Healthy Meal Prep Ideas
Hi, it’s your friendly meal prep queen here again with another delicious meal prep recipe! Today’s Vegetarian Winter Grain Bowl is a super simple recipe that’s slightly elevated with a Basil Vinaigrette!
When it comes to meal prepping, the oven is my best friend. I absolutely love sticking a sheet pan full of veggies into the oven and letting the heat do its thing. It’s truly one of the simplest ways to cook your veggies! The base of the bowl is composed of roasted sweet potatoes, red onions, mushrooms, broccoli, and black rice!
This Vegetarian Winter Grain bowl is then topped with panfried halloumi and a basil vinaigrette! The halloumi adds an extra bite of saltiness and, in my opinion, the basil vinaigrette ties the whole dish together. Everything is seasoned pretty simply, so there isn’t a distinguishing flavor that takes it to the next level. However, when you drizzle the basil vinaigrette on top, the dish does a complete 180. The basil adds a flavor, reminiscent of pesto, and makes it absolutely delicious!
I like to blend the vinaigrette, roast the vegetables, and cook the rice all on Sunday. That way, during the week all I have to do is put everything on plate, heat it up, and then devour it XD. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. Thanks for joining me today and I’ll catch you in my next post!
Vegetarian Winter Grain Bowl
Ingredients
For the Basil Vinaigrette
- 1 Small Shallot
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Zest from 1/2 a lemon
- 1 1/2 packed cups of Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Honey
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/8 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
For the Bowl
- 1 Large Sweet Potato (cut into 3/4 inch cubes)
- 1 Large Red Onion (cut into 1/2 inch thick slices)
- 16 oz Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms
- 5 cups Broccoli Florets
- 8 oz Halloumi (cut into 8 slices)
- 4 cups Cooked Black Rice (for serving)
- As Needed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- As Needed Salt and Pepper
Instructions
For the Basil Vinaigrette
- Place all of the ingredients into a bullet blender. Blend until the vinaigrette is smooth and has emulsified. Set it aside for later
For the Bowl
- Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Line multiple baking sheets with aluminum foil.
- Place the sweet potatoes and red onion onto the same baking sheet. Add about 1 1/2-2 tbsp of olive oil, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp of black pepper to the pan. Mix the sweet potatoes and red onion with the oil and seasonings until they are evenly coated. Roast them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender and the red onions have slightly caramelized.
- Add the sliced mushrooms to a separate baking sheet. Toss the mushrooms together with about 1 tbsp of oil, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp of black pepper. Roast them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until all of the moisture from the pan has evaporated.
- Add the broccoli florets to a separate baking sheet and toss them together with about 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Roast them in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the broccoli is fork tender.
- Heat a pan over medium high heat. Pat the halloumi slices dry with paper towels. Lightly brush both sides of the slices with olive oil. When the pan is hot, add the halloumi to the pan and cook until it develops a golden brown outer crust, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the halloumi onto the other side and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- To serve, portion the rice, sweet potatoes, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, and halloumi between the serving bowls. Top each bowl with drizzle of the basil vinaigrette and enjoy!
