Quinoa Beet Bowl | Totally helpful

This quinoa beet bowl is colorful, hearty, and full of texture. They contain my favorite marinated beets, crispy chickpeas, cooked quinoa, curly kale and a tangy orange tahini dressing. These bowls are perfect for meal prep, as all ingredients can be prepared and stored ahead of time.

when Vegan week Published this past winter, I spent a lot of time writing and talking about meal prep.

Although I don’t write about it as often now as I did then, meal prep is still a big part of my weekly life.

Meal prep lunches stacked with appointments with my nutrition clients fuel the weekdays. And if I’ve learned anything about myself, it’s that I don’t have the patience or energy for weeknight cooking—especially when my work schedule demands it.

Vegan meal prep dinners come to my rescue, time and time again.

While a variety of recipes lend themselves to meal prep, grain bowls are especially good make-ahead lunches.

You can prepare every ingredient for a bowl—cooked grains, protein, dressing, etc.—according to your schedule.

Store ingredients separately and combine just before eating, or store completely prepared bowls in divided, airtight containers.

These quinoa beet bowls are my latest favorite make-head bowl creation. They feature the marinated beets I shared a few weeks ago, along with cooked quinoa, crispy chickpeas and a tangy orange tahini dressing.

Bowls are full of texture, flavor and solid nutrition to fuel busy days. I’ve enjoyed them a lot over the past few months, and I’m happy to share them.

Quinoa Beet Bowl Ingredients

Any bowl recipe is really a combination of a few great ingredients, brought together in a single pot.

My bowls always start with a nutritional base: a protein, a complex carbohydrate, and a vegan protein source.

This recipe is the size of my cookbook Power plate. To this day, that’s how I think about and execute my own meal plans.

So, what is the source of those nutrients in this quinoa beet bowl?

protein

The source of plant protein here is a batch of crispy, delicious roasted chickpeas.

You can definitely use regular, cooked chickpeas here – straight from the can or from a pot that you’ve cooked from dry.

However, roasting chickpeas gives you a chance to add more flavor to otherwise plain beans. It adds nice texture to the quinoa beet bowl.

I enjoy fried chickpeas so much that I often double the batch when I make them. You’ll be surprised how quickly they disappear!

If you don’t have chickpeas at home, you can substitute another protein in this bowl. Some ideas:

carbohydrates

The complex carb here is cooked quinoa.

Quinoa provides additional protein to the recipe, which reminds me that this protein/carb/fat meal plan principle is short.

Many plant foods are sources of multiple macronutrients. When I plan meals, I identify what will happen primary A source of every macronutrient.

For example, I classify beans primarily as protein, but they also provide some complex carbohydrates.

Nuts are primarily a fat source, but they provide a little protein.

And quinoa, a carb, also contains an excellent 6-7 grams of plant protein per serving.

You can use white or red quinoa in the recipe – either will work well. If you don’t have or don’t care for quinoa, you can try cooking one of these grains instead:

• faro
• brown rice
• barley
• ten
• Pearl couscous
• freekeh
• millet
• spelled berry
• wheat berry

thick

The fat sources in this recipe are the avocado oil, which is used to fry the chickpeas, some olive oil on the beets, and my bright, citrusy orange tahini dressing.

I have lots of extra tahini dressings on my blog, since tahini dressing is my family’s favorite; I probably make a batch of stuff every week.

I really love the way the orange tahini dressing vibes with the sweet and tangy marinated beets. However, you can use the following dressings instead:

Other tasty and nutritious fats you can add to this bowl: sliced ​​or diced avocado, toasted pepitas, dry toast, salted almonds, or any other nut or seed.

How to Make Quinoa Beet Bowl

In essence, preparing a quinoa beet bowl is as simple as preparing the individual ingredients, then combining them into the bowl.

You can make the crispy chickpeas, cooked quinoa, tahini dressing, and marinated beets in any order you like.

The last time I made these bowls, here’s what I did:

Day 1: Prepare the oven-roasted beets and tahini dressing

Day 2: Prepare the marinated beets, cook the quinoa

Day 3: Wash and chop kale, combine in bowl

When I’m overwhelmed, my best coping strategy is to break things down into baby steps.

If I can keep my focus on doing one, small thing at a time, I end up with a lot less stress and anxiety than thinking about all the things I have to do.

This applies to work, social life and family functions. And this especially applies to recipes.

An overwhelmed me would struggle to fully execute even a simple recipe.

Preparing a recipe step by step, on the other hand, seems mentally and practically achievable—especially if I give myself a few days to do everything.

These types of food preparation bowls are perfect for slow preparation. And when it comes time to put it all together there is so much joy.

How long does quinoa beet bowl last?

Tahini orange dressing, marinated beets, cooked quinoa and roasted chickpeas will all keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

The prepared bowl, which includes chopped kale, should keep for a total of 4 days.

Plus, the tahini dressing and cooked quinoa can each be frozen for up to 6 weeks, making it even easier to get a head start on whole bowls.

Can I substitute another green for the kale?

The green I use in the quinoa beet bowl is stemmed, chopped kale. I love raw kale—in fact, I prefer raw kale to cooked—and it resists wilting better than salad greens.

This makes it a great choice for meal prep and make-ahead bowls.

However, the slightly bitter taste of raw kale is not for everyone. If you prefer, you can use chopped romaine, baby greens, chopped baby arugula, mizuna, baby kale, baby spinach or any other greens in the bowl.

Is Quinoa Beet Bowl Gluten-Free?

They sure are. If you have celiac disease, just be sure to buy a certified gluten-free quinoa.

The bowls are also free of a few common allergens: tree nuts and soy.

Make vegan bowls ahead

If this bowl is so meal prep friendly that appeals to you, you might enjoy some of the following:

Without further ado, Quinoa Beet Bowls will be my staple squeeze for picnic lunches and desk lunches this summer!

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but many of my nutrition clients struggle with lunch more than any other meal.

I get it. Some days I’m so focused on clients and notes that I find it hard to find time for a bathroom break, let alone a proper lunch.

Still, I feel more focused and energized, happier and significantly less cranky when I have a great lunch. Not just a lunch that satisfies my hunger, but it’s also a pleasure to eat.

Here’s where lunchtime counts. If this is the intention for you too, I hope the Quinoa Beet Bowls help.

xo