I’m pretty positive you’re about to be blown away by this incredibly fresh, nourishing, and delicious Mediterranean Inspired Nourish Bowl recipe! 🙂
It’s vegan and made with simple ingredients such as millet, baked yams, chickpeas, hummus, black olives, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and so much more!
If I had to pick a favourite type of food, as hard as it would be to choose just one, I would definitely go with Mediterranean!
I love all the fresh flavours in Mediterranean food, the plethora of veggies, the full bodied taste of olive oil, and of course the incredibly salty taste from olives!
Aside from being so delicious and fresh tasting, another amazing thing about the Mediterranean diet is that it’s been found to be very supportive for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. In fact, a recent article in Psychology Today explains, ” the Mediterranean Diet has often been considered one of the most healthful [diets] for many different people and conditions, and the research seems to back this bold statement up.” (1)
Okay, so now on to this heavenly Mediterranean Nourish Bowl recipe! I can ensure you it will not disappoint, and despite having a wide variety of ingredients, it’s still quite simple to make – I promise!
Ingredients
Amount: 2 large nourish bowls
– 1 medium sized yam or 2 smaller ones, cubed
– 1 medium sized zucchini, thinnly sliced lengthwise
– 1 pint cherry tomatoes (approx. 315 grams)
– 4-5 stalks kale, finely chopped
– Optional (but recommended): 1/4 cup chopped parsley
– 1 cup (or can – rinsed and drained) cooked chickpeas
– Approx. 1 cup hummus (I recommend making this recipe or else you can buy your favourite store bought option)
– 10 Black olives (or your fave type of olives)
– 1/2 tsp. cumin
– 1/4 tsp. paprika
– High quality sea salt (to taste)
– Olive oil
– Juice of 1 lemon
– 1 Tbsp. dried Rosemary
– 1 cup millet (preferably pre-soaked)*See Note* or alternatively whole wheat couscous (cooks much faster)
– Garnish: sprinkle of hemp hearts. I had kale flowers in the garden, so also garnished with those!
*Note: if you’re new to soaking and cooking Millet – read this article
Instructions
– Preheat your oven to 375°F (convection)
– Chop yams into small cube sized pieces, place on a cookie tray, and drizzle with oil
– Place yams in the oven to cook for 35-45 minutes
– In a separate pan (preferably with edges) place cherry tomatoes, drizzle with oil, a pinch of sea salt, and the dried Rosemary
– In one other small pan/ cookie sheet, place the zucchini, thinly sliced length wise, and drizzled with olive oil
– It’s helpful to time the cooking of your veggies – once the yams have been in for about 20 minutes, add the cherry tomatoes and zucchini. Both the tomatoes and zucchini will likely need around 15-20 minutes to cook. The tomatoes should look blistered and bursting with juices, and the zucchini should look cooked through and lightly golden
– In the mean time while the veggies are cooking in the oven, cook the millet (or couscous if using instead) in a medium sized pot
– Pre-heat a medium sized pan (cast iron if you have), with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add the chickpeas, cumin, paprika, sea salt (approx. 1/2 tsp.) and an extra drizzle of oil
– Allow the chickpeas to cook on the stovetop on medium heat until nice and toasted. The longer you allow them to sauté on low heat, the ‘crispier’ they’ll get
– If you’re making your own hummus, do so now. Otherwise use your favourite store bought option
– Finely chop your kale and parsley (if using)
– Be sure to check on your veggies in the oven, mixing around a few times as they’re cooking
– Once the veggies are done in the oven, the millet/ couscous is finished cooking, the chickpeas are done roasted, and the hummus is prepared – it’s time to assemble your bowls!
– Once assembled, squeeze with a wedge of fresh lemon juice and an optional drizzle of extra olive oil, olives, and a sprinkle of hemp hearts.
Notes on Assembling:
- You can decide if you like to assemble the ingredients in separate components on your bowl (pictured above) or if you like them all mixed together (like the first and last photos)!
- I like to roll up the zucchini ribbons (pictured below) as I place them into my bowl, however you could also cut them into smaller bite sized pieces
- The hummus kind of acts like a dressing in this bowl, so don’t be afraid to be extra generous with it!
- If you do eat dairy, adding a drizzle of feta cheese could also be a delicious touch!
If you enjoyed this Mediterranean Nourish Bowl, be sure to leave a comment below and let us know!
Source
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201502/what-is-the-best-diet-mood#:~:text=What%20they%20found%20was%20those%20people%20who%20followed,supported%20mood%20the%20best%20%28S%C3%A1nchez-Villegas%20et%20al.%2C%202009%29.