As I recover from my lack of cooking, I am easing back in with my favorites, my go-to’s, and things I realize I should have shared with you.
I think it was around Thanksgiving that I first had some variation of this bowl. It’s a simple equation, really, and one you’ll find all over the internet. Cook a grain (or combination of grains), top with vegetables and/or proteins, and season with sauces. What I like best about them is that with minimal effort, you can feed yourself anywhere from four to six meals with only about two hours of effort. They have become a go-to in our house: I add a soft boiled egg at breakfast or crispy baked tofu at dinner. I add greens to make it more of a salad, or whatever roasted vegetables I might have lurking in the depths of my fridge that need to be finished up, or some smoked salmon from the farmers market. The point is, this is endlessly riff-able and endlessly people-pleasing.
Here are a few other recipes I use for topping my grains and sauces:
- Ginger Scallion Sauce
- Carrot Ginger Dressing
- Baked tofu and/or mushrooms
- Bo Ssam leftovers
- The perfect egg (I like a six-and-a-half minute egg)
- Smitten Kitchen’s scallion meatballs and the accompanying soy-ginger glaze
3 lbs fall or winter vegetables such as squash, potato, sweet potato, carrots, brussels sprouts, etc.) 1 cup quinoa Roasted vegetables Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Peel and cut your vegetables into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients (miso, maple syrup, rice vinegar, oil, and soy sauce). Add the vegetables and toss them to coat thoroughly in the sauce. With your hands or a large slotted spoon, scoop the vegetables onto the prepared baking sheets – you want to leave any extra liquid behind in the mixing bowl. Roast the vegetables for 30-40 minutes, tossing and rotating pans back-to-front and top-to-bottom halfway through. You want them to be soft but not mushy and for the edges to be darkly caramelized. Rinse the quinoa under cool water in a strainer. In a small saucepan, stir together the quinoa, whatever liquid you’re using, and a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for another 5 minutes or so before removing the lid and fluffing the quinoa with a fork. In a bowl, give yourself a big scoop of quinoa. Top with some roasted vegetables, ginger scallion sauce, carrot ginger dressing, shredded nori, sesame seeds, and an egg. Enjoy!Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
2 Tbsp miso paste
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce
2 cups liquid (I like to do half water half vegetable broth, but all water is fine!)
Salt
Quinoa
Ginger scallion sauce
Carrot ginger dressing
Optional but highly encouraged: sesame seeds, nori, and a 6-minute eggInstructions