Autumn Veggie Quinoa Bowl

Fall is here! And with it wonderful vegetables that are delicious when roasted. I love this recipe because you’ve got beautiful colors, loads of healthy vegetables, and an excellent protein kick from the quinoa and black beans. A great healthy fall meal to get you through a busy week. Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red pepper – chopped
• 1 yellow pepper – chopped
• 3 cups brussel sprouts
• 2 cups diced sweet potato
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon additional olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 1 can black beans – drained
• 1 orange
• Optional garnish: parsley, parmesan

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• Add chopped sweet potato, brussel sprouts (make sure you have trimmed your ends!), and chopped peppers to a baking pan.

Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 40 minutes. Take out halfway through and toss vegetables to avoid singing the bottoms!

• While veggies are roasting, add 1/2 tablespoon to the bottom of a small pot and heat over medium heat. Add quinoa and toast for about two minutes until olive oil has cooked off. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until quinoa is fully cooked and the water has mostly been soaked up.

Add drained black beans into cooked quinoa.

• Remove roasted vegetables from the oven. Mix with quinoa and black beans in a large mixing bowl. Grate orange and add zest to mixture. Slice orange in half and squeeze the juice of the orange into the bowl as well. Mix thoroughly and salt to taste.
• Serve with parsley and parmesan cheese as desired.

What other vegetables do you like to roast at this time of year?