for five minutes with the lid on. Fluff with a fork just prior to serving.

Wash kale and separate leaves from the steams. Cut into thick ribbons. 

Place all dressing ingredients into a small jar and shake vigorously until well combined. Pour half the dressing over the kale and use clean hands to 'massage' the leaves for a minute. This will break down the tough fibres and make the leaves tender. Taste and add additional dressing if desired.

Peel and grate carrot and beetroot. Combine with tahini, lemon juice and sea salt. Toss well to evenly coat. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

Place all seeds in a dry sauté pan on a medium heat for five minutes until lightly golden. Add the ground turmeric after 2 minutes. Move the seeds around the pan regularly to prevent burning. Take off the heat and drizzle with tamari. Toss to evenly coat and set aside to cool.

Place all hummus ingredients in a food processor. Blitz until smooth and creamy. Add more water to achieve a runnier consistency.

To serve: Divide cooked quinoa between four bowls, top with kumara, kale and beetroot salad. Dollop hummus on top and sprinkle with a large handful of toasted seeds. Leftover salad components and quinoa will last three days in an airtight container in the fridge. Gently reheat quinoa and kumara just prior to serving. Leftover salad dressing will last two weeks in the fridge. Toasted seeds can be stored in a jar in the pantry for up to a month.

Each component will last up to three days in the fridge. You can play around with subbing in other salad items or grains.