Lately I have been all about bowl meals. I add a starch (potatoes, sweet potato or a grain) a bean and a green and done! This bowl meal below is my favorite of the moment. Even though all of the parts of this seem complicated – they are all simple and don’t require a ton of ingredients. I make a lot of each item to keep leftovers in the fridge.

Baked Sweet Potatoes:
Wash a few sweet potatoes, then prick around them several times with a fork. Wrap each in foil and bake at 425 for 1 – 1 1/2 hours. Or, I’ll sometimes steam my sweet potatoes in my pressure cooker.

Avocado Kale Salad:
(Makes 2-3 servings)
1/2 head of kale – leaves torn off stems, then ripped into small pieces
1 avocado
1/2 lemon
Sea salt to taste
Combine the kale, avocado, and lemon juice in a bowl. With your hands, massage the kale until it becomes tender and reduced in size. Add sea salt to taste.

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts:
(Makes about 4 servings)
1 lb of brussel sprouts, stems trimmed and halved
1 tbsp avocado oil (or coconut)
1 tbsp maple syrup
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Toss the sprouts, oil, salt and pepper. Put onto a foil lined baking sheet. Roast for about 20-30 minutes at 425 degrees, stirring a few times, until just starting to brown. Stir in the maple syrup and nuts if using. Roast for another 10 minutes – they will start to turn dark brown, caramelized and crispy.

Roasted Spicy Chickpeas:
1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, then spread onto a baking sheet.Roast for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees, when the chickpeas are crisp. Stir at least once as the chickpeas are roasting. Will store for a few days, but you may need to roast again to crisp them up. Experiment with whatever spices you like – curry powder is a favorite of mine.

Cheeze Sauce:
(Will make about a pint, keeps for 5 days in fridge – use later for mac and cheeze)
2 cloves garlic (optional)
1 cup of raw cashews soaked in water for at least one hour
1 1/2 tbsp of Bragg’s liquid aminos
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
1/4 cup miso
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Blend!

To assemble the bowls:
Halve the baked sweet potato and put on bottom of bowl. Add brussel sprouts, chickpeas and kale salad. Drizzle cheeze sauce on top. Yum!