Roasted Veggie Rainbow Bowl

I try to eat a mostly plant-based diet as much as I can. But I often find myself feeling unsatisfied with straightforward salads or vegetable bowls. This roasted vegetable rainbow bowl is the exception – it’s an extremely satisfying vegan dinner option! Roasting the vegetables deepens their flavor, the chickpeas provide protein, and with avocado and olive oil, the dressing is a good source of some healthier fats.

This rainbow bowl takes some time to make, but most of it is spent prepping the vegetables. The good news is that all of the toppings can be made ahead of time and reheated in the microwave. And don’t feel like you need to limit yourself to the vegetables I used – this bowl is a great way to use up any leftover vegetables you have.

Roasted Veggie Rainbow Bowl

Makes about 4 servings

For the spicy chickpeas

• 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
• 1 TBL olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit

Drain the chickpeas and rinse well. Use a towel to blot them dry. It isn’t necessary to get them totally dry, but the drier they are the more easily they will crisp in the oven

Place the chickpeas on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss gently to coat

Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to one hour. The chickpeas will begin to brown and get crunchy.

Remove from the oven and toss with sriracha sauce. Let sit to cool for an hour – they will continue to get crunchier as they cool

For the dressing

• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• Juice of 2 large limes
• 3 TBL coconut aminos (low sodium soy sauce is a decent substitute)
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth

Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary

For the veggies

The key here is to go for color! Try to get a nice variety of different colored vegetables, including green, red, orange, and purple. It is a rainbow bowl, after all! These are the veggies I used. Most I roasted, but some just needed a quick saute.

• 2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
• 5-6 medium-sized chiogga beets, peeled and diced
• One bunch rainbow carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
• 10 radishes, cut into quarters
• 1/2 pound small purple potatoes, halved
• 20 fresh shitake mushrooms, stems discarded and tops sliced in half
• One small bunch rainbow chard, stems discarded and leaves torn into pieces
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Coconut aminos (low sodium soy sauce is a decent substitute)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Farenheit

Place your root vegetables on baking sheets and drizzle with olive oil. Toss lightly to coat, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. One tip – it’s best to keep the veggies segregated as some will cook quicker than others

Place the veggies into the oven and roast until tender. The radishes will likely cook the quickest so occasionally take the pan out to give the veggies a shake and test for doneness.

Saute the swiss chard in a little oil until tender, 3-5 minutes.

Saute the shitake mushrooms in a little oil until tender, 2-3 minutes.  Add a dash or two of coconut aminos to the mushrooms as they are cooking,

Assembling your bowls

Place about 1/2 cup brown rice in your bowl and drizzle with a little coconut aminos

Now place about 1/4 of each of your cooked veggies on top of the rice in distinct groups

Drizzle with the avocado lime dressing. If you want to get fancy, I put the dressing in a sandwich baggie and snipped off the corner. You can then use the baggie to pipe the dressing on top of your bowl.

Top with a handful of spicy chickpeas

Serve with extra coconut aminos and sriracha on the side

Enjoy!