Ally
This spring roasted veggie bowl with sunshine sauce is clean, seasonal eating at its finest! Packed with roasted asparagus and beets, spring greens, shallots, beans, chicken, and cucumber, then topped with a creamy, lemony sunflower butter dressing. Spring perfected! (gluten free and dairy free)
I am on day 12 of the most miserable, hit-by-a-train, drag-you-down flu I’ve ever had. It’s just never ending. In retrospect, yes, I should have gotten that flu shot. I’ve been totally MIA; now you know why.
Despite the pro’s of the flu, (laying in bed all day, not having to wear makeup, bikini diet) by day 9 or so it gets antsy laying around and doing nothing, so i took my sniffling butt to the store and decided to heal myself with nutrients rather than some more steroids and nose spray.
Enter stage left:Â Spring Roasted Veggie Bowl with Sunshine Sauce! Inspired entirely by what’s in season RIGHT NOW in April! Let’s check out the cast of characters:
Asparagus: IN SEASON
Beans: IN SEASON, (though I got mine from a can- still counting it)
Beets: IN SEASON
Lettuce: IN SEASON
Shallots: IN SEASON
Plus some chicken to keep me full, some cucumbers for crunch, and the dreamiest lemon-coconut-turmeric-sunflower butter dressing ever. It’s so freaking healthy this may just cure me alone, (it’s also so pretty- pink, green, and yellow!)
This one actually comes together pretty easily too, (it had to- I’m sick AF). While the beets are roasting, you prep everything else. Voila. Multitasking. Oh, and do yourself a favor and buy rotisserie chicken. SO EASY! Sad, cubed salad chicken just never compares to hot, juicy, pulled rotisserie chicken.
Anyways, it’s good to be back to the blogging world, friends. Looking forward to longer evenings, more sunshine, spring’s produce bounty, and sharing all the yummy food I make with you.
- 3 raw beets, greens still attached, scrubbed, trimmed, and diced into ½" cubes, (save the greens!)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 head of red leaf lettuce
- 1 cucumber, seeded and diced small
- 1 shallot, peeled, sliced in half vertically, and then sliced into thin half-moons
- 1 can of black beans, (15 oz. can) drained and rinse
- 1 lb. asparagus spears
- 1 rotisseries chicken, pulled, (about 3 cups of cooked chicken)
- 1 can coconut milk, (15 oz. can) but don't shake it- we want the separation of the coconut cream on top
- 2 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter
- Pinch turmeric
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. honey
- Preheat your oven to 450 F, and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Wash and trim your beets before dicing them up. Save the beet greens for later, (remove the hard stems). Lay the beets on the baking sheet, drizzle with a Tbsp. or two of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Toss to coat everything evenly, and then lay them in a single, even layer on the baking sheet. Pop them in the oven and set a timer for 25 minutes.
- While the beets are in the oven, prep the rest of your ingredients.
- Tear the red leaf lettuce and beet greens into bite-sized pieces. Wash and dry them well, (a salad spinner works great here!) and set them in a big bowl.
- Seed and dice a cucumber; add it to the salad bowl.
- Peel and thinly slice a shallot; add it to the bowl.
- Open the can of beans, drain, rinse, and dry them before adding to the bowl.
- Trim the bottom inch or so off the asparagus spears, and then cut them all into 1" pieces.
- Take the beets out of the oven when the timer goes off, and add the asparagus pieces to the sheet pan. Drizzle a little more oil on them, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss again to coat, and then spread everything out into a single, even layer. Pop the beets and asparagus back in the oven for 10 more minutes to finish.
- While that's in the oven, pull the rotisserie chicken meat into bite-sized pieces.
- Make the dressing: in a bowl or mason jar, add ¼ cup of the hard coconut cream on top, (mayo or yogurt would work too) 2 Tbsp. sunflower seed butter, (or nut butter) a pinch of turmeric and cayenne pepper, a pinch of salt and pepper, a tsp. of honey, and the juice of one lemon. Slowly add some of the coconut water at the bottom of the can (or regular water) to thin it out, and stir until there are no lumps and you like the consistency.
- When the asparagus and beets are done, toss everything together in the big bowl, serve, and top with the dressing!
- Note: if you're eating this now, add the chicken and roasted veggies right to the bowl to eat. If you're meal prepping or saving it for later, wait until the chicken and roasted veggies cool completely before tossing with the lettuce, (it will wilt). Store the dressing separately, and keep the coconut water for thinning out later, as it will firm up in the fridge.
Thank you. A dish that I have experienced 3 times. I am very impressed. This dish is really attractive. Being able to go out to eat with your lover or friends is wonderful.