Tamari-Marinated Spring Power Bowls

I realize I talk a lot about my CSA box these days (side note: this is completely on my own volition, they do n-o-t sponsor my recipes or anything) but I will say that our most recent CSA delivery was especially good. We had… spring green beans! Big carrots! Beautiful red onions! Plus some of my favorite usual suspects: kale, cabbage, etc. After a long weekend of not-so-stellar eating, I was ready to devour these vegetables and get my life back on the right track… with a power bowl!

“Power bowl” is just my way of describing any giant bowl packed full of good-for-you components. Mostly vegetables, some protein, a small amount of good fats, and possibly a healthy grain (although not in this particular version), and some sort of flavorful homemade dressing/marinade. Basically as balanced and natural as you can get – meaning you can eat a huge amount of it and get tons of nutritional benefits without worrying about your portion size. I really like eating huge amounts of things, so this works out great for me.

Tamari-Roasted Spring Power Bowls

Note: You can make this with whatever vegetables are in season! The sky’s the limit. I, of course, used all the stuff I got in my CSA box. This amount made two big power bowls for Rob and I (plus a little bit of leftover marinated kale-cabbage salad for lunch tomorrow).

3 carrots, cut into coins
2 small summer squash, cut into coins
1 small red onion, slivered
1 cup green beans
1 cup kale, roughly chopped/torn
1 small head red cabbage, chopped
handful of almonds (I used wasabi-tamari roasted almonds from the HEB bulk section, yeah boy!)
3 links of organic chicken sausage (I love Bilinski’s brand! 80 calories, 2.5g fat, and 13g protein per link)
Coconut oil!
Sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes

For the kale/cabbage marinade:
1/3c good hummus (Grandma’s hummus is the best ever because it’s super garlicky and lemony)
1/3c apple cider vinegar
1/3c tamari (or soy sauce)
juice of 1/2 lemon
handful red pepper flakes

First things first: roasting the carrots, summer squash, red onion, and green beans. I tossed them in some Trader Joe’s coconut oil spray, sprinkled with some sea salt, cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and put them in the oven to cook at 375 for about a half hour. This might seem like a ton of veggies, but they’ll cook down a good deal.

While you’re waiting for the vegetables to be done, throw the kale and cabbage into a big salad bowl. Now it’s time to make the dressing (or marinade, if you will). Scoop your hummus into a mason jar or other shakeable container, add the rest of the ingredients, screw the lid on tight, and shake-shake-shake! You can thin it out with water or more vinegar to get the consistency you like. Pour all the marinade over the kale and cabbage, either massage it in or really toss it and crunch it with some good salad tongs, and let it sit for about 20 minutes.

Finally, while you’re marinating the greens and letting those spring vegetables roast for their final minutes, heat up the sausage. If you’re using the same kind I do, it’s pre-cooked and you just need to toss it in a skillet with a little bit of natural cooking spray on medium heat for 10ish minutes. Easy. And of course, if you wanted to make this a vegan dish, just omit this step or use some nice veggie sausage!

Now it’s time to put everything together. Dole out the marinated kale/cabbage combo into two big bowls. Artfully arrange your warm spring vegetables, sliced sausage, and nuts on top. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon, little sprinkling of salt, and/or a dash of Sriracha on the top to add some zest, if you’d like. Admire how beautiful and colorful your dinner is, then dig in!

For more healthy recipes, cocktails, food travel, and restaurant reviews, check out ES Emily’s individual blog, A Time to Kale, or tweet her @emilyteachout.