Sesame Kale Glow Bowl

It's ironic, really, that just when I felt my life was going to be at its most empty point, I feel like it's busier than ever.  Two thumbs up to that.  Busy is good.  I'm tired, but I'm having a good time too.

When you're this busy, one thing that can sometimes fall by the wayside is eating well.  I confess to eating at McDonald's the night they started serving breakfast all day (no McGriddles though- what a rip off!), and to forcing Kenzie and Nick into taking me to Boston Market for my usual order of mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and stuffing (that's correct, you don't see a single green vegetable in there unless you count the diced celery in the stuffing).  I'm still smaller than I was in the spring before my life went awry, but I know full well that hash browns and macaroni and cheese is no way to keep myself healthy or happy!  Plus there were a couple weeks there when I had no leftovers, and thus no good lunches for work.  All around bad news.

So, I went grocery shopping again.  I bought things like kale and tempeh and quinoa - and by the way, how awesome is it that I can buy these things and no one is going to complain that I am making weird stuff for dinner?  This is a glow bowl.  It's so named because it is so healthy, you will glow after eating it.  Well, that's what they say, anyway.  I don't think I am glowing, but I certainly felt better after eating it.  Not to mention the fact that it was delicious.  The sauce is a soy-dijon-lime-ginger sauce, and it coats the quinoa, tempeh, kale, broccoli, and red onion perfectly so that everything is super flavorful.

I do think that the next time I make this, I will make the sauce first, and marinate the tempeh in it for 30 minutes.  My favorite tempeh recipes have been the ones where it gets marinated. Tempeh has such a good texture, and it is perfect for sucking up all the flavor from marinades.  It was still good in this bowl, but it wasn't the star of the dish, which I think it had the potential for.

Healthy doesn't have to be complicated or boring.  Healthy can be a bowl full of delicious vegetarian ingredients like this!

Recipe:

sesame kale glow bowl
from the Glowing Fridge
serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups kale, de-stemmed and torn
2 cups broccoli florets, about 1 small head
4 ounces tempeh, chopped/crumbled
2 tablespoons soy sauce/ tamarin for gluten-free
2 tablespoons water
juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions:

1) Combine quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed.

2) Meanwhile in a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil on medium-high heat.  Add the red onion and sauce for 2 -3 minutes. Add the garlic, kale, broccoli and tempeh.  Sauce for about 3 minutes.

3) In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, lime juice, dijon mustard, ginger, pepper, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds.  Add mixture to saucepan with vegetables and mix until well combined.  Cook for about 2 more minutes.

4) Once quinoa is finished cooking, scoop it into bowls and top with vegetable mixture.