Do you have tons of zucchini at home right now? You’re not the only one! I love zucchini because it’s so versatile. It’s the ultimate summer garden vegetable. I mostly use it for zucchini noodles and I also love grilled zucchini. Zucchini bread and muffins are another great way to use up your summer zucchini. Roasting zucchini is a great option in summer on those days (like now!) when it’s too hot to even grill. We’re having a heat wave in Los Angeles which is not very conducive to standing in front of a hot grill. Roasting is quick and easy and there’s very little clean up. The nice part is that you can roast your vegetables while cooking the quinoa. It all comes together pretty easily. I love adding tahini to my salad dressings, Buddha bowls, and quinoa bowls. It adds a tangy, salty, delicious flavor to everything. It’s really a magic ingredient. I like to get all of my vegetables from the Sunday farmer’s market a block away from my apartment. Everything is organically grown and local. It feels good to support local growers! Buddha bowls and quinoa bowls are the healthy, plant based version of comfort food.
You can serve this Buddha bowl style in individual bowls or mix all of the veggies and chickpeas together with the quinoa before serving. Quinoa is a great grain substitute that adds protein and fiber to your bowl. Some people find cooking quinoa to be tough. The truth is, the cooking instructions on the package are always wrong. Make sure you cook it slowly and on low heat. The last few minutes on the heat are most important when cooking quinoa. Make sure you pay attention to it closely toward the end of cooking. If you let too much water absorb too fast or leave the heat on too high, your quinoa may stick to the pan and end up soggy. Also remember to keep it covered after you remove it from the heat so that it can almost steam and fluff up (much like couscous). The chickpeas and quinoa make this a really hearty dish. These quinoa bowls left me feeling full and happy! Plus they were easy to make with little clean up. Next time, I’ll try it with roasted eggplant. If you make this recipe, remember to take a picture and tag @thefriendlyepicurean on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter or Pin this recipe on Pinterest.
Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini, chopped
- 1 red pepper, halved with seeds removed
- 1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2/3 cup white quinoa (rinsed, uncooked)
- 1 1/3 cup vegetable broth
- 2 tbs tahini sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided (plus more to taste)
- 2 tbs olive oil, divided
- olive oil spray
- 1 tbs Sriracha sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray 2 baking sheets with olive oil spray and set aside. In a large bowl, toss zucchini and red peoper halves with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tbs olive oil. Spread on one baking sheet. In the same large bowl, toss chickpeas with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tbs olive oil. Spread evenly on second baking sheet. Roast pepper halves, zucchini, and chickpeas for 25-30 minutes – turn with a spatula half way through cooking time. While vegetables and chickpeas are roasting, cook quinoa. Add quinoa and vegetable broth to a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until water is almost absorbed, stirring often. Then remove from heat and close lid. Allow quinoa to continue to cook in covered pan for about 15 minutes. Then uncover and stir in tahini sauce. Remove zucchini, red pepper, and chickpeas from oven and allow to cool. Dice red pepper once cooled. Add diced red pepper, zucchini, and chickpeas to quinoa and mix together or serve on top of quinoa in individual bowls. Add more salt to taste. Top with Sriracha sauce before serving.
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