Roasted Sweet Potato Cauliflower Quinoa Bowls

by Whitney // October 8, 2020

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These roasted sweet potato and cauliflower quinoa bowls are packed with healthy vegetables and the quinoa superfood to give you a delicious vegetarian and vegan dinner option the entire family will love!

A blue bowl full of quinoa topped with roasted sweet potatoes and cauliflower.

Plant Based Recipe

This recipe is completed plant-based! I’m completely obsessed with that because this recipe is also really filling. It’s so great knowing I have a dinner option that will fill my family up, that my kids will love and that my husband will request. And if you love quinoa, I have a breakfast quinoa recipe that will knock your socks off.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to come at the sacrifice of flavor! Repeat that to yourself before you decide to eat plain spinach just because. Growing up, my dad had a massive garden — still does in fact! For many years, I remember our dinners were completely made up of vegetables. Steamed corn, steamed broccoli, steamed carrots and salad. While I appreciate the focus my parents had on the importance of eating plant-based and healthy fruits and vegetables, the butter and salt on veggies just didn’t bring a lot of flavor into my life.

You can do so much more with vegetables than steamed, buttered and salted! If you are looking for a healthy dinner option that comes with flavor that packs a punch, this sweet potato cauliflower quinoa bowl recipe is for you. It’s super healthy for you and super yummy for your taste buds. Win-win!

I’m having fun exploring all the fun ways to eat healthy and incorporate vegetables into meals in an impactful way. I get to experiment, and my kids love it… sometimes. 😂

An additional flavor punch in this recipe is the cashew crema sauce. It really ties it together, while adding moisture and creaminess to the dish — and a little bit of a kick. Don’t worry though, if you can’t handle a lot of spice, you can make it less spicy — or even more spicy — depending on your heat preferences. And if you are interested in experimenting in the kitchen, too, you can swap out the quinoa for cooked barley or brown rice. Just don’t opt out on the garnishes! They are key! Serve with cilantro and avocado. It’s delicious. Trust me. Plus, when is it ever a bad idea to add avocado and cilantro? I rest my case.

Ingredients

Cauliflower
Sweet potato
Olive oil
Spices: Chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt
Black beans – make sure they are rinsed and drained.
Cooked quinoa
Avocado slices (for serving)
Cilantro (for serving)
Lime wedges (for serving)

Cashew Crema

Cashews – use unsalted if you can. If you have salted cashews you might want to reduce the amount of salt you use with the veggies.
Chipotle pepper (from a can in adobo sauce) — The ½ pepper is more family friendly yet still provides a little “kick.” If you’re feeding people who can’t tolerate much heat you can eliminate the pepper or cut 1/4 of the pepper and just use that.
Spices: chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin.
Water – will give the crema a nice liquid yet creamy consistency.

How to Make Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowls

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Add the chopped cauliflower and sweet potato to a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over top. Toss to coat. If you used an extra large cauliflower and sweet potato you may want to drizzle an additional tablespoon of olive oil overtop.
Sprinkle on the chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder and salt. Toss to coat. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25 minutes tossing halfway through baking.
After 25 minutes, pour the black beans on the baking sheet and place back in the oven for 4-5 minutes or until warmed. Literally, that’s all we are doing with the veggies. It’s really easy!

Make the Cashew Crema

While the veggies are roasting, make the crema.
Add the cashews, chipotle pepper, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and water to a blender. Blend until smooth. (You can make this in advance and store it in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 1 week.)

Assembling the Bowls

Spoon some cooked quinoa into a large bowl. Add a large scoop of the roasted veggies and beans over the quinoa.
Place several avocado slices in the bowl. Drizzle the crema overtop.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

I like to use a lot of crema on my quinoa bowls so often times I’ll double the cashew crema recipe. My husband claims I use an excessive amount… but I’ll just wait until several of you make it and do the same, then he’ll know it’s “normal.” 😊

If you want to use a different type of bean feel free to do so.

Try adding chickpeas to the cauliflower and sweet potato mixture and roast them with the veggies. I think that would be delicious!

FAQS

How do I know when quinoa is done? — When quinoa is cooked, the grain will look like it’s been opened, exposing a soft inside.
Is quinoa healthier than rice? — Quinoa and rice both contain health benefits. Brown and white rice are the most commonly used. However, white rice is less nutritious than brown rice. A lot of the key nutritional value from rice lies in the husk, bran and germ. All those things have been removed from white rice, diminishing its nutritional value. Whereas brown rice still contains the germ and bran, adding to its nutritional value.
Is quinoa gluten free? — Yes.
Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing? — Yes and no. 😂 You have white sweet potatoes and orange sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes (yep, you read that right) and yams. They all come from the same family, but there are some differences — mostly in the ways they are used. However, according to Bon Appétit, yams and orange sweet potatoes aren’t different at all! “Most of the so-called yams you see in American grocery stores are actually orange-fleshed sweet potatoes,” said cookbook author Mary-Frances Heck. She went on to say the name “yam” was given by Louisiana sweet potato farmers “to distinguish from other states’ produce in the 1930s.” So I guess the confusion goes back a while.

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5 from 5 votes

Roasted Sweet Potato Cauliflower Quinoa Bowls

A vegan recipe thats packed with flavor and healthy ingredients!

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 55

Servings: 6 servings