Easy Fall Meal Prep
Cook time: 1 hour | Makes: 5 hearty servings
Crispy chickpeas:
2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
½ tbsp each of paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic powder
1 tsp of salt
Open, drain, and rinse the chickpeas from the can. Lay the chickpeas out on a towel and gently dry them as much as possible. In a bowl, add your chickpeas, oil, spices, and salt. Air fry at 350 for 12 minutes, shaking halfway through or wait to roast them with your vegetables later if you do not have an air fryer available.
Roasted vegetables:
2 lbs of rainbow cauliflower
1 lb of baby broccoli/broccolini
5 large carrots
2 large sweet potatoes
1 tbsp each of paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic powder
2 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp olive or avocado oil
2 tsp of salt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash your vegetables before chopping the cauliflower into smaller equal-sized florets. Chop the broccolini’s length in half then cut the stalk and floret in half, long way down like matchsticks. Chop your carrots diagonally. Cube the sweet potato into bite size pieces. Add your cauliflower and broccolini into one bowl or lay out flat on the baking sheet then drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive/avocado oil, spices, and 1 tsp of salt. If you are roasting your chickpeas, add them into the baking sheet with your broccolini and cauliflower here.
In another bowl or baking sheet, add your carrots and sweet potatoes then drizzle with the remaining 2 tbsp of olive/avocado oil, maple syrup, and remaining salt. Use your hands to massage the oil and added flavors into the vegetables then place in the oven for 30 minutes, mixing halfway through.
Grains:
3 cups of quinoa or barley
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp of salt
5 cups of water or vegetable broth
Wash your quinoa or barley to avoid sticking. Add your uncooked grains into the rice cooker or instant pot with oil, salt, and water. If you are using an instant pot, add 5 cups of water/broth then set on high pressure cooking for 20 minutes. If you are using a rice cooker, add 1 cup less of liquid (4 cups) and cook like you normally would. Mix the grains up with a spoon or rice paddle once it’s cooked.
Za’atar Tahini Dressing
½ cup of tahini
1 cup of hot water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 lemons, juiced
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp za’atar seasoning
In a small bowl, add all the ingredients together then use either a small whisk or a fork to combine until it’s a smooth paste. Adjust the taste as desired by adding more maple syrup for sweetness, more lemon juice for acidity, or more salt for savoriness.
TO ASSEMBLE: Drizzle sauce on the bottom of the bowl or plate, then add your greens of choice, cooked grains, roasted vegetables, chickpeas, then drizzle the za’atar tahini dressing and sprinkle your desired toppings of choice.
Optional toppings: roasted nuts or seeds, hemp seeds, coconut bacon, a fried egg, pickled red onions, nutritional yeast, avocado, etc.