Thursday, August 1, 2013

Bowls Are Better Than Plates

Who doesn't love protein, grains, veggies, and sauce layered in a bowl? The same meal on a plate just isn't the same. Maybe that's a vegan thing. I don't know. But vegans love bowls.

There are endless combination possibilities — black beans and rice, tofu and quinoa, tempeh and farro. You can totally go crazy! Since I tend to hoard dry beans and grains, bowls are perfect for those nights when I really need to save some money and use up the food in my overflowing pantry. That's how I dreamed up this Chickpea-Amaranth-Squash Bowl with Tahini Sauce and Avocado:


I had some dried chickpeas in the pantry, so I soaked and cooked those. I had a brand new bag of Bob's Red Mill Amaranth that came in my swag bag at Vida Vegan Con. I found the summer squash and 8-ball zucchini at the Memphis Farmers Market. And my pantry is never without tahini, so I made the Creamy Tahini Sauce from Cookin' Crunk (the recipe for that is at the end of this post in case you don't have my book).

Here's the recipe!

Chickpea-Amaranth-Squash Bowl with Tahini Sauce and Avocado
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/2 cup cooked amaranth (cooked according to package instructions)
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup steamed summer squash or zucchini
2 Tbsp. Creamy Tahini Sauce from Cookin' Crunk (recipe below)
Soy sauce, to taste
1/2 avocado, sliced
Sriracha, to taste

In a deep bowl, layer the amaranth, chickpeas, and squash. Top with tahini sauce and as much soy sauce as desired. Top with avocado slices. Season liberally with sriracha.



Creamy Tahini Sauce (from Cookin' Crunk)

---------------------------------------------------------
1/3 cup roasted sesame tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Water, to thin

Place the tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, sesame oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, and garlic powder into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir well to incorporate. If the tahini seems too thick, you might want to mix the ingredients in a food processor or blender. If using this as a creamy topping, you may want to thin it out with a little water. Add a few tablespoons at a time to the blender or bowl and incorporate until desired consistency is reached.

15 comments:

Vegster said...

Hi Bianca. I just started a gluten free/ vegan blog. I am wondering what you think is the best way to conect with other bloggers that have similar interest/content. My blog is http://thevegster.blogspot.com/. Thanks!

JL said...

I LOVE bowl meals! This looks amazing, Bianca!

Barb@ThatWasVegan? said...

Bowls are the best... and I love those nights (I call them "scrounge nights") when I just pick through my pantry and fridge and try to use stuff up.

Dana Vickerson said...

Maybe it is a thing, but I eat most of my meals in bowls. Love it! That tahini sauce looks great! :)

Anonymous said...

"Clean Out The Fridge" Bowls are my fave :)

Anonymous said...

Who needs plates? Bowls allow you to pre-mix your meal for optimium deliciousness. For those last morsels, they have handy sides to help you get that last grain of rice. Added bonus: one dish to clean. Big ups to dishwasherless! Plus, with the cupboard space you save by not having plates, you can get that sweet-as Cuisinart Food Processor!

jared said...

Bowls are the new plate. Definitely.
I can't get enough meals like this, and I never ate them pregan. It must be a vegan thing.

Fran said...

I thought it was just me! Now I can come out of the closet and announce to the world 'I like eating out of bowls!' Xxx

Cadry's Kitchen said...

Bowls are so much better than plates! The same meal on a plate looks very healthy and good for you, but in a bowl it's cozy and fun. Bowls obviously win.

I haven't used any of the amaranth yet from VVC. This is a good excuse! I'm going to pin this recipe for lunch this week. I already have everything in the refrigerator and pantry!

Nikki said...

I do declare, bowls make just about everything taste better. Especially when tahini's involved.

foodfeud said...

Agreed. Bowls are always messier and in my opinion, that's a tasty thing. Sauce is the thing.

Tender B. said...

I read this as I am eating a bowl myself...must say though, yours looks so much better.

MonsterAteMy said...

I made the tahini sauce last night as a way to shake up our standard roasted veggies and quinoa bowls. It was awesome! Thanks!

Neko Marie said...

What an EPIC recipe. I struggle to find tahini based sauces that actually taste as good as the blogger says they will, but this one ruled. I just made it and keep tasting it haha. I am going to surprise my family with a mixed bowl with this sauce tonight. Kudos to you <3
ps: my v/gf food blog is nekomarie.wordpress.com, hope you guys enjoy the recipes :)

Leigh said...

It was delicious - love your sauce and thanks for helping me figure out what to do with my amaranth!

http://www.aluminarium.com/blog/faux-falls/