Before I get to this totally delectable winter bowl, I need to talk about something totally unimportant and mostly unrelated so if you just want the recipe, scroll on down. Anyway, I'm hard-core nesting right now. I'm nesting like it's my job.
Like, it's suddenly ridiculously important to me that my home be our sanctuary and reflective of who we are rather than just a place where we keep the furniture that we've accumulated (some mine, some Chris's, some we purchased together). Luckily, Chris and I have very similar tastes when it comes to decor so there's some sort of flow going on, but after almost five years of living in our home, I'm finally putting it all together.
It all started last summer when I decided to reupholster this chair that Chris and I bought shortly after moving in together. It was white vinyl and after years of sitting in the sun, the vinyl had completely disintegrated. We retired it to the garage for awhile and then suddenly, I felt it needed to be brought back in a whole new way. So I had it reupholstered (in this gorgeous peacock-teal color) but it looked kind of lonely all by itself so I brought out the console table we had in our bedroom, put a plant on it, hung some pictures and now I have a little reading nook. But the moving of the console table left a huge empty spot in our bedroom which I decided to fill with a cool, vintage dresser found on Craigslist and got rid of the million year old IKEA dresser that was falling apart in my closet. Once I had places in my house I really, really loved, I couldn't help but feel I needed to make the whole home somewhere I really, really loved. So the nesting fever began.
First, I had to make our living room as cool as our little reading nook. Our old sofa was a sofa bed and after six years, it had seen better days and also, sitting on it for too long made my back ache. So we got a new sectional sofa last year but our old coffee table wouldn't fit with it so we found an adorable, locally made coffee table on Etsy. We also needed a rug that "really ties the room together," so after much, much searching, we settled on FLOR rug tiles and they are amazing and eco-friendly and less than half the price of a regular rug that size. Now we're just putting the finishing touches on the living room.
Next up: The Bedroom. I've always wanted to have a bedroom that was hotel-like and not just the place where we sleep. I want to love being in my bedroom. So I'm working on that. A friend is building our nightstands and I found someone on Craigslist that can make my dream bed for thousands less than it would cost from the store. If you've ever wondered how many hours I can spend searching "Mid Century Modern" on Craigslist, the answer is: "too many to count." I've spent an exorbitant amount of hours looking online for cool brass sconces that don't make Chris cringe (he has this weird thing against brass and/or sconces) to go on either side of our bed and for a comfy chair that can fit in the new empty corner of our bedroom (because we rearranged everything and now we have an empty corner).
So my home is finally coming together. I've been loving the process of looking (I've always had a passion for furniture and in all honesty, it's felt really good to pour some energy into non-food blog related things) but I'm also enjoying the part where I get to be in my home and enjoy the homey-ness of it. I'm a cancer and being a homebody is definitely my gig so when I can cozy up and read a book in my little nook or curl up on the comfiest couch ever with my husband and a bowl of pure deliciousness for dinner and watch reruns of Parks And Recreation, I am completely and totally in homebody heaven. All of it makes me so damn grateful to be alive and so blessed to be able to have food in my bowl and a roof over my head, let alone be able to make that space a home. I am ridiculously privileged and I am absolutely not taking that for granted.
Most recently, this homebody-approved bowl was composed of my favorite things: roasted mushrooms, roasted butternut squash, roasted delicata squash, white beans, wild rice, avocado, pickled red cabbage, and a lemon tahini sauce. First of all, roasting veggies is my favorite way to enjoy them so having a bowl full of roasted veggies is basically, my idea of perfection. Add in avocado (because I honestly can't think of a meal that can't be made better with avocado) and my favorite pickled red cabbage and we have a deal. I'm also kind of obsessed with this lemon tahini sauce (it's very similar to my coconut lime tahini sauce) and its lightly citrusy, lightly sweet flavor with a hint of umami and oh my god, the creaminess! I want to put it on all of my food. All the time. Forever. Plus, you can never go wrong with beans and rice so this roasted winter bowl is pretty much a guaranteed win all the way around. And by eating such a variety of colors, you're doing your body good. Please, for me, make some and eat it in a cozy spot in your home (I give you permission to wrap a blanket around you while you eat, even if it's kind of impractical. Coziness is more important than practicality here) and enjoy being where you are. Enjoy the simple pleasures of eating a delicious meal in your home and feel the warm, happy satisfaction that comes with it. And be sure to take note of how blessed we are to be able to do so.
Ingredients
- 1 small/medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
- 1 large delicata squash, halved, seeded, seeded, and sliced (the skin is okay to eat)
- 8-ounces of crimini or button mushrooms, stems removed
- olive oil spray
- 1 tablespoon liquid aminos
- several dashes of dried thyme
- several dashes of dried rosemary
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups (or one 15-ounce can, rinsed and drained) cooked great northern white beans
- 1 tablespoon liquid aminos
- pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon liquid aminos
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- cooked wild rice
- greens of choice
- avocado, diced
- pickled red cabbage
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the butternut squash and delicata squash out on one sheet and the mushrooms on the other. Spray both with olive oil spray. Drizzle the liquid aminos over the mushrooms ONLY. Add the thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper to both. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until the the squash is tender, tossing once halfway through to ensure even cooking. Check the mushrooms after 15 minutes and remove if they are tender and juicy. You want them to be tender but not mushy.
- While the veggies are roasting, you can heat up the beans. Heat the beans in a pan over medium heat. Add the liquid aminos and cook, stirring occasionally until the beans are fully heated and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and add pepper. Cover the pan until ready to serve.
- You can also prepare the tahini sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a large cup or mug and use a fork or mini-whisk to stir untill fully blended. Set aside.
- To serve, fill your bowls with your greens and top with a bed of rice. Add a serving of butternut squash, delicata squash, and mushrooms to each bowl. Add a serving of beans to each bowl. Top each with pickled cabbage and avocado. Drizzle the tahini sauce over it all and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Tell me about your favorite cozy spot in your home. I want to hear all about it.
Photography by Chris Miller
Laura
Oh my golly, I LOVE bowls. I actually just made a similar lemon tahini sauce last night for a stir fry and found myself dreaming of bowls with it. Plus roasted veggies. This looks awesome!!!
valentina | sweet kabocha
I love bowls with different tastes and colors 🙂
Btw, I loved reading about your house 😀
jane
Now you have to do a post about your mid century modern house. Would love to see all the pieces you got. Photos and all. You had me at "mid century modern". Your winter bowl looks beautiful I can't wait to try it!
Liz
I totally with you on the homebody syndrome--- I would take a night in on the couch with an awesome dinner and my boyfriend over basically anything. I'll definitely be making this roasted veggie bowl soon! I LOVE roasting veggies!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
I totally feel you on this! For a while, it seems like we were so broke that we took any free thing or furniture that came along. But now, I want to make it our home with nicer things, ya know? I also have become obsessed with the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and it's awesome!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Power bowls like this always frequent my weekly dinner rotation - so this recipe is perfect for me. Thanks for sharing it!
sarah
I'm still waiting for that nesting instinct. Maybe my hands are too full with children and this blog right now but it would definitely be good for me too to put some energy into non-blog related things. We have been getting out basement apartment ready for an airbnb and that has been fun to decorate from scratch but our upstairs is still a random collection of colored on, goodwill furniture. Perhaps with two cats, a dog, and two kid that's how it should stay for awhile... This bowl looks amazing, BTW.
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
This is a beautiful bowl! I could eat this all day, every day for the rest of my life. Glad you're house is coming together. Once you start with the decorating/repairs/etc. it's hard to stop!
Joanne
I wonder when/if that nesting urge will ever take over me! Although, I do constantly have the urge to make nourishing bowl meals like this. That sauce especially sounds great to me.
Anne-Michelle
This was truly fantastic. We served it at my mom's Academy Awards Party where we hosted a "green" theme and used everything recycled, organic, local, and handmade. We used veggies that were in my weekly farm box, such as cauliflower, brussell sprouts instead of squash. I used a similar dressing, but without any sweetener. I put white navy beans in a crock pot with carrots, celery, onions, and seasonings. The dinner was fantastic, and this was a fabulous basic recipe to change up depending on which items are in season.
Katrina
This recipe is the jumping off point for my favourite meals. It is what I serve to non-vegans when I want to blow their minds.
I don't put maple in the tahini sauce but I do put the sauce on *everything*.... I add it to the white beans as they simmer. That sauce is soo good.
I like to add roasted cauliflower and brussel sprouts, and serve this whole dish with a side of garlicky kale caesar salad. Sometimes I take out the rice altogether. This dish is delicious, any way that you adapt it! THANK YOU!
Lucia
This looks great, I can't wait to try it. But what is liquid aminos and where can I find it @ the store?
keepinitkind
Liquid aminos are similar to soy sauce or tamari but have more nutritional value. They can be found with bottled sauces.
Megan
Recommendations to make the sauce Whole30 friendly and remove the maple syrup?
keepinitkind
I don't have any suggestions, actually. You probably know more about Whole30 than I do.
Lydia fox
Hi.
How long will the pickled red cabbage last in the fridge.
keepinitkind
About 7 to 10 days.
Flora
Did you make the pickled red cabbage or do you buy it in a can or jar?
keepinitkind
I've done it both ways.
Vanessa
Wow this looks amazing! I love warm recipes in the winter and sweet potatoes as well. Great photos by the way. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!