Weeknight dinners are often all about the bowl – some type of whole grain, bean or lentils, roasted veggies, and a delicious dressing. I never get sick of this BUT sometimes I forgot just how easy (and quick!) it is to whip up a stir fry recipe like this one. The key is cooking the grain – or in this case cauliflower rice – on Sunday so all you have to do is throw broccoli and a few other veggies in a pan. But don’t worry if you didn’t plan ahead, unlike regular rice, cauli rice only takes a few minutes to cook!

Crazy for Cruciferous

Did you know broccoli has more vitamin C than some citrus fruits?! Next time you feel that cold coming on you may just want to reach for that head of broccoli instead.. or cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, kale, bok choy, and cabbage for some other pretty amazing nutritional benefits. They’re rich in vitamins C, K, folate, and fiber, making them anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, cancer-fighting, skin-protecting, and anti-aging. They also contain a compound called indole-3-carbinol that promotes the breakdown of estrogen and can help counteract or protect against some hormonal imbalances. 

Basically, they are super good for you and promote your body’s natural detox processes. This bowl is loaded full of them with a triple punch from the broccoli, cauliflower, and bok choy. The cauliflower stores well in the fridge so it can be made in advance – and used in place of any grain all week. Feel free to add in any of your favorite veggies to this stir fry! 

They say good things come in small packages right? That’s exactly how I feel about these mini veggie burgers. The classic veg burger is here to stay for summer bbqs, but it’s cooler mini-version is what your grain bowls have been missing. They’re essentially meatballs, which are making a major comeback. I don’t know if they ever really went out of style per say but they’re popping up on menus all over town, most recently spotted at Camille Becerra’s retro meets modern pop-up Cafe Henri.  I had to make a veg version because veggies wanted to be part of the cool kids club too.

These little guys are so awesome because they make a big batch that you can munch on all week. They are filled with black beans and quinoa, both great sources of protein and fiber. The black beans (and spinach) are high in iron, which helps keep our body energized during these final dog days of winter. Fun fact: the vitamin C in spinach actually helps us absorb the iron in the black beans! Iron found in plants is hard to absorb than the iron found in meat, but pairing it with some good ol’ immune-boosting vitamin C helps increase the absorption. Win-win. 

This bowl was my best friend last week but I also found myself having a couple mini-burgs with some avocado before I was off to a yoga class or eating them with spaghetti squash and kale pesto. You can always go the classic burger route and serve these on mini gluten free toasts with caramelized onions, tomato, and avocado, which is SO good. They keep well in the fridge and you can even freeze them as I’ve done this week. I’m traveling this week and they will be the perfect thing to pull out when I get home. Simply reheat in the oven until warmed through and dinner is ready!

This is my favorite vegetarian chili to date – it’s been on my stove for the last couple of weeks and has become my answer to easy Sunday night dinners with friends (love a one-pot meal!) or last minute weeknight dinners. It’s so easy – it can be made a couple days in advance and it also freezes super well. If I’m not cooking for a crowd I’ll put half in the freezer and pull it out on last minute nights or for an unexpected dinner guest. All you need to do is grab some avocado, cilantro and toast up some corn tortillas!

It’s such an easy recipe and is packed with fire-roasted tomatoes and corn, which adds a subtle sweetness that is so good. It is great as is but I also love serving leftovers in chili bowls – a big scoop of chili, brown rice, avocado, shredded romaine lettuce, scallions, cilantro, hot sauce, crunchy corn tortillas! You can go crazy with the toppings here. I’ll be making another big pot for Super Bowl Sunday 🙂

I find a way to eat just about everything out of a bowl. Bowls signify easy, casual, comfort meals, which pretty much sounds like every meal I want this time of year. So naturally I’ve always been in love with the ultimate Korean comfort food, bibimbap, traditionally served in a hot stone bowl. Bibimbap is a kaleidoscope of mostly vegetables and rice served with a red chili paste called gochujang.

I’m always fascinated to learn about traditional methods of cooking even though I’m by no means traditional by way of ingredients or method. But I love traveling, tasting, and flipping through beautifully photographed cookbooks. Lately I’ve been glued to the new Lucky Rice cookbook by Danielle Chang, founder of the festival also named Lucky Rice! In the book, Danielle showcases ancient traditions but combines them with modern simplicity and fresh flavors. By no means a gluten free or vegan cookbook, it tells a story and serves as amazing inspiration for dishes I will bring to my table. I can’t wait to dig into diy sushi hand rolls, indonesian fried rice, green juice elixir cocktails, and thai mango puddings. YUM! But first up, bibimbap…

I’ve put my own spin on Danielle’s traditional methods by adapting the bibimbap to include a vegan protein and brown rice. I love how all the simple components in bibimbap combine to create the most satisfyingly sweet and salty, crunchy comfort bowl. Stir in a nice spoonful of gochujang, mix it all up and you’ll be so glad you’ve found this dish in your kitchen.

Once you know the basics of how to make a pesto, it quickly becomes one of the best tricks to have up your sleeve for easy weeknight dinners that are also super flavorful (aka not boring). You can try out any combination of nuts or seeds with greens and herbs and end up with something different, exciting, and fresh every time. I save the classic pine nut and basil combo for summer and more often than not have found myself making this pepita-kale pairing the last few months. Pistachios or almonds would be great here as well.

Another one of my favorite tricks is making a big batch of this pesto and freezing in it small containers in my freezer (or even ice cube trays) and taking them out for even easier, quick meals or when I’m returning from a trip. Stir a dollop of this pesto into your favorite vegetable soup, drizzle on top of grains and roasted veggies, and of course enjoy with these super delicious sweet potato noodles!