This Greens & Grain lunch bowl is definitely a new favorite of mine. I’m always looking for new and creative ways to make lunch for myself during the week. It’s easy to make lunch a throwaway meal on a busy day. And don’t get me wrong, there are many times when I’m working through a batch of leftovers for lunch over the course of a week. But if I can help it, lunch is a yummy respite that I get to look forward to every day.
I have two rules for lunch: it has to be easy to put together, and it has to have color … aka veggies. This Greens & Grain Bowl with Roasted Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing checks the boxes, and it’s YUMMY too.
Fresh mixed greens and fluffy quinoa get topped with crispy toasted chickpeas, creamy avocado, cucumber and red onion (or any other veggies of your choice). It all gets coated in a smooth, tangy green tahini sauce, made with yogurt, lemon and parsley.
I’ve only recently come to really appreciate the wonders of tahini, which is basically a paste made from pressed toasted sesame seeds. It gives a nutty depth to whatever you add it too, and it’s so good for dressings, sauces, marinades, dips, the list goes on. The tahini and the chickpeas work together so well in this dish, especially over that bed of leafy greens and quinoa.
This is a great lunch bowl to meal prep on Sundays too. Make your dressing, roast your chickpeas, wash and chop your veggies, and you’re good to go… with something to look forward to all week.
Roasted Chickpeas = your new favorite snack
My favorite part of this recipe is the roasted chickpeas. I could seriously snack on them like popcorn. Roasting chickpeas in the oven makes them crisp and crunchy and golden on the outside. You can add salt and any kind of spice combination you can imagine. So good, and so easy to whip up too.
Just rinse and drain a can of chickpeas and dry them really well. Getting as much moisture out as possible is what will make them crisp up in the oven. Then, spread the chickpeas out on a lined baking sheet, toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast them at 375F for 25-30 min. Once their cool enough to handle, store them in the fridge (but eat them fast!) or pop them on your salad.
The Green Goddess of Lunch Bowls
While you’re chickpeas are roasting, go ahead and cook your quinoa according to the package instructions. If you can find it at the grocery store, you can save time by using the quick cook quinoa. Fluff it with a fork when it’s done and let it cool.
Next, rinse your greens and chop the rest of your veggies. Then you can build your bowls and get them ready for dressing, which is really the glue that brings this whole bowl together.
To make it, add tahini paste and Greek yogurt to a food processor. Season it with a clove of garlic, salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice in for an acidic kick, and fresh parsley for a green herby freshness. Finally, pulse it all with olive oil. You can also add in a few spoonfuls of water to get it to the consistency you want.
Drizzle the creamy green tahini sauce all over your bowl, and store the rest in the fridge for future lunches.
Let me know if you give this Greens & Grain Bowl a try! I love to hear from you in the comments, or tag me on instagram @eat.think.live and let me see your creation! Plus, you can check out the rest of my recipes HERE.
Greens & Grain Bowls with Roasted Chickpeas & Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
For the Lunch Bowls
- 1 14oz Can Chickpeas
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper To taste
- 2 Cups Mixed Greens
- 2 Cups Quinoa Cooked*
- 1 Cucumber Diced
- 1 Red onion Diced
- 2 Avocados Sliced
For the Tahini Dressing
- 2 Tbsp Greek Yogurt
- 1/4 Cup Tahini paste
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Fresh parsley
- 1/4 Cup Olive oil
- Salt & Pepper To taste
- 2-3 Tbsp Water
Instructions
Make Roasted Chickpeas
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Dry them as thoroughly as you can, and remove any loose peels.
- Spread the chickpeas out on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over. Toss to coat all the chickpeas.
- Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until they start browning.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Make the Tahini Dressing
- Add all ingredients except the water to a food processor.
- Pulse until dressing is totally smooth in texture. Add a tablespoon of water at a time to the mixture if you need to thin it out, until you reach the consistency you like.
- Taste and adjust salt & pepper if needed.
Assemble the Bowls
- Add quinoa and mixed greens to the bottom of your bowl.
- Top with cucumber, red onion, avocado and roasted chickpeas.
- Drizzle tahini dressing all over everything and dig in!
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