Moroccan Roasted Veggie Power Bowls is full of nourishing vegetables seasoned with powerful spices to boost the nutrition.
You GUYS. I haven’t been this excited to inhale a big ol’ mess of veggies since my favorite summer ratatouille. Just LOOK at all of those pretty vegetables! Of course, the cute enamelware bowls don’t hurt either. I’m a sucker for cute, functional kitchen props. It’s the curse of the food blogger.
Y’all know that I’ll take care of you with a great recipe, but can we get real for a minute? Like REAL real? I get emails and comments all of the time wondering how I “do it all,” day in and day out. Sweet readers that I consider friends routinely compare me to Wonder Woman. Between homeschooling our 4 boys, keeping six schedules running (hopefully) smoothly, kiddos’ extra curricular activities, coaching soccer, developing recipes for clients, baking wedding cakes, and running this here website–I had a lot on my plate. But believe me when I tell you that I’m no super hero.
In fact, I was exhausted 9/10 of the time.
The fact of the matter is, I was trying my best to do it all, and I don’t feel that I was doing much of it all that well. Or at least not as well as I’d like to. Perhaps most notably, I was taking care of everything and everyone–with the exception of myself. I was drained, and tired, and spread so thin that I swear I was about to become translucent.
I was tired all of the time. Headaches were a near daily occurrence. I felt like I perpetually had the flu because my muscles always ached. I wasn’t sleeping near enough. My diet fell by the wayside. I’d routinely eat half a dozen soft chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk as a meal. (That’s assuming that I ate anything at all.) I went through cycles of going a million miles/hour trying to “do it all” until one day my body would want to shut down and sleep for a week. I was a wreck. And I was doing it to myself.
Does any of this resonate with you? Although responsibilities may differ, I have a feeling that many of you feel the same way from time to time.
Something had to give before it snapped or it was going to be me. So I started doing something that is very difficult for me to do–I started shedding responsibilities. I stepped back from my regular posting schedule here on the blog. I said no to extra projects–even those that paid really well.
Most notably, I started thinking of myself first.
That’s the hardest part, isn’t it? Putting yourself first? It’s taken several months, but I’ve much reversed my (old) decision making process. Now when I’m faced with a decision, I first consider whether it’s good for me, then if it’s good for the family, and finally how it may benefit others.
I didn’t realize how much that I was carrying on my shoulders until I no longer bore the weight. Now I feel lighter. It’s a journey that I have to choose every single day. (Follow along on Instagram Stories.)
I’m choosing to regularly take care of me. I’m investing in myself and justifying the expense and the time that it requires. I’ve realized that it’s impossible to continue to fill the cups of others when my own pitcher is empty. I need to fill my own tank first. The most notable change that I’ve made it to fuel my body with what it needs, at regular intervals. Don’t get me wrong, there will always be plenty of pies and fresh bread baking around here. I’m just making a conscious choice to fuel the machine with healthy food and plenty of water to keep running smoothly.
With my new-found Me Focus, you’ll understand my excitement when my friend Lindsay’s (Cotter Crunch) cookbook came out. Nourishing Superfood Bowls is full of 75 gluten free, allergy friendly recipes that pack a punch of nutrition in every bite. As a Nutrition Specialist, Lindsay shares combinations of balanced “super food” recipes with fun and innovative flavors.
As a bonus, every recipe in the book is so pretty! She covers Energizing Breakfast Bowls, Zippy Lunch Bowls, Family Style Large Bowls, and even Sweet Tooth Bowls for dessert. I know that I’ll continue to reach for this cookbook again and again for weekly meal prep on the weekends. I’ve made a few of them already, and they’re all easy to prepare, easy to clean up, and very portable. I really like that the recipes are versatile enough to serve in a slightly different way for days, making them ideal for weekly meal prep.
I made her Moroccan Roasted Veggie Power Bowls this week and ate all week long! Spiced with a blend of chile peppers, garlic, cumin, coriander, and ginger, Moroccan Roasted Veggie Power Bowls are seasoned with powerful spices that boost nutrition. The first day, I ate it as is, warm from the oven. Let me tell you that my house smelled awesome! One night, I topped the Moroccan Roasted Veggie Power Bowls with a perfect hard boiled egg for dinner. The next day, I tossed a little leftover Mediterranean grilled chicken into the mix. The day after that, I served it over chewy brown rice. You get the idea.
Give the Moroccan Roasted Veggie Power Bowls a try. If you love them as much as I do, then be sure to look for Nourishing Superfood Bowls by my girl Lindsay Cotter.
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Lindsay Cotter, from the book Nourishing Superfood Bowls
Yields 3 to 4 Servings (Main Dish) or 4 to 6 Servings (Side Dish)
10 minPrep Time
25 minCook Time
35 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- ROASTED VEGGIES:
- 8 oz. (230 g) broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
- 8 oz. (230 g) cauliflower florets (fresh or frozen)
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) cooked or canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) olive oil see notes
- 1 to 1 1/2 Tbs. harissa dry spice see notes
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 to 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 to 1 tsp. black pepper
- BOWLS:
- 2 cups chopped leafy greens
- 2 cups cooked black or green lentils, for plating
- 1 chopped green onion, or 1/4 C. chopped red onion
- 2/3 cup (80 g) sliced radish
- TOPPINGS:
- sliced lemon
- 2/3 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese
- fresh cilantro
- crushed red pepper flakes
- Garlic salt or garlic powder, to taste
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbs. (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Line or oil a baking sheet.
- To make the roasted veggies, toss the broccoli, cauliflower, and chickpeas with the olive oil, harissa, garlic, salt and pepper. Layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes.
- For the bowls, layer equal amounts of leafy greens, followed by the lentils, green onion, radishes, and roasted veggies in each. Top each bowl with the sliced lemon, goat cheese, cilantro, red pepper flakes and garlic salt. Drizzle each bowl with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a squeeze of lemon.
Notes
To make your own Harissa Spice mix: mix together 1 Tbs. of hot paprika, along with 1/4 tsp. EACH of caraway seeds, cumin, garlic powder, pepper, sea salt, cinnamon, and ginger. (I skipped the caraway seeds and it was fine.)
I also lined a half sheet pan with non-stick foil, and then cut down the amount of olive oil called for in roasting the veggies from 1/3 cup to 1 1/2 Tbs. I also forgot the garlic salt, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar when topping the veggies, and they were plenty flavorful without it.
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