Meatless Monday: Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Chickpeas and Tahini

Planning for a baby can be (read: is) expensive. Along with buying all the baby stuff and setting up the nursery (in my case, a little corner nook of our bedroom) there’s also unexpected costs (like physiotherapy for all the aches and pains) and food (turns out, pregnant ladies get really hungry around week 25).

All the more reason to make thrifty meals. This weekend, my husband and I took a trip to Costco, where we loaded up on basics (they have a surprising amount of organic food). The huge bag of quinoa we got was the inspiration for this protein-rich bowl.

I also had some leftover tahini sauce in the fridge from last week’s Meatless Monday (Roasted Veggie Wraps) so all I had to do was cook the quinoa, add some veggies and enjoy with the sauce.

Simple, cheap and delish!

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (makes about 2 cups when cooked)
Tahini Sauce (see last week’s recipe)
1 can chickpeas (I used a BPA-free brand)
Large head of cauliflower, chopped
Large head of broccoli, chopped
Olive oil

You can use any type of bean or veggie that you want – whatever you have on hand. If you do have chickpeas, you’ll love how they taste when they’re roasted – a little bit crunchy and definitely delicious!

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Spread out the broccoli, cauliflower and chickpeas on a baking tray and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the chickpeas for about 20 minutes. The broccoli and cauliflower will take about 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil a pot of water and add your quinoa. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the little rings on each grain of quinoa start to show. That’s when you know it’s perfectly fluffy.

Assemble and enjoy!

-Katharine Watts, associate web editor