MEAL PREP: Spring Vegetable Bowl with Salsa Verde
There is nothing that makes me feel like I somewhat have my life in order like meal prepping healthy and delicious food for the week. If there is one thing that anyone can do to gain some control in their lives, it’s cooking!
In my typical fashion, I am posting this recipe two seasons late from it’s respective time. Here is my spring-focused vegetable bowl that is refreshing, full of heart cruciferous vegetables, and topped with a flavor-packed salsa verde. Although the salsa verde is far from authentic, it was finger-licking good. I hope you try out this recipe for yourself and enjoy it as much as I did!
Cook time: 60-90 minutes | Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 delicata squash
1 head of cauliflower
1 bunch of broccolini
1 cup of farro
1/2 cup of peas, frozen or fresh
1 bag of arugula
3 radishes
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup of cold water, 1 tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of salt. Leave it in the fridge overnight to pickle.
1 bunch of mint
1 bunch of parsley
1/4 of preserved lemon rind or 1 tbsp of lemon zest
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 red pepper flakes
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees with the baking tray. This will char your vegetables nicely on one side as they cook. Wash and chop your squash, cauliflower, and broccolini. Generously coat in 2 tbsp of oil and a dash of salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, tossing/flipping halfway through.
In the meantime, cook your farro. You can do this by adding double the amount of water and a heavy dash of salt into a pot and boil on high heat. Once the water is at a rolling boil, reduce to medium and add the farro in then cover with a lid. Farro is a hearty grain so the cooking time will take about 30-40 minutes. You will know when it’s done when the water has been soaked up and the texture is chewy.
Poach the eggs - there are two methods for this:
The first method is the standard process using the stove top. To start, use a small strainer for each egg and separate the excess whites. If you drop it into the strainer, you will see liquid start falling through and what causes the white wispies when boiled in water otherwise. To a large pot, fill 3/4 of the way with water and place on high heat. Once it starts to boil, add a dash of vinegar or apple cider vinegar and reduce the heat to medium. Create a vortex with your ladle and gently drop the egg in, continuously spinning the outside circumference for 3-4 minutes.
The second method that I opt for is the microwave method. Similarly strain the egg’s excess liquid. Add 1/2 a cup of water to a microwave-safe mug with a splash of vinegar and microwave for 1 minute. Then gently place the egg into the water, poke a hole into the yolk with a chopstick or toothpick, and cover with saran wrap. Microwave for another 30 seconds. Using a spoon, gently fish the egg out of the water and repeat 3 more times for the remaining eggs.
Wash and thinly chop the radishes. This is totally optional but I pickled the radishes by adding them to a jar with 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup of cold water, 1 tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of salt. Leave it in the fridge overnight to pickle. If you are using frozen peas, you can microwave them in the bag or allow them to defrost at room temperature.
To make the salsa verde, pick off all the leaves of your mint and parsley first and set aside. Add the leaves, lemon zest/rind, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, vinegar, olive oil, and salt into a blender until it’s a chunky yet consolidated texture. Add more salt to taste if needed.
Once the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. To stop cooking the farro, pour it into a strainer or colander with small enough holes to catch the grains and rinse in cold water.
Assemble your bowls with arugula at the bottom, then farro, the vegetables, peas, and egg, and salsa verde to finish. You can store this in the fridge for up to a week and enjoy cold.