These Vegetarian Kung Pao Quinoa Bowls are the perfect meal prep recipe to make so you can enjoy a healthy lunch or dinner the entire week!
Can we stop and talk for a second how insane in the membrane the weather has been? As you know, I am a weather woman-wannabe, and GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL. It was in the 40’s for a whole week straight (7 DAYS) in Minneapolis, MN, which is basically Canada…where the temperatures are suppose to be -40 at the time of year. Looking out my window I see no snow…none at all! It makes me sad. A lot of people think that Minnesota in the Winter is HORRIBLE because of the weather, well I’m here to tell you that I’ve lived in the midwest for the majority of my life and that’s what makes the midwest so great! 4 seasons. We have the best summers because of a thing called winter. Anyways, Team Fit Foodie has been doing lots of little things to reduce our carbon footprint so that we can make our way into 2017 as a healthier, more eco-friendly business. Less food waste, more recycling, and GREENER products. I urge you guys to do the same thing whether you believe in Global Warming or not– it’s good for both the planet and you personally.
Well that was an unexpected rant, but necessary one!
I didn’t think I was a sauce girl until I started a blog 6 years ago and realized that I put sauce on everything. Secret sauce, ketchup, bbq sauce, peanut butter (if you count it), KUNG PAO SAUCE. Most of the time when Linley and I are at Fit Foodie HQ, we have some sort of bowl for lunch. AKA we throw whatever we have in the fridge into a bowl and put sauce on top. Sort of how this Vegetarian Kung Pao Quinoa Bowl was born.
This bowl is zi perfect bowl for meal prep! You got your…
- veggies
- grain
- crunchies
- sauce
That’s right…remember our Greek Goddess Dressing and Sauce from last week? We used cilantro instead of basil and added a little bit more olive oil to thin it out for the most perfect green sauce for this bowl.
Kung Pao Buddha Bowls
Ingredients
Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
Kung Pao Veggies
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup green onion minced
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas
- 4 cups broccolini
- 1 heaping cup matchstick carrots
- 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon chili paste
- 1 tablespoon honey
Green Goddess Dressing
Other toppings
- peanuts sesame seeds, and green onion
Instructions
For the Quinoa
- In a large pot, bring quinoa and water to a boil. Cover and lower the heat to low and let simmer for around 20 minutes or until all the water has evaporated.
For the Kung Pao Veggies
- Place sesame oil in a large pan and heat on medium/high heat. Then, add in the vegetables and beans and sauté for 3-5 minutes to lightly cook the veggies so that they are still crunchy. Once veggies are at the desired texture add in the sauce ingredients and sauté for a few minutes.
For the Green Goddess Dressing
- Follow the instructions here, but use cilantro and add a tablespoon or two more of olive oil to make it saucier!
For the Bowls
- Prep bowls by separating the quinoa out into 4 portions. Then do the same with the veggies. Top with peanuts, sesame seeds, green onion, and a few tablespoons of the Green Goddess Dressing.
Nutrition facts
Similar recipes:
As promised, I have not 1 meal prep bowl recipe, but 6! My lovely blogger friends and I partner up once a month to share a recipe based on a certain theme…and what better theme for January than MEAL PREP BOWLS! Check out all of these delicious bowls:
- Honey BBQ Baked Salmon Bowls from Cotter Crunch: These Honey BBQ Baked Salmon Bowls are the perfect meal prep recipe for a make ahead lunch or quick dinner. Protein Packed, Gluten Free, and Dairy Free. A healthy meal ready in 30 minutes!
- Shredded Mexican Beef Bowls from Run to the Kitchen: These shredded Mexican beef bowls are made in the slow cooker and perfect for weekly meal prep with rice, beans, plantains and peppers to round them out!
- Thai Basil Turkey Bowls from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen: These 30-Minute Thai Basil Turkey Bowls are a perfect meal prep recipe that comes together in no time! They are flavorful, delicious Whole30 approved, and packed with veggies to fuel you for your busy days ahead!
- Greek Chicken Bowls from Food Faith Fitness: These low carb Greek chicken bowls have roasted cauliflower and an olive tapenade. They’re an easy, whole30 compliant, paleo meal that you can prep ahead, and they’re only 300 calories!
- Curried Chickpea Bowls from Eating Bird Food: These vegan curried chickpea bowls pair flavorful chickpeas with sautéed spinach and brown rice for an easy meal prep recipe that’s delicious and filling. Perfect for lunch or dinner!
In case you wanted to Insta-stalk, I’m in Colorado right now skiing at Breckenridge. Follow along at @FitFoodieFinds!
Ooh Spicy! Just the right amount of heat for me and the quinoa does a nice job balancing all that flavor. Do make the dressing…it adds so much pizzazz to this! YUM!
Before trying this recipe, I never had quinoa before. I must say, I made this for dinner and it was a massive winner! All the flavours go so well together, it’s easy to make and the taste is purely mouth watering. My partner and I really enjoyed your kung pao quinoa bowls, thank you so much for posting this! P.S The green goddess dressing makes everything look and taste divine! I run away from so much parsley and basil but this dressing is a jackpot and encourages me to eat more herbs! Thank you!
QUINOA FOR THE WIN!!!! It’s my fav!
For the dressing do you add cilantro to the other herbs. Or do you remove basil or parsley?
Oh my gosh, can we just take a moment. I love the idea of making deliciously healthy kung pao vegetables and pairing them up with quinoa! Looks absolutely perfect!
I have been looking for interesting recipes for quinoa!!! This looks amazing, I usually meal prep on Sundays so I will definitely be trying this.
Thank you!
Nice recipe thanks for sharing this
The recipes look amazing I canto try them’t wait
I love these bowls!!!
This sounds so good! I think I like broccolini better than regular broccoli.
I do too!!!!!
You can NEVER go wrong with a good Kung Pao! And in a bowl? I could eat this ALLL day.
I’ve become a sauce girl myself too. Bowl meals are the easiest way to eat and sauce totally makes or breaks the dish. ps- kung pao FTW! Always.
Thank you for your “rant” about your climate change in Minnesota. Its happening here in Pennsylvania, too. No snow yet – 50 degrees this week. Yes, that does often happen in January. But gosh, the whole temperature average has been up – and climbing – the last few years!
PS Just joined your group. Love what you do to find and share healthy, yummy food!
<3