My friend Geoffrey is a phenomenal cook. He and I have so much fun together in the kitchen because we get so excited about the wonders of pure, fresh food, and we enjoy similar flavors. We both love making veggie quinoa bowls, but his special blend with an added wow factor (a green chimichurri sauce that blends up in minutes) is the best I’ve tasted so far. This combination of veggies and grains is earthy and satisfying, even to the most devoted carnivore. However, it does take 1½ hours to make, so if you don’t have that much time, make just the chimichurri sauce and use it to transform any bowl of grains or vegetables (even leftovers) into a brilliant quick meal.
Ingredients
Chimichurri Sauce
- ¾ cup (180 ml) cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup (50 g) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more to taste
- 1 cup (30 g) finely chopped cilantro, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, plus more to taste
- ½ cup (40 g) finely chopped green onions (white and green parts), plus more to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- ¾ teaspoon natural salt, plus more to taste
- 1½ teaspoons red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
- 1 small butternut squash (or pumpkin), peeled, seeded, and cut into thick slices
- 2 large orange-flesh sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks
- Olive oil
- 2½ cups (475 g) quinoa
- 4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 bunches rainbow (mixed green and red) chard, stalks removed and leaves roughly chopped
- 2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and thickly sliced
How to Make It
- To make the sauce, throw all of the ingredients into your blender and blast on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until well pureed. Tweak any of the flavors to taste to get it just how you want it. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a large bowl, toss the butternut squash and sweet potato with ½ cup of olive oil, 8 cloves of the garlic, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper flakes. Place the vegetables in a single layer on a large baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, until tender.
- In a Dutch oven or an ovenproof pot with a lid, combine the quinoa with 5 cups (1.18l) of water, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the water has reduced below the level of the quinoa. Place the lid firmly on the pot, transfer it to the oven, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the quinoa is nice and fluffy.
- In a bowl, toss the mushrooms with ¼ cup of olive oil. In a separate bowl, toss the asparagus with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt. In a grill pan set over medium-high heat, grill the mushrooms for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender and cooked through; grill the asparagus for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender but still crisp. Set the mushrooms and asparagus on a plate lined with paper towels to cool. Cut the mushrooms in large, rustic slices.
- In a pan over high heat, sauté the chard with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper flakes for about 2 minutes, until the chard is just wilted.
- To serve, place 1 cup (170 g) of quinoa in the bottom of four noodle or soup bowls. Surround the quinoa in each bowl with about 3 slices of squash, 6 to 8 slices of mushroom, 3 slices of sweet potato, and one quarter of the avocado slices. Place a scoop of chard in the center of each bowl, on top of the grain. Divide the asparagus spears among the bowls and drizzle ¼ cup (60 ml) of chimichurri sauce in each bowl. Serve immediately and pass the remaining sauce at the table.