It’s time for some new recipes here on the website after the launch of the e-book which took up most of my recipe development capacity in the first part of the year. I am excited to bring you three balance bowls today. Or nourish bowls. Or buddha bowl. Whatever you choose to call them I am bringing you three combos that I really enjoy and this one is a spicy beet bowl with beluga lentils, massaged kale, herby quinoa and dates. It’s also got a delicious hummus based dressing that is so easy to make I think you are going to love it. Enjoy!

See the other two bowls here: Green Spring Balance Bowl and Mexican Inspired Balance Bowl.

Malin x

Spicy Beet Balance Bowls

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

Beluga Lentils:

0,75 cup beluga lentils

1,5 cup water

0,5 vegetable stock cube

2 bay leaves

Herby quinoa:

0,75 cup quinoa

1,5 cup water

Packed 0,5 cup fresh coriander

Packed 0,5 cup fresh flat leaf parsley

1 lemon

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

0,5 tsp herbal salt

Black pepper, to taste

Spicy beets:

4 cooked and peeled beets

2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1-2 tsp sriracha hot sauce

1 small garlic clove

Salt, to taste

Massaged kale:

150 g cavolo nero / dino kale

0,5 tsp extra virgin olive oil

0,5 tsp lemon juice

Salt, to taste

Hummus dressing:

0,5 cup hummus

0,5 small lemon, juice only

0,5-1 tsp dijon mustard

0,5 tsp maple syrup

Salt, to taste

Top with:

10-12 fresh dates, pitted

Pumpkin seeds

METHOD:

Rinse the lentils and add them to a sauce pan along with the water, stock cube and bay leaves. Cover with a lid and bring everything to a boil. Once boiling turn it down to a simmer and make sure that the stock cube has dissolved and is well dispersed in the cooking water. Allow to simmer until all the water has been absorbed by the lentils. This usually takes about 25 minutes but keep an eye on them.

Also rinse the quinoa if you wish and then transfer it into a sauce pan along with the water. Season with salt and cover with a lid. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until all the water has been absorbed by the quinoa. This usually takes about 20 minutes.

While the quinoa and lentils are cooking cut the cooked and peeled beets into bite sized chunks. Transfer the pieces to a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients to the bowl to marinate them. Mix well to coat and set aside.

Next remove the leafy part of the kale from the stems and discard the stems for another recipe. Rip the leafy part into smaller bite sized pieces and pop them in a colander. Clean them well under running water and then pat dry. Transfer to a mixing bowl and drizzle over the oil and lemon juice. Season with a small pinch of salt and massage for a minute or two, until the kale is tender. Set aside.

For the dressing all you need to do is combine all the ingredients in a small bowl or jar and mix well to combine. If you find it is a little thick thin it out with small splashes of water added little at a time until you reach your preferred consistency.

To finish off the quinoa, once it is cooked, finely chop the fresh parsley and coriander and add to a bowl along with the quinoa. Use a microplane or box grater to zest 1 lemon into the bowl and then squeeze in the juice of half of it. Drizzle over the oil and season with herbal salt and black pepper. Mix well to combine.

To assemble the bowls start with a bed of the massaged kale followed by the herby quinoa and warm lentils. Chop up your dates and top the bowl with the pieces as well as the beets and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with the dressing and enjoy.

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