Roast Cauliflower Quinoa Bowls with Crispy Chickpeas and Lemon-Tahini Sauce
These quinoa bowls are topped with roast cauliflower, zucchini, and crispy, spicy lemon and turmeric chickpeas. A drizzle of lemon-tahini sauce adds the final touch! And the best part – the vegetables are roasted on one pan for easy clean up.
Ahhhh, Spring – finally! It seemed like winter would never end. Nothing makes me happier than those first warm, sunny days when I feel like I can finally turn away from heavy soups and stews and dig into something a little lighter.
These roasted cauliflower grain bowls are a delicious way to bridge the gap between the seasons. I’ve been obsessed with grain bowls lately, and at this point I pretty much have it down to a science.
For a good grain bowl, you need a base grain, delicious vegetables, a protein source, something crispy, and a fun sauce for drizzling.
You can check out these southwest bowls for another great example!
These bowls meet all the criteria. They’re piled high with healthy roast vegetables (cauliflower and zucchini, I’m looking at you) plus crispy chickpeas for some protein and crunch. The chickpeas are tossed with lemon pepper seasoning and turmeric, and they’re oh so tasty. I’ve been snacking on them all week.
Lemon-tahini sauce is thick and creamy, and its bright flavor is perfect for spring.
I purchased the quinoa, chickpeas, tahini, and spices for these bowls from iHerb.com. At first glance, iHerb looks like a pharmacy or vitamin shop, but once you start poking around you’ll see that they also have a ton of healthy, organic grocery items. All together, they sell over 35,000 items, including tons of whole grains, spices, nuts, specialty flours, etc. They’re a Google trusted store that ships to over 160 countries, and their customer services provides support in 10 different languages.
I was really excited to find that they carry some of my favorite brands, like Bob’s Red Mill and Simply Organic spices. The Dastony tahini was new to me, and I’m definitely a fan. It didn’t seem to separate as much as other tahini does, so it was easy to measure and stir. Plus the flavor was great! I usually buy canned chickpeas, but these but these dried beans from Arrowhead Mills cooked quickly in my pressure cooker and they had a fabulous texture.
I know that sometimes my recipes include ingredients that can be hard to find – especially in small stores or more rural towns – so shopping online can be really convenient. New customers can use this link to get $5 off their first order.
Roast Cauliflower Quinoa Bowls with Crispy Chickpeas and Lemon-Tahini Sauce
Print Pin SaveIngredients
For the Grain Bowls
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Grain Tri-Color Quinoa
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 cup cooked Arrowhead Mills Organic Chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon Simply Organic Lemon Pepper seasoning
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 zucchini cut into chunks
- 1 cup tender greens baby kale, arugula, or spinach
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese optional
For the Lemon-Tahini Sauce
- ⅓ cup Dastony 100% Organic Sesame Tahini
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 garlic clove minced
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 450ºF.
- Combine the quinoa and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for at least 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Meanwhile, add the olive oil and cauliflower florets to a large mixing bowl. Toss to coat. Lift the cauliflower out of the bowl, letting any excess oil drip back into the bowl; arrange in a single layer on half of a baking sheet. Add the chickpeas, lemon pepper seasoning, and turmeric to the bowl; toss to coat. Spread the chickpeas on the other half of the baking sheet. Sprinkle everything with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 15 minutes. Flip the vegetables over, and add the zucchini. Roast another 15 minutes.
- While the vegetables cook, prepare the sauce by whisking the tahini, water, lemon juice, and garlic together in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To serve, divide the quinoa between four bowls. Top with roast vegetables and chickpeas, greens, and feta. Drizzle with lemon-tahini sauce. Any leftover sauce will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
What a great combination!