Meal Prep: Winter Nourish Bowls with Cat from Little Vegan Eats

In case you hadn't guessed it yet, we're big fans of Meal Prep here at Seed & Sprout. We love getting organised at the beginning of the week to reduce stress levels, minimise waste and help stick to a budget!

As the weather turns cooler here in Australia and we're well into the Autumn months, we've teamed up with Cat Dean from Little Vegan Eats with the most delicious and nutritious Meal Prep lunch idea that'll keep you going all week.

Grab yourself some of our new duo Glass Containers and make it even easier to cook, portion, freeze, store and heat your weekly meals - winning.

 

 

WINTER NOURISH BOWLS @Little.Vegan.Eats

This took me only one hour to meal prep for 5 days of lunches (and that included some play time and washing the dishes in between waiting on food to cook). 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

ROAST VEGGIES:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, diced & sliced into discs
• 2 red peppers, core removed & sliced into strips
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil 

MARINATED TOFU:

• 1 x 400g block of firm tofu, diced
• 2 Tbsp of soy sauce (low salt if serving to kids)
• 2 Tbsp of maple syrup (or agave)

 

SPICED CHICKPEAS:

• 2x 400g cans of chickpeas, drained & rinsed 
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil 
• 1 tsp of smoked paprika 
• 1 tsp of ground coriander
• 1 tsp of ground cumin 

 

QUINOA:

• 2 cups of dried quinoa, rinsed
• 3.5 cups/875ml of water  
• Optional: 1 tsp of veggie stock (adds flavour)

 

PUMPKIN CASHEW CREAM:

• 1 cup of diced butternut squash (or pumpkin)
• 1 cup of raw cashews, soaked in hot water for a minimum of 10 minutes then rinsed and drained
• Juice of one lemon
• 2-4 Tbsp of water (to help it blend if needed)

 

MASSAGED KALE:

• 1 whole bunch of kale
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil
• Few cracks of sea salt 

 

TAHINI DRESSING:

• 2 heaped Tbsp of tahini
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• Juice of one lemon
• 2-4 Tbsp of water to thin to desired consistency 

 

TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS:

• 1/2 a cup of pumpkin seeds/pepitas 

 

 

 

HOW TO:

1. Preheat the oven to 200c/390f.
2. Place all vegetables for the oven in glass oven dishes (sweet potato, butternut squash, & peppers), drizzling with some olive oil. 
3. Add all of the marinated tofu ingredients to another oven dish (we cover with their lids and shake well to coat). 
4. Add all of the spiced chickpea ingredients to another dish, stirring to combine the spices evenly across the chickpeas. 
5. Add the vegetables, tofu, and chickpeas to the preheated oven, and cook for 50-55 minutes. 
6. While the oven food is cooking, prepare the sides, starting by adding the quinoa ingredients to a large pot, bringing to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and keep covered for a further 10 minutes for perfectly fluffy quinoa. 
7. Soak the cashews in hot water, then place to the side. 
8. Make your tahini dressing by placing all ingredients in a bowl, lightly whisking with a fork, adding as much water as desired to get to the consistency you like.
9. Prep the kale by removing the stalks, breaking in to smaller pieces, and washing and drying. Then add to a large bowl and massage with olive oil and salt for a few minutes until soft. 
10. Pour the pumpkin seeds on a baking tray, then place in the oven, cooking for 3-5 minutes to lightly toast (keep an eye as they can burn quickly!). 
11. Once cooked, remove the food from the oven, then add the butternut squash with the soaked cashews and lemon juice to a blender and blend until smooth to make the pumpkin cashew cream (add a little water if needed). 
12. Plate up and enjoy!!
13. Once cool, cover and store all the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days (except the pumpkin seeds).

 

 Enjoy!!