Sweet Potato Hemp Seed Quinoa Bowls
I hope you’ll forgive my sporadic posting lately. Things got a little stressful last week so I took a much needed break. Like, sleep-in then lay on the couch under a cozy blanket all day long break.
My most recent wedding endeavor was trying to decide on a florist and like the rest of this process, doing it from a distance proves to be a challenge. One of them sent me a video of a wedding she did at our venue recently to help me get an idea of her work.
So I’m sitting there, watching the video and taking note of the flowers, then as it gets to the actual ceremony, I start to see cars whizzing by in the background.
I mean a lot of cars…and even a few busses. So then I frantically open Google Maps and see that there is actually a major highway right behind the spot where we plan to get married. {Yes, we haven’t seen our venue in-person. I know…}
Fail number one.
Feeling slightly unsettled, we asked a few of our family members to go by the venue and inspect the situation to see how we can get around it {maybe face a different direction?} and then in the pictures they take I see huge piles of dirt all around the perimeter of the venue.
WHAT?!
Apparently the city is building some sort of pond/gazebo/boardwalk deal and they thought starting the construction two months before my wedding {and many others} would be a good idea.
Fail number two.
Multiple panic attacks later, Brandon managed to calm me down and convince me that it will all work out. And you know what? He’s right, it will. As long as I see his handsome face at the end of that aisle, that’s all that matters. Who cares if there’s a dump truck behind him? Ha.
No, really. We’ll figure it out. It is a little innervating that the venue failed to mention the possibility of construction but it is what it is at this point.
All we can do is go with the flow and find comfort in Mexican flavored health food.
Or demand that they bring in trees to block the construction.
Seriously though, I don’t know what is with me and cilantro/lime flavors lately but that’s all that seems to be coming out of my brain. It’s like my subconscious is telling me that it’s comfort food.
That, and I discovered this green pepper sauce which had to find it’s way into a recipe immediately. I used it in the cilantro-lime dressing that I made for these bowls and it adds a delicious little kick; just enough to make your taste buds happy without singeing them off.
Besides the flavorful dressing and lightly roasted sweet potatoes, they are also loaded with protein power from hemp seeds, black beans and fluffy quinoa.
Then I threw in some spinach (which I learned to easily chiffonade thanks to Sharon’s awesome tutorial) for even more protein and some avocado for topping, but if you’re a dairy lover then it’s great with melted cheddar too.
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 small sweet potatoes
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup hemp seeds
2 tablespoons sunflower oil (or other high heat oil)
2 cups spinach leaves, sliced
avocado/cheese for topping
Cilantro-Lime Dressing
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 2 limes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon green pepper sauce (or hot sauce)
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Wash and then cut off any gnarly spots on the sweet potato before dicing into 1 inch cubes. Toss with sunflower oil (or any high heat oil) in a baking dish then roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
- While the potatoes are roasting, cook your quinoa by bringing 2 cups water to a boil over medium heat and add the quinoa to it. Once it is boiling, reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes then set aside.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the dressing by adding all ingredients to a food processor or a small bowl (if you want to chop the cilantro by hand) and mix together.
- Once potatoes are done, add the hemp seeds to the dish and stir until the potatoes are evenly coated with the seeds.
- Add the black beans to the dish as well and place back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Scoop 1/4 of the quinoa mixture into four separate bowls and then top with (spinach if using) and then the roasted sweet potatoes and beans.
- Pour 1/4 of the dressing onto each and serve with avocado or cheese.
Dang, girl! Good luck with the rest of the wedding planning. It usually just gets more difficult the closer you get…At least I thought so! I chose our florist from a recommendation and she turned out wonderful. Then again I know nothing about flowers.
At least your food looks delicious!
At least it’ll be a super memorable experience :D Really, though, you’re right about the face at the end of the aisle being the only thing that matters. You’re marrying the love of your life — the rest is just minor details.
Oh geez, the Type A control freak in me is having a mini panic attack on your behalf, but the truth is that marrying your main man is really the only important thing (and your dress… Because duh).
Keep on stuffing cilantro and lime into your face, and things will work themselves out.
Ohhhh no! Not ideal but…like Brandon said….it’ll all work out. Maybe it won’t be EXACTLY how you pictured it but….that’s not what reaaaaaally matters, right?
Also- the bowl looks delicious but I’m really raving over the dressing! I need to start making that.
Oh, the chiffonade … Sounds so fancy, yet so easy. :) As far as the venue debacle, hang in there! Sometimes, after all is said and done, it’s the obstacles that are overcome that we remember most.
Wedding planning (especially the venue!) has always seemed like one of the most DIFFICULT things ever to me! It really will all work out, and your special day will be the best ever. Until all the wedding planning it over, you have cozy blankets and delicious bowls of sweet potato-quinoa deliciousness to comfort you. These bowls look faaaaboosh!
Ugh, wedding planning can be seriously so stressful! But Brandon is right – it will be fine and you’re getting married and that’s what matters. I had a breakdown a few days before our wedding when the venue told us that they “accidentally” double booked the room that we were going to use as a back-up if it rained out. It did rain a little (kinda sprinkled) and we got married outside anyway and it actually turned out to be fun : )
And these bowls sound wonderful – I love anything with sweet potatoes and black beans!
Wedding planning can definitely be stressful, but it’ll definitely be worth it in the end!
Love the quinoa bowl by the way! Anything with sweet potatoes is good in my book!
What a great quinoa recipe this is! Beautiful pics. Hopefully someday you’ll look back on this wedding planning adventure with fond memories.
I definitely made a quinoa/sweet potato bowl last night! It was different from yours, though, I like the Mexican take.
I would totally use this as an opportunity to “re-negotiate” the price of your venue! Getting married in Mexico, I didn’t see anything in person before I got there- I basically planned my entire wedding from one emailed PDF. There were also people in speedos watching my wedding from afar, but I never noticed them and our photographer made sure they weren’t in any of the shots!
Good luck with the rest of the planning! I know it can be such a stressful process but you are handling it so well. And you pointed out the most important thing–seeing Brandon’s face at the end of the aisle!
I support any recipe that has anything to do with Tabasco sauce. That’s Louisiana at its best, whether it’s the red or the green kind.
On an unrelated note, I’m sorry to hear about the wedding drama! But like Brandon said, everything will work out just fine, and no matter what, it will be the best day of your life. You’ll look back and laugh at anything that goes wrong, and the good news is, you’ll get to laugh about it with the love of your life for a good long time.
It is surprising to know how many things are behind a marriage. What I like of this “behind the scenes” is the story of you guys striving for the best. In the end, it will be unique (which is better than perfect to me).
About this recipe. Again full of “details” and wholesomeness. Love it.
Whoa. what a venue mess. If it were me, after a big freakout mode, I would calmly call the venue and see if there is any possible way to A. spruce up the scenery or B. give a damn discount because they never mentioned construction happening around your wedding site.
In any case, it will turn out alright. All that matters is your getting married to the man you love, surrounded by family and friends. :)
The dish looks, yummy and hearty. Love it.
Boy do I feel your pain on the venue thing! Construction seems to be one of those things no one knows about/tells you about ahead of time… and then all the sudden there are dump trucks there. WHAT! I can only hope it won’t take them 2 months, and everything will be pristine by your wedding day :) Either way, as you said, you will totally make the best of it!
Quinoa bowls are my go-to meal, and I am alllll for your cilantro-lime kick. Love all the flavors in here!
Don’t worry- everything will be fine, and honestly, I bet you won’t even notice anything but Brandon the day of anyway :) Did you end up picking a florist? We are pretty lucky that Scott’s cousin is a florist, his other cousin is a photographer and my sister is a makeup artist!
Wow, you are so lucky! That takes away a ton of stress.
Yes, I ended-up picking the florist that sent me that video, lol.
You really are on a Mexican kick! I’ve been really into sweet potatoes lately and actually ate a baked one as part of my dinner tonight.
I can’t remember if I mentioned it before, but I also planned my wedding from far away. It can certainly add some stress to the planning, but my only advice for you is to just breathe and relax. It will all work out and be amazing!
No, I didn’t know you planned your wedding long distance. Thank you for the reassurance. :)
I didn’t do myself any favors by giving such a short window of time to plan everything but like you said, I think it will all work out in the end.
Excellent and detailed recipe. Wholefoods like this are great for health and is perfect for people with diabetes or obesity and that is what I recommend. Great share Sarah!
Deep breaths girl! It’s all going to work out the way it’s supposed to. Thank god for these delicious sweet potato and quinoa bowls. This will settle anyone down! Sending good stress free vibes your way!
I like your coping style – Mexican food + demanding they bring in trees. You sound like me ;) You’re right though, it’ll all be okay. You will be beautiful and you will be married and there will be wine. Perfect day <3
Good luck with the wedding planning my friend! I hope things won’t get too stressful for you :–( These quinoa bowls look delicious! I like the lime addition and that chiffonade spinach looks lovely! xx
Your wedding comments just gave me anxiety. Don’t fret though, like B said, no matter what everything will work out at the end. It always does!
Girl. Holy cow. That venue situation. Glad you’re being positive, because it really is about the ceremony, not what’s happening in the background… I’d demand that venue reduce the cost for something like that, ha! But of course, in the end, it will always work out well. Plus, you’re going to look stunning so no one will be able to avert their eyes away from you. So it’s a win win.
YES to this recipe! I need to make that delicious sauce! I love me some good hot sauce, and I don’t think I’ve tried that one! I’m on it this weekend!
This looks super yummy and I’m sure everything will work out for your wedding day. Or, drinking will help ;) (I’m kidding, it will work out!)
(1) That tabasco sauce is awesome on its own. (2) Cilantro-lime dressing on a bowl of some of my favorite foods. Yes, please!
I love veggie bowls like this! My bf calls it hash when we mix up veggies, beans, etc. lol super quick & yummy for a weeknight dinner :)
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Definitely a crowd pleaser! Loved the roasted sweet potatoes vs. boiled. AMAZING dressing!!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Penelope! Thank you for the comment! :)
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