Life without meat is going well, and I must say that it makes me very happy! Somehow I feel that I am missing something, but I am on a cool journey of food discovery and I like it very much! I enjoy it so much that I get more and more enthusiastic while writing my blog posts.
Today we’re going to talk a little bit about proteins. What is the best thing to eat when you don’t eat meat at all? Last week I thought: where can I get all the protein from if I don’t eat meat? And then a light went on inside my head. How could I have forgotten about quinoa?
Quinoa is really tasty, it goes with everything and it is also quite easy to prepare if you do it right. A big advantage is that it can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days. I was really introduced to it last year and have been eating it regularly ever since, but it never occurred to me that it could now provide the protein I was looking for!
I notice that since the start of this Healthy January challenge I have started to eat a lot more eggs, even though I’m not really that fond of eggs. I have periods when I really like them and also times when I eat maybe only one a week or even one every two weeks. If you eat too many eggs, it can raise your cholesterol, and I have to watch out for that because of other physical ailments.
Of course, the fact that we don’t eat meat does not mean that we have to buy and eat more other animal products. There are many plant-based products that can help us with our daily needs and nutrients! I certainly eat enough vegetables, more than most people I think, and I am really very happy that I also like almost everything that Mother Earth gives us.
If I have learned one thing in recent weeks it’s that many recipes, instagrammers, blogs and my father-in-law have opened my eyes. There is a whole food world that contains no meat at all, and I certainly like that! But back to our friend, that protein powerhouse, quinoa!
Quinoa is gluten-free, high in protein, low in calories and high in fiber. It contains many vitamins, including vitamins B and E, and iron, potassium and strangely enough, all 9 essential amino acids. So it is a gem, and that for such a small piece! Quinoa is really perfect for vegetarians and vegans as it contains 8 grams of protein per 185 grams of cooked equinoa! The best part is that it is really filling. After a meal with quinoa you really don’t feel like it for hours.
And that, my friends, is really unbelievable. That’s why I wanted to share a delicious and easy recipe with you today, a quinoa bowl with traybake vegetables! Simple, fast and deliciously healthy! And because I love you so much, I’ve decided to share my secret honey tahini sauce recipe with you. It really goes perfectly with this!
Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients
for about 4 to 6 bowls
For this recipe you will need one wide baking tray or two smaller ones. The vegetables taste really good when you can grill them all without actually having to stir them. So don’t put too many vegetables in the bowl.
Traybake
- 10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- a quarter of a pumpkin, cut into pieces
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 5 cloves of garlic, crushed in the skin
- 1 yellow pepper, in strips
- 5 padron peppers
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into pieces
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into long thin pieces
- string beans, cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon of rosemary
- 1 tablespoon of thyme
- salt and pepper
- a handful of roasted chickpeas
- olive oil
Quinoa
- 500 gr quinoa
Honey tahini sauce
- 3 tablespoons of tahini
- 50 ml of lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons of cold water
- 3 teaspoons of honey
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or chopped
- salt and pepper
- half a teaspoon of ground cumin
Preparation
First prepare your quinoa according to the instructions from my previous quinoa recipe.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. In the meantime, grab a large baking dish and cut all your vegetables so they’re ready. In a large bowl, mix all vegetables except the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Mix everything together well. If it still seems a bit dry you can add extra olive oil, that will only make it more delicious.
Move everything to the baking dish. Do not press the vegetables into it but leave them nice and loose. Divide the halved cherry tomatoes over the top of the dish. Put the dish in the oven for about 20 minutes. A little longer is also possible. It depends a bit on how you like to eat your vegetables. You can choose to stir the bowl while grilling, but if you don’t put your vegetables too much on top of each other, you don’t have to.
Meanwhile you can prepare the sauce. Mix the garlic with the lemon juice, salt, pepper and the tahini paste in a bowl. Use a whisk in the dish, or a blender, food processor, or food processor. Add water and cumin if it turns into a thicker paste. Mix it until it has become an even mixture and then add the honey. Mix everything well and keep tasting in the meantime. You can add some more of the herbs you’ve already used to your taste.
Serve the quinoa with the vegetables. If you want, you can scatter some roasted chickpeas over the top. As a finish touch add a drizzle of this delicious sauce, and voilà a delicious and healthy meal!
The result
With this recipe you can make a delicious meal in 30 to 40 minutes. Healthy, rich in proteins, full of vegetables and with a zingy sauce on the side. What more could you want? The best part is that you can decide for yourself how your vegetables will be in the oven. I like vegetables that are still nice and crunchy, but you might prefer soft ones! In this recipe you are in control and you can of course use whatever vegetables you want.
This sauce is really heavenly for me. I always crave something tasty on my vegetables and while messing around with tahini in the kitchen I came across this recipe! This sauce can be kept in the fridge for about 3 days, so you can make a lot more and then use it for a few days. You are guaranteed to become addicted to it! I make it with a little more lemon juice in it because I like it sour, but for my father and Luis I secretly make it a bit sweeter so that they also like it very much.
I have one other tip: grill a piece of halloumi or fresh cheese and eat it with this dish!
The best thing about this dish is that you can also eat it cold as a tasty salad. No matter how you eat it, it will always be tasty. And now, writing and bragging about this sauce, I get even more ideas! But you will have to wait to hear about those.
Now of course my question is what you like with quinoa! Do you like to eat quinoa hot or cold? Did you make this recipe? Let me know and who knows your photo will be shared on my instagram.
