Vegetarian Grain Bowls!

I love the idea of sticking to Meatless Mondays each week, but it takes dedication and preparation to figure out a wholesome meal for that day. My main challenge is to find a dish that is hearty and fulfilling and not miss the presence of meat in it.

While scrolling through Facebook, I stumbled upon one of those short recipe videos. It featured roasted vegetarian grain bowls which looked easy to make. The video featured two separate combinations of veggies to use. I headed to the farmer's market to scoop up items such as, sugar snap peas, red cabbage and chick peas. The ingredients were very simple; chop up each veggie and lay in on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. One combination consisted of Brussel sprouts, sweet potato, yellow pepper, red onion and chick peas. The other used sugar snap peas, broccoli, red cabbage, carrots and red pepper. I seasoned the Brussels dish with garlic pepper, smoked paprika, sea salt and Trader Joe's Everyday seasoning. The Snap Peas mixture was seasoned with garlic pepper, sea salt and Trader Joe's Everyday seasoning. I roasted the veggies in a 425 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked through. Meanwhile, I chose coucous to serve with my veggies. If you have not cooked coucous, it's super easy and quick. Boil your desired liquid in a saucepan with the spices. I usually do roasted garlic because I can't get enough garlic. As the veggies came out of the oven, I built each bowl with coucous, and separating each veggie in one corner of the bowl. You may also make sauces to accompany each bowl. I used an Asian ginger sauce from Whole Foods for the Sugar Snap Pea mixture. The Brussels mixture did not need the extra sauce, but the recipe called for a cilantro lime greek yogurt sauce. Each bowl was delicious and I did not miss having meat for that Monday.

This meal is excellent for meal prepping for the week, but it can be made in advance and portioned separately. Meatless Mondays do not have to be boring or always consist of salads. I also have a Meatless Monday page in my Pinterest in you want to check it out. Take time to branch out and find cool dishes.Happy Meatless Monday!