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When it comes to salads for a main meal, the most common concerns I hear are that they aren’t filling enough and they just don’t taste that great. And for people who think this, it is likely that you aren’t making your salads quite right! You are likely missing key ingredients and are not getting the right combination down to make the perfect salad you will actually enjoy.
When it comes to a nutritious and balanced salad, you want to have the right amount of your macros, which include protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Here are examples of each:
Protein: chickpeas, beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, eggs, chicken, or fish (in this salad I used chickpeas).
Complex Carbohydrates: quinoa, bulgur, couscous, whole grain pasta, sweet potato, peas, corn (in this salad, I used quinoa).
Healthy Fats: avocado, nuts, seeds, and oils (in this salad, I used olive oil and I added this Creamy Avocado Dressing).
The combination of these ingredients will ensure you feel full and satisfied when having a salad as a main meal.
Once you have these 3 components down, you want to add a variety of other ingredients such as dark leafy greens and a variety of veggies. A quick check to see if you are getting a variety of nutrients is by eating a variety of colours.
This Tandoori Roasted Salad Power Bowl is packed with the right nutrients but also a lot of flavour. The tandoori marinated veggies and chickpeas give a bit of spice and go really well with the Creamy Avocado Dressing. You could also swap the dressing for a homemade raita (yogurt based dressing).
Now when it comes to using tandoori masala, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Look at ingredients list first. It should only have a blend of spices and not any additives.
- Avoid any tandoori masalas with artificial food colouring. You can get tandoori masala that is naturally coloured, with beet juice for example, or a spice blend that doesn’t add any colour at all.
- When possible, compare sodium content and get the tandoori masala with a lower sodium amount (i.e. less salt).
A common concern when it comes to having salads regularly is also that it takes too much time to prepare. The great thing about this Roasted Tandoori Salad Power Bowl is that you can prepare a lot of the ingredients beforehand so that you can simply put together the salad during a busy weekday. For example, you can marinate and roast the veggies and chickpeas, as well as cook the quinoa in advance. Store these all separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. You can also prepare the Creamy Avocado Dressing in advance and store in a glass mason jar in the refrigerator. To assemble, pull out all prepping ingredients and assemble your salad.
Roasted Tandoori Salad Power Bowl
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Ingredients
- 7-8 small eggplants chopped
- 1 tbsp tandoori masala
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 cans chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 head cauliflower chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 4 cup spinach
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
Instructions
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Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together chopped eggplants, tandoori masala, and oil. Place on one side of baking sheet. Mix together chickpeas, tandoori masala, and oil, and place on same baking sheet. Mix together cauliflower, olive oil, salt, and black pepper, and place on a separate baking sheet. Bake both trays for 35 to 40 minutes until veggies brown and chickpeas are crispy. When ready to assemble, layer spinach in bowl and top with chickpeas, eggplant, cauliflower, bean sprouts, and quinoa. Top with creamy avocado dressing (recipe here).
Nutrition
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