Bowls really have been the greatest invention ever. You can just take one, take your favorite ingredients, throw it all in, mix it and enjoy it. This is pure genius. Endless options and possibilities. And that can also be challenging, because how do you make a good bowl? This bowl definitely is a good one! Tangy and slightly sweet hoisin chickpeas with fluffy quinoa, crunchy veggies and soft avocado. = heaven.
How to make a good bowl?
A bowl always comes together out of several different ingredient groups. We have grains, greens, protein, veggies, fruits (optional), sauce and a topping. When we add something out of every group, we have got a perfectly balanced, healthy and delicious bowl
What’s special about this dish?
It is a bowl like no other – that is what is so great about bowls – everyone is so different. This is kind of an asian inspired bowl with flavours from China because of the hoisin. And since it is veganuary (and a lot of people are doing veganuary) we are making a vegan bowl – and no it is not boring! It is super flavourful, easy to make and packed with nutrients!
Is this dish healthy?
Definitely! You have got a very well balanced dish! As a base we have a mix of quinoa, which is packed with fibre, carbohydrates and protein, and greens, which are loaded with vitamins & nutrients. Then we have the star of the show: the chickpeas. Chickpeas are not only delicious, but also high in fibre and protein and a great source of plant based protein.
The sauce, in which the chickpeas are in, is made out of soy sauce, honey or maple, ginger and garlic and peanut butter, which provides some more protein and healthy fats. And then we also have the fresh veggies, which are very important for us with their nutrients and of course, some avocado (a bowl without avocado just wouldn’t be a bowl). Extra healthy fats and nutrients. As a topping we have spring onions and radishes, which add some more crunch and nutrients.
How to make this dish?
Really really simple. We start by preparing the quinoa (which by the way is the food of the month and you can read more about it here). Then we make the sauce for the chickpeas by blending peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, lime juice, miso paste, honey and cornstarch
Now we are going to cook the chickpeas and the veggies. The veggies in boiling, salted water and the chickpeas with the sauce in a pan. The sauce will thicken and the chickpeas will absorb the flavour.
To assemble we now just add everything to a bowl, along with the avocado and tomatoes and top it with radishes and spring onions. That already is it!
Meal prep friendly?
Yes it definitely is, I have already had it reheated and it was at least as delicious! Just do not reheat the spring onions, tomatoes, radishes and avocado since they are meant to be eaten raw. And maybe you’ll need to add a splash of water to the chickpeas to thin out the sauce a bit!
I hope you’ll enjoy this bowl at least as much as I do, that you’ll have a fun time cooking and a healthy January!
Super Easy Saucy Hoisin Chickpea and Quinoa Bowl
A delicious, easy & healthy (vegan) bowl recipe that is packed with a tangy, slightly sweet sauce, many fresh and crunchy veggies and fluffy, soft quinoa!
What you will need
For the chickpeas:
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 lime
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp chili paste (optional)
For the rest:
- 120 g quinoa
- 1 small head broccoli
- 100 g edamame beans
- 1 handful cherry tomatoes
- 2 stalks spring onions
- 100 g radishes
- 1 avocado
How to
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To a pot add the quinoa, with a pinch of salt, and twice the amount of water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer on medium-low heat until all water in absorbed. Then turn down to low heat and let the quinoa fluff.
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In the meantime peel the ginger and garlic, juice the lime and blend them along with all the otehr ingredients for the chickpeas, except the chickpeas themselves. If you do not have a blender, finely grate the garlic and ginger and just stir to combine the other ingredients for the sauce. Add it to a pot along with the drained and washed chickpeas and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and let it thicken a bit, about 5-8 minutes.
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In the meantime bring another pot of water to a boil and cook the broccoli and edmame in it for about 4 minutes, then drain.
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Half the cherry tomatoes, finely slice up the spring onions and half and depit the avocado.
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Once everything is ready, add it to a bowl and enjoy!
Love,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière