Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Maple Tahini Dressing

Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Maple Tahini Dressing ~ perfect for lunch or dinner. It's loaded with healthy vegetables and nutty quinoa and drizzled with a maple sweetened tahini dressing.

Bowls. Bowls. And more Bowls. Everywhere you look there are protein bowls of food artistically arranged with an endless variety of ingredients. Acai bowls, poke bowls, and smoothie bowls are the dining trend as plates are traded in for bowls. Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Maple Tahini Dressing are my healthy take on this fun way to eat.

are Mediterranean quinoa bowls good for you?

MOST DEFINITELY! The base of each of the single serving quinoa bowls is the nutritional powerhouse that is quinoa. A nutty tasting seed that is often mistaken as a grain, quinoa is a complete protein that contains all nine essential amino acids. Loaded with fiber, iron, lysine, magnesium, riboflavin, and manganese makes the superfood an ideal addition to a healthy diet.

ingredients

Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Maple Tahini Dressing feature many ingredients of a traditional Greek salad.

• Quinoa
• Olives
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Feta cheese
• Artichoke hearts
• Baby spinach
• Red Onion
• Homemade dressing made with tahini and a touch of maple syrup. Made from ground sesame seeds, tahini is similar to nut butters like peanut butter or almond butter. It is slightly thinner in texture and has a roasted, nutty taste.

The dressing thickens to peanut butter consistency before whisking in the hot water. Incorporating the water will thin to dressing. It drizzles effortlessly over the picturesque meal in a bowl. Double the dressing recipe to enjoy on grilled chicken, fish or a drizzle for roasted vegetables.

how to cook quinoa

Cooking a batch of quinoa is as easy as preparing a pot of rice. For each cup of quinoa, add 2 cups of water (or stock for extra flavor) in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and set a timer for 15 minutes. The mild flavored quinoa is ready when all the water or stock has been absorbed and it is light and fluffy in texture.

are quinoa bowls easy to make?

The preparation of the Greek salad inspired meal-in-a-bowl focuses more on assembly than cooking. Let Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Maple Tahini Dressing spark your culinary creativity. Add grilled chicken, tofu or shrimp for extra protein.  Swap out the quinoa and try farro or barley. Add creamy chunks of avocado, shredded kale or crisp slices of green pepper. The sky's the limit when creating a healthy meal in a bowl.

just one more thing

If you make these delicious and healthy quinoa bowls, I'd love hearing from you all. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I'll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations and how you decorate the cake.

Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories and videos, cooking tips, and recipes.

Recipe

Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Maple Tahini Dressing

Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls with Maple Tahini Dressing. It's perfect for lunch or dinner. It's loaded with healthy vegetables and nutty quinoa and drizzled with a maple sweetened tahini dressing. 

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 573kcal

Author: Amy Casey

Ingredients 

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• For the quinoa bowls ~
• 1 cup of quinoa
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
• 2 cups baby spinach packed
• 1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 14-ounce can black olives, drained
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 medium English cucumber diced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 1 small red onion thinly sliced
• ¼ cup parsley finely chopped
• For the maple tahini dressing ~
• ¼ cup tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon about 2 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 to 4 tablespoons hot water
• Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

• In a small pot, add the quinoa and the stock or water. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook for 15 minutes or until the stock or water is absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy. Remove from heat and set aside.
• To assemble the quinoa bowls, place about 1 cup of the cooked quinoa in each of 4 shallow bowls. Divide the spinach, artichoke hearts, olives, feta cheese, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and parsley evenly among each of the 4 bowls.
• To make the dressing, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup and oregano. Add the hot water 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue whisking until the water is incorporated into the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Drizzle the dressing over the Mediterranean quinoa bowls. Serve.

Notes

The dressing thickens to peanut butter consistency before whisking in the hot water. Incorporating the water will thin to dressing. It drizzles effortlessly over the picturesque meal in a bowl. Double the dressing recipe to enjoy on grilled chicken, fish or a drizzle for roasted vegetables.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of recipe | Calories: 573kcal | Carbohydrates: 60.4g | Protein: 21.6g | Fat: 29.2g | Saturated Fat: 6.4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 2213mg | Fiber: 17.3g | Sugar: 8.7g

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