Kale Salad Balance Bowl

Kale Salad Balance Bowl with black beans, harissa roasted sweet potatoes and sweet tahini dressing for a balanced dinner in a bowl!

Kale Salad Balance Bowl with black beans, harissa roasted sweet potatoes and sweet tahini dressing for a balanced dinner in a bowl!

Balance bowls, buddha bowls, nourish bowls…call them what you want, but what’s not to love about a heaping bowl of wholesome and nourishing food?  This bliss bowl has me pretty much obsessed, I could eat it every day!  Prep the ingredients once for multiple meals all week long!

Kale Salad Balance Bowl with black beans, harissa roasted sweet potatoes and sweet tahini dressing for a balanced dinner in a bowl!

I sound like a broken record, but stock your refrigerator with healthy food and you will eat healthy food!  This one was easy to adapt for kids as well, I simply roasted a small tray of sweet potatoes without the harissa as it is a bit spicy.  You can mix and match the ingredients as you please.  Throw in tofu instead of beans, sub crunchy romaine for kale, butternut squash in place of sweet potatoes…get creative with it!  I had cooked quinoa lingering in the fridge, so I threw that in too.  You pretty much can’t go wrong!  To optimize the nutrition of your bowl make sure it contains leafy green veggies, clean protein and lots of color!

Kale Salad Balance Bowl with black beans, harissa roasted sweet potatoes and sweet tahini dressing for a balanced dinner in a bowl!

My go-to black bean recipe is this one here, made in the crockpot!  Super simple and way better than canned beans!  I seasoned the roasted sweet potatoes with powdered harissa, which is blend of cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic and sea salt.  If you don’t have powdered harissa, season sweet potatoes with a dash of each or just add cumin and sea salt which would taste great as well!

Recipe adapted from Food52

Kale Salad Balance Bowl
 
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Kale Salad Balance Bowl with black beans, harissa roasted sweet potatoes and sweet tahini dressing for a balanced dinner in a bowl!
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the roasted sweet potatoes:
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (~1½ cups)
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon powdered harissa
  • sea salt to taste
For the sweet tahini dressing:
  • ½ cup tahini
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons Bragg's Amino Acids (or tamari/soy sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons agave (or maple syrup)
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon miso paste
For the salad:
  • 3 cups kale, destemmed and chopped
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • sea salt to taste
  • 1 cup cooked black beans (or canned beans, rinsed and drained)
  • ½ cup cooked quinoa (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons dried fruit such as cranberries or raisins
Instructions
Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss cubed sweet potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with powdered harissa and sea salt. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
Sweet Tahini Dressing:
  1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until well combined and emulsified.
Salad:
  1. In a bowl, drizzle kale with olive oil and add a dash of sea salt. Use hands to massage kale until well coated with oil.
  2. Add beans, massaged kale and roasted sweet potatoes to a bowl. Toss in cooked quinoa and a few dried cranberries if desired. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!

The recipe for the sweet tahini dressing makes roughly 1 1/2 cups, store in an air-tight container for later use!

Kale Salad Balance Bowl with black beans, harissa roasted sweet potatoes and sweet tahini dressing for a balanced dinner in a bowl!

Lemon Coconut Lentil Soup

Lemon Coconut Lentil Soup, a warm bowl of lentils seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, hot pepper flakes, then mellowed out with coconut milk for a warm and comforting meal!

Lemon Coconut Lentil Soup, warm bowl of lentils seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, hot pepper flakes and mellowed out with coconut milk for a warm and comforting meal!

I’m hell-bent on sticking to my grocery budget this month, which means by the end of the week its slim pickings in our kitchen!  I looked through the pantry, emptied out the refrigerator and this is what I came up with!  A meal that is super nutritious, high-protein, vegan, gluten-free, fiber-filled and…yup, another recipe that is made in under an hour!

Lemon Coconut Lentil Soup, warm bowl of lentils seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, hot pepper flakes and mellowed out with coconut milk for a warm and comforting meal!

Lemon Coconut Lentil Soup
 
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Lemon Coconut Lentil Soup, a warm bowl of lentils seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, hot pepper flakes and mellowed out with coconut milk!
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • ½ yellow onion, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1½ teaspoons cumin
  • ½ teaspoon coriander
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups red lentils
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup full-fat coconut milk
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional, but highly recommended)
Instructions
  1. Melt coconut oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, add onion and sauté until translucent.
  2. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Stir in celery, carrots, smoked paprika, cumin and coriander and sauté an additional 5 minutes.
  3. Add broth, water, lentils and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, around 30-45 minutes.
  4. Stir in lemon juice, coconut milk and season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Top with crushed red pepper flakes, lemon wedge and fresh cilantro prior to serving.
  6. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 161 Fat: 7 Carbohydrates: 19 Fiber: 7 Protein: 7

We had this soup for dinner one night and lunch the next day,  

2 meals made with easy-to-find ingredients and minimal effort!

Here are the nutrition fact per serving:

161 calories

7 grams of fat

19 grams of carbohydrates

7 grams of protein

7 grams of fiber

Lemon Coconut Lentil Soup, warm bowl of lentils seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, hot pepper flakes and mellowed out with coconut milk for a warm and comforting meal!

Arrabbiata Spaghetti Squash Bowls

Arrabbiata Spaghetti Squash Bowls, spicy tomato sauce with kale, capers and pine nuts on a bed of spaghetti squash for a low-carb dinner!

Arrabbiata Spaghetti Squash Bowls, spicy tomato sauce with kale, capers and pine nuts on a bed of spaghetti squash for a low-carb dinner!

Arrabbiata sauce is a spicy tomato sauce made with red chili peppers, olive oil and garlic.  Arrabbita means “angry” in Italian but, I promise you won’t be angry after eating this meal.  Instead you’ll be jumping with joy over the fact that it will feel like you ate a HUGE bowl of spaghetti without all the carbs!  Ok, maybe “jumping with joy” is a bit overzealous, but you get the idea :)

Spaghetti squash is an excellent replacement for pasta.  It’s so easy to make, just roast and fluff with a fork.  My only problem with spaghetti squash is that it’s so hard to find!  I don’t know about where you live but, I never see it in stores…especially organic spaghetti squash.  When I saw this beauty in Whole Foods it was calling my name!  I’ve seen wonderful recipes for enchilada spaghetti squash bowls, but I cook with black beans, avocado and cilantro all the time and was in the mood for something different.  That’s when this idea popped into my mind…

Arrabbiata Spaghetti Squash Bowls, spicy tomato sauce with kale, capers and pine nuts on a bed of spaghetti squash for a low-carb dinner!

Arrabbiata Spaghetti Squash Bowls
 
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Arrabbiata Spaghetti Squash Bowls, spicy tomato sauce with kale, capers and pine nuts on a bed of spaghetti squash for a low-carb dinner!
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 spaghetti squash
  • 1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 2 cups kale, destemmed and chopped or shredded
  • crushed red pepper flakes to taste (I used ¼ teaspoon)
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
  • 2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Slice spaghetti squash lengthwise, scoop and discard seeds. Brush with a small amount of olive oil and place cut-side down on parchment paper. Bake for 30-60 minutes (depending on size) or until tender when pierced with a fork. When done, use a fork to scrape down the middle and fluff "spaghetti" from inside of squash.
  3. Meanwhile, add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic until fragrant and add cherry tomatoes, capers, kale and crushed red pepper flakes. Turn heat down to low and simmer until kale is tender and all flavors have come together. Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil leaves, pine nuts and season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Evenly divide sauce and pour onto spaghetti squash bowl.
  5. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 half Calories: 203 Fat: 14 Carbohydrates: 20 Fiber: 5 Protein: 4

Arrabbiata Spaghetti Squash Bowls, spicy tomato sauce with kale, capers and pine nuts on a bed of spaghetti squash for a low-carb dinner!

I added kale for fiber and greens power, pine nuts for the healthy fats and capers just because I love them!  

I encourage you to try spaghetti squash, I know I will definitely be making it again!