Ancient Grains Bowl (Inspired by True Food Kitchen, Vegan)

One of my favorite places to eat is @TrueFoodKitchen who is famous for their Ancient Grains Bowl. This bowl is essentially a plant based buddha bowl that is comprised of grains, sweet potatoes, veggies, and topped with a delicious vegan pesto sauce, avocado, and hemp seeds. You can also add on a protein (tofu, salmon, or chicken) if you would like.

I could eat this bowl every single day but unfortunately my wallet doesn’t agree. Just one bowl which isn’t too large of a portion will cost you $15.50 and another $5 if you want to add a protein. So in order to keep my bank account and my stomach happy, I decided to recreate this recipe at home and I’m so glad I did! It’s one of my favorite recipes and I find myself making it at least every other week. It’s definitely a lot of steps and different parts but it is definitely worth it. My advice is to make a large quantity of everything and eat it as your meal prep throughout the week! You can also take bits and parts of this recipe to use for other meals (i.e. the pesto!)

Ancient Grains Bowl (makes 2-4 servings)

1. Turmeric quinoa & farro blend

   • 1/2 cup quinoa

   • 1/2 cup farro

   • 1 1/4 cups of water

   • 1/2 tsp turmeric

   • 1/2 tsp sea salt

   • Instructions:

     1. rice cooker: place all ingredients in rice cooker and cook as normal! (My favorite way to cook any grain because it is so easy!)

     2. Pot:

        1. Add all ingredients to pot. Stir until combined and cover. Increase heat and bring to a boil.

        2. Reduce heat, allow to simmer 15-20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

2. Charred mushrooms and onions

   • 1 cup sliced portobello mushroom (or whatever mushrooms you have)

   • 1 small white onion, sliced

   • olive oil

   • pinch of sea salt

   • Instructions:

     1. preheat oven to 375 degrees F

     2. place sliced onions and mushrooms into a bowl, add a little olive oil and salt and mix evenly

     3. place mixture onto sheet pan

     4. place in over for 30 minutes or until onions slightly charred, stirring halfway through

     5. lazy option: saute all ingredients on a pan on the stove! You won’t get the charred flavor but it will still taste good and be done in 1/4 of the time

3. any green veggie of your choice

   • recipe calls for snow peas, but I usually use steamed kale. Other green veggies that would go well with this recipe would be broccoli, string beans, or bok choy

   • Instructions:

     1. cook your veggie(s) however you like it best! I usually prefer to boil or steam my vegetables to use less oil

4. miso glazed sweet potatoes (the star of this recipe!)

   • 1 large sweet potato

   • avocado oil or coconut oil to coat sweet potatoes (spray works best but not necessary)

   • 2 tbsp of white miso paste

   • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp maple syrup

   • 1/2 tsp soy sauce or tamari

   • 2 tsp lemon juice or rice vinegar

   • 1 tsp water

   • 2 tsp white sesame seeds

   • Instructions:

     1. peel and dice sweet potatoes into 1/2” cubes

     2. oven:

        1. preheat oven to 450 degrees F

        2. toss diced sweet potatoes in a bowl w/ a little coconut oil spray or avocado oil spray

        3. place sweet potatoes on a sheet pan, spread out evenly

        4. bake for 30 min or until sweet potatoes are tender, tossing halfway

     3. air fryer (my favorite method):

        1. toss diced sweet potatoes in a bowl w/ a little coconut oil spray or avocado oil spray

        2. place into air fryer 375 degrees for 15 minutes, tossing halfway through

     4. while potatoes are cooking make the sauce.

     5. Sauce:

        1. Mix all ingredients except sesame seeds together in a bowl and mix until well combined

        2. add sesame seeds at end and mix again

     6. Once sweet potatoes are done, move to a bowl big enough to mix and add sauce

     7. Mix well until evenly coated

5. vegan basil pesto* (recipe by Minimalist Baker)

   *this recipe will make a large portion. Great to use for other recipes throughout the week!

   • 2 cups packed fresh basil

   • 3 Tbsp pine nuts

   • 3 large cloves of garlic

   • 2 tbsp lemon juice

   • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast

   • 1/4 tsp sea salt

   • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

   • 3 tbsp water

   • Instructions:

     1. Mix all ingredients together in a blender or food processor

6. Optional protein

   • I did air fried tofu, but you could add any protein you want! It actually doesn’t need a protein though, tastes so good without it. Between the quinoa, farro, veggies, and hemp seeds you already have a very high protein packed meal!

7. Avocado slices

8. hemp seeds

Once all your parts are assembled, put however much of each item you want into a bowl, top with avocado slices and hemp seeds and enjoy! :)