These vegan Greek bowls are made with lemony orzo, savory chickpea oat balls, and a cool, creamy, cashew tzatziki. They’re brimming with coloration and texture, and so they additionally’re so satisfying to eat.
Over the weekend, a buddy and I acquired to speaking about tzatziki.
Admittedly, tzatziki isn’t a predictable dialog matter. However we’re each of Greek descent, and so is the creamy, yogurt-based, herby dip.
I had merely written about and shared my favourite recipe for vegan tzatziki. Coincidentally, my buddy had made a conventional model just a few days earlier. We couldn’t assist however take into account notes.
We acknowledged that we’d every eat the creamy, cooling dip with practically one factor: greens, salads, grilled burgers, kebabs, or simply torn devices of toasted pita.
Fortuitously, I’ve a recipe that’s rather a lot elevated than “practically one factor” to share with you correct this second.
Immediately’s vegan Greek bowls have been giving me life so far week. They’re filled with crisp, trendy veggies and the refreshing tzatziki, together with a selfmade vegan protein ingredient and regarded one amongst my favourite meals: orzo!
They’re the appropriate healthful meal to make whereas summer time season is in full swing.
Parts for the appropriate vegan Greek bowl
I’ve given you an mini ode to plant-based tzatziki already. What else finds its technique into the vegan Greek bowls?
Savory Mediterranean chickpea oat balls
As soon as extra in 2021, I made a recipe for chickpea oat balls. I take be aware eager to level out a can of chickpeas into a flexible protein. On the time, your whole grain that I had obtainable was rolled oats.
The 2 components purchased proper right here collectively, together with sun-dried tomatoes for seasoning and dietary yeast for savoriness.
The flavour profile was Mediterranean-inspired, and the feel was sort of a hybrid of falafel, veggie burgers, and vegan meatballs.
You certainly not know which recipes will stand the take a look at of time. By the use of the years, these versatile little orbs have develop to be thought-about one amongst my favourite vegan proteins to meal prep.
I add them to pasta and salads, and I furthermore wish to dip them into thought-about one amongst my tahini dressings for a straightforward, savory afternoon snack.
The oat balls are the primary protein present contained in the Greek bowls, and the give your whole recipe its heartiness and substance.
Lemony orzo
The opposite ingredient that helps to make the Greek bowls tremendous satisfying is a mattress of lemony orzo.
This isn’t as elaborate a preparation as my beloved trendy lemon orzo pasta salad with peas and dill, however the vivid, citrusy seasoning is the same.
Barely little little little bit of lemon juice and zest, plus olive oil, salt, and pepper is all that’s wanted to level out a tiny pasta sort into the flavorful grain ingredient on this bowl.
Kalamata olives
Like many individuals, one amongst many tastes that I’ve acquired with age is a excessive love of olives. Presumably fittingly, given my mother’s household origins, kalamata olives are my favourite.
The olives add saltiness and savoriness to the vegan Greek bowls. In case you occur to happen to want, you’ll substitute Niçoise olives or one completely different kind of olive that you just merely love.
You presumably may even change the olives altogether and check out swapping them for jarred, roasted crimson pepper strips or sliced banana peppers.
Present greens
It wouldn’t be a elementary vegan lunch bowl (or dinner bowl) with out some crunch and freshness. Correct proper right here, the greens are:
- chopped romaine lettuce
- grape or cherry tomatoes
- chopped cucumber
- herbs (dill and/or parsley)
All of those are very just like the greens in a elementary Greek salad, in order that they really actually really feel fairly related for the recipe.
However in the end, when you might have completely completely different trendy greens or herbs obtainable which have to be used up, it is attainable you may be fully glad to make some creative substitutions.
Cool, creamy vegan tzatziki
The tzatziki that brings these Greek bowls to the following stage is totally dairy-free, nevertheless it certainly has the tangy type and freshness of typical tzatziki.
As a substitute of yogurt, there’s a base of blended, soaked cashews, lemon juice, lime juice, and salt. It’s truly my recipe for vegan bitter cream, with the incorporation of herbs and garlic for typical type.
In case you occur to happen to’ve acquired a cashew allergy or nut allergy, then you’ll commerce the cashews for store-bought plant-based yogurt that matches your needs.
Greek French dressing
Whereas the cashew tzatziki creates quite a lot of creamy, wealthy texture, I furthermore prefer to brighten the greens for the Greek bowls calmly with my Greek French dressing.
When establishing further refined bowls, I profit from the an similar recommendation that I’ve frequently been given about cooking: season every ingredient as you go.
The Greek French dressing is a reasonably easy dressing: crimson wine vinegar, lemon, olive oil, garlic, and oregano. If there’s one completely different dressing that you just merely want, be fully glad to put it to use correct proper right here.
Furthermore, it is attainable you may add further heaps of tzatziki to the greens once you happen to’d like a no-oil various.
Are the Greek bowls gluten-free?
Ensuing from orzo, which is a wheat-based pasta, the bowls aren’t gluten-free.
Nevertheless, there are gluten-free orzo varieties, which you should purchase on-line once you happen to’d wish to make a substitute.
You presumably can furthermore use one completely different gluten-free, small pasta sort, or you’ll try millet, quinoa, or rice as a numerous.
The proper answer to make a Greek-inspired, plant-based vitality plate
Sure, it is a bowl recipe, however the blueprint is the same blueprint that I wrote about in my cookbook Vitality Plates.
And it’s actually the an similar components that guides most of my meal planning: a protein present or sources (chickpeas + wheat pasta), healthful fat (cashews + olive oil), refined carbs (beans + oats + wheat pasta), and veggies.
Whether or not or not or not we title it a plate or a bowl, correct proper right here’s now this nourishing meal comes collectively.
Step 1: Put collectively the tzatziki
As rapidly as a result of the cashews are blended, my vegan tzatziki actually isn’t laborious to rearrange. Nevertheless, I take into account it tastes elevated after on the very least an evening contained in the fridge, when the flavors have had an opportunity to meld. In consequence, I desire to advocate making it on the very least one full day prior to getting ready the bowls.
Step 2: Make the chickpea oat balls
The chickpea oat balls are the Greek bowls’ most labor-intensive ingredient.
In case you occur to happen to are susceptible to get overwhelmed when making an extended recipe, as I often do, then it’s good to make these forward of time (as rather a lot as three days prior to assembling the bowls).
The chickpea oat balls furthermore freeze fairly successfully. Retailer them contained in the freezer for as rather a lot as eight weeks and defrost in a single day prior to shifting on with the recipe.
Step 2: Boil and season the orzo
Fortunately, as compared with full grains paying homage to wheat berries or rice, orzo could very properly be very quick-cooking.
After boiling the orzo for about ten or twelve minutes, you’ll drain it.
Whereas the freshly cooked pasta is scorching, season it as instructed with lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and salt and pepper to mannequin.
Aspect phrase: that is how I’ll frequently put collectively orzo as a aspect dish any longer! It’s so good.
Personally, I take into account it’s wonderful if the orzo is a bit heat when it goes into the bowls, even when the bowls are largely meant to be served chilly. However it is attainable you may cool it as fairly a bit as you want—dashing cooling by transferring to the fridge, once you wish to—prior to plating.
Step 3: Make the Greek French dressing (if utilizing)
Technically, you might make the French dressing as rather a lot as a full week forward of time, nonetheless it’s fairly quick. You presumably can merely whisk or shake it collectively whereas the orzo is boiling.
Step 4: Assemble your Greek bowls
Now comes the gratifying half. Start by dividing the romaine into 4 bowls (or onto 4 plates) and drizzling every portion calmly with the French dressing.
Extreme every mattress of greens with 1 / 4 of your olives, greens, chickpea oat balls, and cooked orzo.
Lastly, it’s time to serve. As you revenue from the bowls, it is attainable you may combine your whole scrumptious tzatziki into them, in order that all the gadgets has a bit little little little bit of that cooling, creamy type and texture.
The Vegan Week
Embrace the enjoyment of consuming selfmade meals on daily basis with the hearty and healthful recipes in The Vegan Week.
Whether or not or not or not you have got gotten three, two, and even only one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will present you methods to batch put collectively dinner numerous, vibrant, and comforting dishes over the weekend.
Meal prep & storage
It’s laborious to ponder a recipe that’s further conducive to meal prep than this one. In case you occur to happen to’d like your bowl meeting to primarily actually really feel easy, then I terribly advocate making one or all of those parts forward of time:
- Chickpea oat balls (could very properly be saved contained in the fridge for as rather a lot as 5 days or frozen for as rather a lot as eight weeks)
- French dressing (could very properly be saved contained in the fridge for as rather a lot as per week)
- Tzatziki (could very properly be saved contained in the fridge for as rather a lot as 4 days and frozen for as rather a lot as six weeks)
The greens may additionally be chopped up a pair days forward of time, in order that they’re able to serve or put into lunch bins merely.
All of that acknowledged, once you happen to’d wish to make the Greek bowls in a single fell swoop, that’s wonderful, too. I can’t say that it is a fast and easy recipe, however I can promise you that your effort, whether or not or not or not it’s in ranges or abruptly, shall be worthwhile.
Vegan Greek Bowls with Cashew Tzatziki and Orzo
Creator –
Yields: 4 servings
- 1 cup dry orzo (225g)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Salt
- Freshly flooring black pepper
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce (175g; about 1 head)
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (320g)
- 2 cups peeled and chopped cucumber (260g)
- 1/2 cup sliced, pitted Kalamata olives (60g)
- 1/2 cup Greek French dressing (120ml)
- 1 batch Mediterranean chickpea oat balls
- 1 cup creamy vegan tzatziki (240ml; further as desired)
- Chopped trendy parsley and/or dill, for garnish (optionally accessible)
Put collectively the orzo
Ship a medium pot of salted water to a boil over excessive warmth. Add the orzo and alter the warmth to medium excessive. Simmer the orzo, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes, till tender however not mushy. Drain the orzo.
Change the orzo to a medium bowl and add the lemon juice and zest and olive oil; toss efficiently. Trend the orzo and add salt and freshly flooring black pepper as wanted.
Assemble the bowls
Divide the chopped romaine into 4 bowls or, if meal prepping, 4 storage containers. Drizzle loads of teaspoons of French dressing over the mattress of greens.
Extreme every portion of greens with 1 / 4 every of the cooked orzo, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and Chickpea Oat Balls. Extreme every bowl with 1 / 4 cup or further of tzatziki. Garnish with chopped trendy parsley or dill, if desired, and serve or retailer.
Fully ready bowls could very properly be saved in an hermetic container contained in the fridge for as rather a lot as two days.
Each summer time season, there appears to be a vegan bowl recipe that steals my coronary coronary coronary heart.
Remaining summer time season it was quinoa beet bowls, and two summers prior to it was chickpea burrito bowls.
These vegan Greek bowls are this summer time season’s celebration of grains, greens, and beans. I hope you’ll love them, too!
xo