Mediterranean bowl

Mediterranean Nourish Bowl Recipe

Looking for a nutritious, delicious and balanced meal prep idea? Well I’ve got you covered with my Nourish Bowl Recipe Series with The Chai Mommas. The recipes listed below are filled with vegetables, protein and healthy fats and they are perfect for lunch or dinner! Everything combined takes about one hour, but makes enough food for several meals. Check out Mounika’s recipes below for Roasted Harissa Chicken with Rainbow Carrots, Tri Colored quinoa and Arugula & Chickpea Salad. Just serve up together in a bowl with some pre-made herbed tahini sauce, quinoa dolmas and hummus for a hearty and healthy meal. But don’t be mistaken, these dishes are delicious on their own!

Mediterranean Nourish Bowl Recipes

Roasted Harissa Chicken with Rainbow Carrots 

Ingredients

  • 1 lb of rainbow carrots (I love Trader Joes Les Petites Carrots of Many Colors. They can be  found in the produce section and are already peeled and ready to be roasted.)
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped lengthwise 
  • 1/2 large red onion, chopped lengthwise 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp of fresh thyme leaves 
  • 1/2 tsp salt for vegetables (adjust to taste)
  • 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
  • 2 tsp minced garlic 
  • 1.5 lb of boneless chicken thighs or 1 lb of tofu cut into bite sized pieces (make sure to get firm tofu and press pieces to release as much water as possible before marination)
  • 1.5 tbsp of PurSpices original harissa paste (adjust to spice preference)
  • 2 tbsp of Greek yogurt 
  • 1/2 tsp of pink salt for chicken or tofu (adjust to taste) 
  • 2 tbsp of freshly chopped mint 
  • Pinch of sea salt 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F
  2. Add carrots, onion and bell peppers to a cast iron skillet pan. Mix in olive oil, thyme, minced garlic, salt and black pepper. Set aside 
  3. In another bowl, add chicken/tofu, yogurt, harissa paste and salt. Mix until chicken is thoroughly coated with spices. Make sure to poke some holes in the chicken so the marinade really gets in there! 
  4. Add chicken or tofu on top of carrots, onion and bell pepper in the skillet pan. Sprinkle some sea salt on top.
  5. Cook chicken for 35-40 minutes at 425 degrees. Only need to cook tofu for 20-25 minutes.
  6. Remove chicken/tofu from oven and garnish with chopped mint 

Now it’s time to make the tri-colored quinoa and chickpea arugula salad while the chicken/tofu is cooking!

Tri-Colored Quinoa

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup of tri colored quinoa
  • 1 and 3/4 cup of water
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp pink salt (adjust to taste)

Directions

  1. Rinse quinoa thoroughly under cold running water using a fine-mesh strainer which helps prevent seeds from falling through the holes.
  2. Add your washed quinoa, 1 and 3/4 cup of water, olive oil and salt to the Instant Pot. 
  3. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook mode and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let it rest for 10 minutes. Fluff up the quinoa and serve. See package for stove-top directions. 
Arugula & Chickpea Salad with Feta

Ingredients 

  • 2 handfuls of arugula
  • 1 cup of sangria medley tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1/4 cup chopped onions 
  • 3 sliced mini-cucumbers 
  • 1/2 can of garbanzo beans or cooked chickpeas 
  • 1/2 lemon squeezed 
  • 1.5 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley 
  • 1/4 tsp cumin powder 
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese 
  • Pink salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Recipe

  1. Combine arugula, tomatoes, chopped onions, sliced cucumber, chickpeas, and juice from half lemon in a large bowl. 
  2. Drizzle olive oil and season with salt, cumin and pepper; gently toss to coat. 
  3. Garnish with feta cheese and set aside

Additional ingredients like Mediterranean Style Hummus, Herbed Tahini Sauce, Quinoa Dolmas for this Nourish Bowl Recipe can be found at Trader Joes.

  1. First, plate Harissa chicken or tofu w/roasted veggies, tri-colored quinoa, and arugula & chickpea salad.
  2. Next, add a quinoa dolma, hummus and herbed tahini sauce on the side. 
  3. Finally, garnish with pumpkin seeds on top for a little bit of crunch and enjoy!

Created by Contributor Mounika from @astoryofspices

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *