Harvest Quinoa Bowl
It’s fall! Well…almost. It’s not quite jean and sweater weather yet, but here in my kitchen, it’s fall. When I think of fall cooking, I think of pumpkin, roasted veggies, butternut squash soup, and anything that’s savory and a little bit sweet. That’s what this recipe is to me….savory roasted veggies and quinoa with a hint of sweetness from the honey in the dressing. I realized this week that this recipe is like comfort food to me. I’ve been making some version of this for years! I love to make it at the beginning of the week and eat it for lunches all week long. It’s healthy, gluten free, packed with protein from the quinoa, bone broth and shredded chicken, and loaded with veggies!
I love this recipe because it’s not necessarily one you need to follow exactly every time. You can mix up the vegetables based on what you have in your kitchen or what is in season. Swap kale for the spinach, or sweet potatoes for the pumpkin. Add in brussel sprouts or carrots, or leave out the bell pepper. You can even keep this recipe vegetarian if you’d like. But don’t skip the garlic or the feta cheese. These are a must.
However you end up making this harvest quinoa bowl, I hope it brings a taste of fall and adds a little coziness to you day. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1.5 cups quinoa
3 cups chicken bone broth
10 oz spinach, loosely chopped
2 cups (leftover) rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 zucchini, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 small head of brocolli, cut into small florets
1 small butternut squash (or pumpkin/sweet potatoes), diced small
Olive oil/pink salt/pepper
Feta cheese, for garnish
Cilantro, for garnish
For the dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 lemon, juice of
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp pink salt + a few pinches to taste
1/2 tsp pepper + more to taste
Instructions:
Cook the quinoa (with the bone broth instead of water) per the instructions on the package.
Pre-heat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
Dice/chop/slice/mince all the veggies. Spread them (except the leafy greens) on a baking sheet (use parchment paper for an easier clean up) and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
While the veggies are roasting, make the dressing by combining dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisking together. Taste your dressing and whisk in more pinches of salt until the flavor pops!
When the quinoa is finished cooking, fluff with a fork and stir in the leafy greens and let the steam of the quinoa wilt them. Stir in the shredded chicken.
Crumble the feta and chop cilantro for the garnish.
Assemble the bowls once the veggies are finished in the oven. Place as many veggies as you’d like on top of the quinoa/spinach/chicken. Drizzle dressing on top (I use about 3 Tbsp of dressing per bowl) and garnish with cilantro and feta. Mix everything together and enjoy!
