Healthy Pesto Veggie Bowl

This Healthy Pesto Veggie Bowl is the epitome of eating clean. Packed with a ton of flavor and boasting with gently roasted veggies, this bowl highlights red potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and dressed with our delicious Avocado Kale Spinach Pesto Sauce. The perfect healthy meal for dinner or lunch. Made in just one sheet pan! All Vegan.

It's Wellness Wednesday and I could be anymore excited to share this dish with you all. I know that this isn't like anything I've shared before and that's exactly why I did it!

If you've been an avid follower of Orchids + Sweet Tea, then you'll know that I've since delved into an even healthier versions of classic (and/or favorite) dishes so this one is no different.

Usually, I'd enjoy a nice chicken bowl or something, however, I've opted in for solely using veggies this time around. Believe it or not, this bowl of veggie goodness will leave you feeling full for a long time. You won't even miss meat.

Benefits of Carrots?

More importantly, did you know that carrots are super beneficial? They are awesome sources of beta-carotene, fiber, Vitamin-K, Potassium, and antioxidants. In addition, if you’re someone who is thinking about making ‘weight loss’ one of your New Year goals, then carrots are just the thing for you! They are weight-loss friendly and have been linked to reduce cholesterol and of course as most of are aware—THEY REALLY DO IMPROVE EYE HEALTH!

Among other great benefits, carrots also help to lower Blood Sugar levels and are great sources of fiber as previously mentioned, and feed the good bacteria in our guts, which aides better digestion.

Looking for an awesome Carrot-based recipe? Try this Creamy Jamaican-Inspired Vegan Carrot Juice recipe! It's so good and super easy to make.

Benefits of Cauliflower:

When it comes to cauliflower, it’s definitely a very healthy vegetable that offers a lot of nutrients, which include fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potassium, Magnesium, etc.

Cauliflower also has a great source of antioxidants, which protects your body’s cells from harmful toxins and inflammations.

In addition, cauliflower may aide in weight loss. How? Whelp, they are absolutely low in calories and works as a great substitute for rice and flour.

Other benefits:

• High in Choline (which maintains integrity of cell membranes, synthesizing DNA, and supports metabolism)
• Rich in Sulforaphane (a special type of antioxidant)
• Easy to add to diet
• Contains many other nutrients

Lover of Cauliflower? This Spicy Cajun Shrimp, Kale + Cauliflower Rice recipe is EVERYTHING! A one pot meal, completely easy and ready in 30 short minutes. Of course, these Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are a MUST! Then there's this  Sticky Teriyaki + Maple Cauliflower dish which is even more delicious than it sounds!

This Vegan Chickpea + Broccoli Mashed Potato Bowl is the perfect easy weekday meal or perhaps something simple for a laid-back weekend. Based with creamy mashed potatoes and topped with a spicy BBQ Sriracha Chickpea and Broccoli combination. Completely dairy-free and vegan.

Let's Talk About This Homemade Pesto Sauce!

This stuff is just TOO GOOD to pass up! Period. It's super creamy, easy to make, and did I say it's just TOO GOOD to pass up? Haha.

Must-Haves:

1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 large ripe avocado, pitted + slightly mashed
½ cup spinach, chopped
½ cup fresh kale, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsps walnuts
2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsps water + more if needed
pinch of sea salt + black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
pinch of cayenne pepper

Method:

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until sauce becomes creamy. **NOTE: If needed, add a bit more lemon juice or water (1 tablespoon at a time), until desired consistency is met.**

Why Red Potatoes, anyway?

OK, so I know that starchy foods like potatoes are often frowned upon a bit (especially when mentioning a healthy dish). However, Red Potatoes promote good health with the nutrients that they include. More importantly, it is imperative that we understand that their skins carry the nutritional value, therefore, like in this recipe, I love keeping the skin on my red potatoes.

Some Benefits:

• They help with weight loss.
• Lower Blood Pressure.
• Aide in Blood Building.
• Packed with Antioxidants.

Let's dig right into this recipe, shall we?

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Once all veggies are sliced in halves or chopped in chunks, add them to a large bowl, drizzling with extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil, and adding seasonings. Gently rub oil and seasoning onto veggies until full combined. Now, add pesto sauce and toss again.

Add them onto a baking sheet, ensuring that a single layer is formed and no veggie is overpacked onto one another.

Bake for 20-25 minutes (tossing them half-way a bit for even cooking), until golden brown and a slight crust is formed (if desired).

Remove from oven and let cool slightly, about 2 minutes.

To serve, add veggies to a bowl and top with 1-2 Tbsps of additional Pesto Sauce. NOTE: You can also re-toss them in extra Pesto Sauce if you don't prefer "dry" veggies.

Bon Appetite!

MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?

If you choose to make this Healthy Pesto Veggie Bowlor any other recipe from us, be sure to tag us on Instagram at #Orchidsandsweettea so that we can share the love!

 

Healthy Pesto Veggie Bowl.

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