One simple sauce is all it takes to get us gobbling veggies like its our job. We love the recipe below from rainbow food blogger and Our Body Book contributor, Adeline Waugh, for that exact reason: at its core, it’s just another (albeit delicious) veggie bowl. Top it off with a tangy, herby chimichurri sauce, and suddenly that pile of plants is the only thing we want to eat all week…
Lately I have become obsessed with chimichurri. This bright green sauce is primarily used in South American cuisine and it’s comprised of nourishing parsley, raw garlic, a little hot pepper and vinegar. I honestly think you could throw this stuff on anything and it would taste good. The sauce is traditionally used to top meat, but let me tell you, it pairs perfectly with some spicy chipotle sweet potato wedges. I’ve developed this kale salad with chimichurri that has quickly become a staple in my lunch life: massaged kale, farro, chipotle sweet potatoes, chimichuri, avocado, radish and pumpkin seeds.
Chimichurri Kale Bowl
For The Chimichurri:
1 bunch of parsley ( I like to include most of the stems, because why not!)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves
1/2 a jalapeño or red chili pepper (can sub with 2 tsp red pepper flakes)
dash of dried or fresh oregano (optional)
healthy sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Using a chopper or food processor, process the parsley with half of the olive oil, the vinegar, garlic, jalapeño, salt and pepper. Pour into a bowl and then mix in the rest of the olive oil. Set aside (the longer you let it sit, the more the flavor develops!).
For The Kale:
2 big handfuls of kale (about 2 cups) I used dino kale in these photos
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Wash and chop your kale. Pour lemon juice, oil, salt and vinegar over your chopped kale and massaged with your hands to allow the kale to break down and become softer for eating, let sit for a few minutes)
For The Sweet Potatoes:
3 sweet potatoes
1 tbsp of avocado oil (or another safe high heat oil)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp of ground chipotle pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Cut the potatoes into large wedges with the skin still on, I find that roasting sweet potatoes with the skin still on give you a crispier wedge. Toss the wedges in oil, salt, garlic powder and chipotle pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
For The Bowl:
1/2 cup cooked farro
1 radish (sliced)
1/2 an avocado
handful of pumpkin seeds
Add these ingredients to your bowl along with the kale and roasted sweet potato. Top with chimichurri and enjoy!
