This beautiful little bowl of veggies is inspired by Deliciously Ella and is super quick to make! Perfect for lunch or an after workout “snack.” The bowl can be made with virtually any veggies. In this case I used:
- Black beans (for folate, fiber, vitamin B1, protein, manganese, and fatty acids!)
- If using canned beans, make sure you are purchasing beans low in sodium or sodium-free, as well as draining the canned liquid and rinsing the beans a few times. If using dried beans (which can actually be more cost-effective [~6 cups in 1 bag vs 2.5 cups in a can]) make sure to sift them (to get out and extra dirt or rocks collected in the bag), rinse them, and let them soak for at least an hour in water. Upon soaking them, you can cook them in a pot for about 30 minutes in a few inches of water until soft and tender. For the bowl, you can leave the beans as is, or you can cook them with a little bit of oil, salt, pepper, and cumin. If you want the re-fried bean texture, just mash them while they are cooking and cook them a little bit longer.
- Cucumbers (for vitamin K)
- All I did was dice about half of a cucumber and tossed them into the bowl, adding a nice vibrant green color!
- Spinach (for vitamin K, Vitamin A, Manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B2, and calcium)
- I loooove spinach, but you can also use kale, collard greens, mustard greens, any type of green you would like. The spinach is sautéed with a little olive oil. You can also steam it.
- Carrots (for vitamin A, biotin, vitamin K)
- Carrots can be replaced with potatoes and sweet potatoes, and can be roasted or sautéed. I chopped up the carrots into little rectangles and sautéed them with cinnamon, adding a sweet contrast to the mildly spicy black beans. You can also use purple or white carrots if you want to switch up the color. The brighter carrots signify a greater presence of antioxidants. Cinnamon is high in manganese and is beneficial for anti-clotting and anti-microbial activity. I love to add cinnamon to my curries for another depth of flavor.
- White bean dip! (for fiber, iron, protein)
- White beans are so creamy and great in dips in soups. White bean dip is probably my third favorite dip (running against hummus and guacamole, of course) and is so easy to make! All you do is blend white beans, olive oil, a few cloves of garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. It’s great in salads, perfect with chips and a great spread on sandwiches and toast as well.
- Sesame seeds (let’s not forget about those! High in copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron).
- My new favorite thing has been topping everything with sesame seeds, mainly for aesthetic purpose but they also add a nice little crunch (after all, I only eat sesame bagels).
- I also threw on some red pepper flakes for an extra kick, but hot sauce will suffice as well if you like!
chocolate n' chickpeas 