Middle Eastern Veggie Bowls

Vegans, rejoice! This incredibly delicious dish is totally plant-based! It is a tad time consuming — that I won’t sugarcoat. But the time + effort spent are sooo worth it. My husband (still so freakin weird to write HUSBAND!!) loves meat so when I made this the first time I knew I was taking a risk. Normally, if I ever make a veggie dinner he asks when “the real” meal is coming. Ugh, men! But with this he went back for seconds & thirds! He said it tastes like shawarma without the lamb & I completely agree. You’ll need a lot of spices so make sure you have them all on hand BEFORE you start. And if there are one or two you’re missing, I’m sure you can improvise & it’ll still come out delicious!

Okay let’s get to it. Below is the recipe to make about 4 bowls. (If you have very hungry eaters, double the recipe.) And something you should know from the get-go — make the marinade 24 hours in advance.

WHAT YOU NEED:

For the Veggie Bowls:

• 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas (drained + rinsed)

• 1 medium size cauliflower (chopped into 2 inch pieces)

• 1 sweet potato (chopped into 1 inch cubes)

• 2 teaspoons of salt (I use Pink Himalayan but any will do!)

• 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper

• 2 cups of cooked basmati rice (it’s PLENTY, but great to have for leftovers)

For the Marinade:

• 1/4 cup avocado oil

• 5 cloves of garlic (minced)

• 2 tablespoons of honey

• 1 lemon (juiced)

• 2 tablespoons cumin

• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika

• 2 tablespoons turmeric

• 2 tablespoons sumac

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy)

• 1 tablespoon of ground ginger

• 1 tablespoon of pepper

• 1/2 tablespoon of Pink Himalayan salt

For the Tahini Dressing:

• 1/2 cup tahini

• 1 lemon (juiced)

• 1/2 teaspoon of Pink Himalayan salt

WHAT TO DO:

1. You should already have the marinade made.

   • Essentially combine all ingredients under marinade section, stir so it’s an even consistency & pour all over the washed & dried chickpeas + cauliflower + sweet potato cubes. Put bowl of the marinated veggies in the fridge for 24 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 400.

3. Start making the basmati Persian rice (if you pre-made it just heat it up for 20 minutes on a low heat.)

4. Take marinated veggie bowl out of fridge to bring to room temperature.

5. Add additional S+P from the veggie bowl section.

6. Line a big baking sheet (or two depending how much you made) with parchment paper.

7. Neatly arrange all the veggies so they lay flat on the baking sheet.

8. Once oven reaches 400 degrees, place the baking sheet in oven & set your timer for 10 minutes.

9. At 10 minutes, take the pan out & flip as many pieces as you can so it can roast evenly.

10. Place tray back in & cook for 15 more minutes.

11. During those 15 minutes - make the tahini sauce. Combine all ingredients under tahini dressing section. Use a tinnnnny bit of water to loosen the mixture. (We prefer our tahini dressing on the thicker side, but if you want it to be runny add water until it reaches the consistency of your liking.)

12. Once made, place dressing in the fridge so it thickens a bit & can be served chilled.

13. Fill bowl with the basmati rice & spoon the delicious middle-eastern veggies on top.

14. Drizzle with tahini dressing.

15. If you want to be extra like me serve with Israeli salad and/or — add “toppings!”

    • Shredded cabbage

    • Cucumber

    • Onion

    • Fennel

    • Scallion

    • Parsley

16. Enjoy!!!