Middle Eastern Hippie Bowl
Book a ticket for your taste buds to the deserts of North Africa with this Middle East-inspired hippie bowl. It's packed with plenty of plant protein from the za'atar spiced chickpeas, roasted crunchy kale, and caramel-y roasted tomatoes, all over a bed of quinoa with olives and a drizzle of lemon tahini dressing.
Servings
Produce
Carrot (Organic)
6 3 oz
Lora bella tomatoes
10 5 oz
Avocado
1 0.5 Whole
Blue Curled Scotch Kale (Organic)
12 6 oz
Garlic (Organic)
4 2 Clove
Protein & more
Chickpea
2 1 Can
Quinoa
1 0.5 cup
Bay leaf
1 0.5 Whole
Kalamata olives
2 1 oz
Pantry items
Olive oil
2 1 tablespoon
Sea salt
1 0.5 teaspoon
Spice mix
Lemon Tahini Dressing
Tahini
1/4 0.125 cup
Lemon juice
2 1 tablespoon
Minced Garlic
1 0.5 Clove
Raw sugar
1 0.5 tablespoon
Water
3 1.5 tablespoon
Zaatar Spice Mix
Sumac
2 1 teaspoon
Dried thyme
1 0.5 teaspoon
Sesame Seeds
1 0.5 teaspoon
Dried oregano
1 0.5 teaspoon
Marjoram, dried
1 0.5 teaspoon
Prep ahead (optional)
a. Remove kale leaves from stems and tear bite-sized; ¼” dice stems. b. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. c. Peel and grate carrots or keep peeling into ribbons. d. Slice avocado in half lengthwise, remove pit, cut in wedges, and scoop flesh from skin. e. Mince garlic.
Instructions
1
Cook quinoa:
a. In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add 2 cups water (1 cup for 2-person portion) and ¼ tsp salt. Cover and bring to a boil.
b. Add quinoa + bay leaf; stir immediately. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Set aside, covered.
2
Roast kale and tomatoes:
a. Preheat oven to 375º. Prep a medium and a small baking pan with oil.
b. To medium bowl, add kale leaves (remove leaves from stem, tear bite-sized; reserve stems), 1 tbsp olive oil, and ¼ tsp salt. Toss to coat.
b. Add kale leaves in single layer to medium baking pan. Add tomatoes (slice in half lengthwise) to small baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with pinch of salt.
c. Roast kale until golden and edges are browned, about 10 minutes, and roast tomatoes until caramelized and soft, about 20 minutes.
3
Meanwhile, saute chickpeas:
a. Drain and rinse chickpeas, composting any skins that fall off.
b. In large sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and garlic (mince). Cook until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat if garlic begins to brown.
c. Over medium-high heat, add kale stems (¼” dice), chickpeas, za’atar spice mix, and ¼ tsp salt. Stir to combine; cook until kale stems are tender and chickpeas are golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
4
Serve:
a. Divide quinoa among bowls (compost bay leaf). Add chickpeas, roasted tomatoes, and kale alongside.
b. Drizzle with lemon tahini dressing.
c. Garnish with avocado (cut in half lengthwise, remove pit, cut wedges, scoop out flesh with spoon), carrots (peel and grate or keep peeling into ribbons), and kalamata olives. Enjoy!
Chef's notes
With just one tweak, this recipe is basically a bowl of finger food snacks for Littles. Instead of sautéing the chickpeas, consider roasting them (with or without the spice mix, depending on your kids’ palates), and calling them chickpea poppers. The roasted kale are already kale chips. And finally, leave the tomatoes fresh for dipping in the tahini. Boom! Snacks for supper.
All spice mixes and dressings made by Inner Chef from scratch with organic ingredients, local when possible.
This week’s local ingredients across all Inner Chef meal-kits come from:
Gundermann Acres,
Wharton County, TX
Wharton County, TX
Fagan Family Farm
Lone Star Herbs,
League City, TX
League City, TX
G&S Groves,
Mission, TX
Mission, TX
The Farm Patch,
Pleasanton, TX
Pleasanton, TX
Kitchen Pride,
Gonzales, TX
Gonzales, TX
Fruitful Hill Farm,
Bastrop, TX
Bastrop, TX
J&B Farms,
Hondo, TX
Hondo, TX
Martinez Farms,
Pleasanton, TX
Pleasanton, TX
Village Farms,
Marfa, TX
Marfa, TX
Animal Farm,
Cat Spring, TX
Cat Spring, TX
Bouldin Food Forest,
Rogers, TX
Rogers, TX
Buena Tierra Farms,
Fredonia, TX
Fredonia, TX
Dilorio Farms,
Hempstead, TX
Hempstead, TX
Engel Farms,
Fredericksburg, TX
Fredericksburg, TX
Good Flow Honey,
Austin, TX
Austin, TX
Hairston Creek Farms,
Burnet, TX
Burnet, TX
Hifi Mycology,
Austin, TX
Austin, TX
Homestead Gristmill,
Waco, TX
Waco, TX
K. H. Farms,
Poteet, TX
Poteet, TX
Pedernales Valley Farms,
Federicksburg, TX
Federicksburg, TX
Lightsey Farms,
Mexia, TX
Mexia, TX
Texas Olive Ranch,
Carrizo Springs, TX
Carrizo Springs, TX
Thomas Kindle,
Grand Saline, TX
Grand Saline, TX
Top of Texas,
Farwell, TX
Farwell, TX
US Citrus,
Hargill, TX
Hargill, TX
Bella Verdi,
Dripping Springs, TX
Dripping Springs, TX
Country Boy Farms,
Kennard, TX
Kennard, TX
Francis and Thatcher,
Manor, TX
Manor, TX
James Farm,
Prairie Ronde, LA
Prairie Ronde, LA