Green Goddess Grain Bowl Recipe

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I am calling this scrumptious bowl the Green Goddess Grain Bowl because it is filled with delicious greens, hearty grains, and it made me feel like a goddess while enjoying it. This meal is all about self-love – loving yourself enough to take the time to fuel your body with delicious and nutritious foods.

As I said in my last post, with a history of family heart and brain conditions, I am taking a new approach to fueling my body. This blog is full of healthy recipes and a sprinkling of special occasion splurges. However, I am trying to add more and more whole-food, plant-based meals to my life. While I am not labeling myself a vegetarian or vegan (just yet), I am having more and more vegan days in my life.

Some weeks I can say that I have had three vegan days, and other weeks I might have hit five days. For me, it is not about the label. It is about making choices each day and with every meal. From meal planning, to grocery shopping, to eating at home, and eating out – I simply am trying to add more plants to my life and steer away from ultra processed foods, meats, dairy, and eggs as much as possible.

Again I don’t fall under the label of vegan or vegetarian. There are times I enjoy a fish taco, an egg on top of my avocado toast, or my Greek yogurt parfait. It just means that I am enjoying these foods less often.

Why? Because the more and more that I study and research, a whole-food, plant-based diet is the healthiest way of eating for long-term health.

To that end, some days I look into my refrigerator and pantry to see what I have that might work together to make a new green, bean, and grain bowl. There is a huge variety of combinations that you can create when you are mixing greens, beans, and grains. You are only limited by your creativity, and I suppose, your personal taste buds. This bowl’s greens include kale and zucchini, the bean is edamame, and the grain is a tri-colored quinoa. It is flavored with vegetable broth, olive oil, onion, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. I topped it with a drizzle of a vegan Green Goddess salad dressing. Hence, another reason I am calling this recipe Green Goddess Grain Bowl. On the other hand, I could just call it delicious!

Green Goddess Grain Bowl Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked tri-colored quinoa (or any leftover quinoa)
• 2 cups vegetable broth (water works also – I like the added flavor of the vegetable broth)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup fresh edamame
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• juice of one lemon
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Cook up the tri-colored quinoa according the the package directions, but substitute the water with vegetable broth. I use my rice cooker to make most of my grains in. It’s a set it and forget it way to cook grains.
2. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add olive oil.
3. Add diced onion and cook until nearly translucent, about five minutes.
4. Add edamame and zucchini and sauté vegetables and onion together for another 5 minutes.
5. Add diced garlic and sauté until aroma is released – about 2 minutes
   (be careful not to burn the garlic)
6. Add kale to the vegetable mixture and sauté until kale is softened. The time depends on the type of kale being used. It will roughly take another three minutes.
7. Turn off heat and fold the cooked quinoa into the sauté pan. Stir until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper and juice on one lemon.
8. Dish up and drizzle with your favorite salad dressing, or vinaigrette.

Some of my other favorite grain bowls are Mediterranean Grain Bowl Recipe, Asian Sesame-Ginger Vegetable and Grain Bowl, and Southwestern Burrito Bowl. Like I said, there are so many ways to mix greens, beans, and grains!