ORANGE ROASTED VEGGIE GRAIN BOWL

25-30 minutes, 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 3 carrots, diced

• 1 fennel bulb, diced (or any seasonal veggie)

• 2 small zucchinis, diced (or any seasonal veggie)

• 4 celery sticks, chopped (or any seasonal veggie)

• Ghee for baking and cooking

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• Juice of 1/2 lime

• Juice of 1 medium orange (or to taste)

• 2 cups dry quinoa (or any grain - basmati rice, barley, or the super grain mix would all be delicious)

• Cucumber raita 

• Avocado slices 

• Salt and pepper to taste 

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the chopped veggies to a large baking pan. Toss with ghee and salt. Roast at 350 for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through or until tender.

2. Add spices to a spice grinder and grind into a uniform powder. Add powdered spices to a small bowl and mix with the lime juice (kind of like making a paste). Set aside.

3. Next, make the quinoa (or your choice of grain) by adding 2 cups of quinoa with 3 1/2 cups water or broth, salt to taste, and a dash of oil (olive oil or ghee) to a medium pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for about 15 minutes, undisturbed. 

4. Then make the cucumber raita according to the recipe instructions - this takes less than 5 minutes.

5. Next, add the roasted veggies to a large frying pan with 1 tbsp ghee over medium heat. Sauté for 1 minute, then add the spices with lime juice. Then add the orange juice, allowing the orange juice to rehydrate the veggies. Sauté for 1-2 minutes the remove from heat.

6. Assemble the bowl with quinoa/ grain as the base, then veggies, then cucumber raita, then Avocado slices. Option to add a crunch of roasted sunflower seeds, tortilla chips, or cucumber matchsticks  

#summer #fall #winter #spring #vata #pitta #kapha

Notes

• You can use the same seasoning and process of roasting these veggies and making a grain bowl BUT WITH ANY VEGGIE THAT FITS THE SEASON - that might mean fall squashes and broccoli in the fall, cauliflower and beets in the winter, asparagus, celery, radishes in the spring, or zucchini, green beans, and squash in the summer. Make life easy - adapt to the season, your body, and what you have in the house.

• You obviously want a textured veggie with this dish - a leafy green like spinach would not work but would be lovely on the side added to this bowl.

• You can also change the sauce or raita depending on the season since cucumbers are not in season year-round.

• You can also make this exact bowl and sub the grain for a tortilla and BOOM - you have a taco or burrito!

• Good for all doshas just adjust the amount of each ingredient in your bowl depending on your constitution or how you are feeling

  • Kapha or feeling heavy, lethargic, slow digestion - have the most veggies in your bowl, add a leafy green, a dollop of the cucumber raita just for taste, and a small amount of grains

  • Pitta or feeling inflamed, loose stools, irritable, skin issues - choose basmati rice or the super grain mix as your grain and choose cooling veggies such as squash, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, green beans. Choose a medium amount of each ingredient.

  • Vata or feeling spacy, ungrounded, gassy, bloated, constipation - have lots of whole grains, choose more grounding root veggies such as sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, and have as much sauce or condiments as you want.