The perfect Summer night bowl
A balanced veggie bowl is my favorite thing to make for dinner. It can be so simple if you think about it in four parts: one or two vegetables, a bean (or other source of protein), a grain, and some greens. This bowl is made up of a Lemony Leek and Lentil Salad, roasted and heavily spiced sweet potato and eggplant, farro, and some arugula and sprouts to top it all off. A perfect bowl for those weekday summer nights when you want something simple but so nourishing.
The perfect summer Night Bowl
(serves 2)
Lemony Leek + Lentil Salad:
3/4 cup brown lentils, rinsed
1 cup parsley, lightly packed
1 leek, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
1 tbsp capers
1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped to bite size pieces
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt to taste
Roasted and Heavily Spiced Sweet Potato + Eggplant
1 large sweet potato, cubed
1/2 large eggplant, cubed (roughly 2 cups eggplant)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp of each: turmeric, cumin, paprika cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, chili powder, dried dill
salt and black pepper to taste
Instruction:
To make your lentil salad: place your rinsed lentils in a pot with about 2 cups of water. Once boiling, lower your heat, cover and allow them to simmer until just tender. Drain the remaining water and rinse your lentils with cold water. Set aside.
In a large bowl toss together your mined garlic, jalapeno, parsley, leek, capers, and raisins. Add in your olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste. Toss once more then stir in your cooked lentils. set aside.
To make your roasted veggies, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add your cubed sweet potato and eggplant to the tray and add toss with your olive oil, spices, salt and pepper. Add more or less of any of the spices depending on your preference. Make sure the vegetables are evenly spread on the baking sheet then add to the middle rack of our oven. Baking for about 25 min, toss halfway to ensure even baking.
To make your farro, boil 1/2 cup farro with 1 and 1/3 cups of water. Lower your heat, cover, and allow it to simmer until the grain is tender. About 10-15 min. Drain any access water.
Assemble your bowl and add your favorite green of choice. I used a bed of arugula as the base of my bowl and topped it all with some sprouts! Feel free to add your favorite sauce on top as well! Tahini sauce or pesto would be fabulous! I ended up adding a few dashes of hot sauce for a little extra tang and heat. ;)