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This summer harvest veggie and avocado quinoa bowl is totally my kind of food.
I’m currently working on a FAQ for the site (new fun changes coming very soon!) and one of the questions I get asked all time is, what are my favorite foods. The answer? It’s honestly so incredibly boring, but I LOVE fruits and vegetables…and cheese…okok and carbs…like no other.
I know, I know, I am so boring.
Of course I LOVE all the recipes I share with you guys, but when I simply need a quick dinner, I’ll roast up some veggies, add quinoa and an avocado, and DONE. It’s my fall back when I don’t have leftovers in the fridge or when I just want a meal that I know is going to be semi cozy..ish (you guys know I love all the cozy foods) and will leave me full and feeling good.
Today’s recipe is an amplified version of my roasted veggie bowls, and it’s inspired by all the summer produce that is finally beginning to pop up out of the ground…aka all the zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. This bowl is loaded with all of my favorites of the moment, and I’m in love with it…times like 5.
Alight, so here’s the deal. I’ve known all summer long that I needed to create a new bowl recipe with all the produce that’s thriving right now. Last year I made this summer abundance salad (a reader favorite!) and the year before that, I made this herb farmers market veggies over polenta (YUMMMM, I need to make this again soon).
This year I wanted something totally different. I still wanted to include a healthy grain (hello quinoa…or actually mine was a mix of brown rice, wild rice, and quinoa, but I think I would prefer just quinoa) and loads of veggies, but I wanted the flavors to really stand out and pop.
Enter my glowing avocado basil vinaigrette/sauce situation. Oh my gosh, I could eat this with everything. It is so delicious, and so different from any other avocado based sauce. I used a combo of avocado, basil, apple cider vinegar, ginger, garlic, and plenty of hemp seeds. I know it may sound like a really odd combo, but trust me, this sauce is incredible. It’s creamy, basily, and has just the right amounts of ginger and garlic.
The rest of these grain bowls are made up of the following…
…a layer of hummus
…a hefty scoop of quinoa
…a spoonful of green lentils
…tons of grilled veggies (I used summer squash, zucchini, thinly sliced beets, and bell peppers, but use your favorites!)
…all the fresh heirloom cherry tomatoes I could get my hands on
…sliced avocado (you know for good measure)
…shredded carrots
…goat cheese (and lots of it)
Then just add the vinaigrette over top and DONE.
While the prep time for this bowl recipe is a little time intensive, none of it is hard, and if you prep everything on a Sunday night, this will make the perfect easy lunch or dinner meal prep for just about any day of the week. What’s great about this particular bowl recipe is that you can really adapt it to the seasons. In the summer use summer squash, tomatoes, berries, and stone fruits. In the fall and winter, go for roasted squash, apples, sweet potatoes, and pomegranates. And in the spring, use asparagus, peas, and strawberries.
If you wanted to bulk up the yum factor I’d highly recommend adding an egg…hard boiled, poached, fried, whatever way you like, but an egg would be extra delicious.
Oh and one last thing, while my photos don’t show a ton of goat cheese, I do highly recommend you be very generous with it. Goat cheese isn’t the most colorful thing to photograph, so I had to use it sparingly for the photos…but don’t worry, plenty was added after that last shot was taken.
Double also? If you don’t like goat cheese, any cheese you love will be still be amazing…burrata, mozzarella, a funky blue cheese…it all works.
Summer Harvest Veggie and Avocado Quinoa Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa or wild rice blend
- 1 cup cooked green lentils
- 2-3 cups assorted veggies, sliced, (summer squash + peppers + beets)
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 cup hummus, homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup fresh fruit, sliced, (stones fruits or berries)
- sliced avocado, shredded carrots, and microgreens
- crumbled goat cheese
Glowing Avocado Basil Vinaigrette
- 1/2 an avocado
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
- juice from half a lemon
- 1 inch knob fresh ginger grated
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne
Instructions
- 1. Cook both the quinoa and lentils according to package directions.2. Meanwhile, pre heat the grill to medium high heat. Add the veggies to a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill the veggies for 3-5 minutes per side or until light char marks appear. 3. To make the vinaigrette. Add all ingredients to a blender with 2 tablespoons water and blend until smooth, adding water if necessary to thin. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and cayenne, if needed.3. To assemble, spread the hummus in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Add the quinoa, lentils, and grilled veggies. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Add the tomatoes, fruit, avocado, and carrots. Sprinkle with microgreens and drizzle again with the vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Final also, I LOVE summer food so much and this bowl makes me so happy! Just sayin’.
we love this recipe, especially the dressing! is it possible to freeze it?
Hi Daphne! Do you want to freeze the dressing? If so, I would think that should be just fine, but I have not personally tried it. Please let me know how it goes. So glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hello! The recipe looks super yummy and I was wondering whether I could store the vinaigrette overnight? Thanks a lot 🙂
HI! Yes, you can store the vinaigrette in the fridge overnight or up to 1 week. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
I noticed you left the stems on the tomatoes…do you just kinda bite into/around the stem?
You can eat them or remove the stems before eating. It’s more of a personal prefence thing. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Just made this! It is soooo good! I didn’t know what to expect but the flavor combos are just outta this world. So healthy too!
Awh yay! SO happy you liked it Melissa! Thank you!
This recipe sounds amazing. My daughter is allergic to chickpeas, but not sure what you would substitute the Hummus with.
Love your recipes!!!
Thank you for sharing them.
Hey Ana! You can leave the chickpeas out OR use another bean or even cooked green lentils. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope everyone loves the dip! 🙂
Loved this dish! I added toasted cashews for a little crunch too.
So happy you liked it! Sounds delish with cashews, thanks Maryanne!
This is such a gorgeous summer bowl, and I think we have all the same favorite foods! 🙂
Thank you Laura!
I made this for dinner tonight (and I’m eating it right now!). It’s so good! I will definitely be adding this to my rotation. The dressing is baller! Great job, Teighan!
Thank you Aimee! So glad you loved this!
I made this for lunch and my husband loved it. The Avocado Vinaigrette was outstanding though it came out super thick. I didn’t thin it down because the combination of ingredients tasted perfect and I didn’t want to dilute it. Can’t wait to use the dressing on avocado toast with eggs. Yum.
I am thrilled you loved this recipe Linda!! Thank you so much & it will be amazing on avocado toast!
I’m so making this for dinner, it’s perfect for these hot humid New England days!!
Yes! This would be so perfect! I hope you love it Kristine! Thanks!
Love these grain bowls! The only thing that doesn’t call to me in this bowl is the lentils (I’m just not a fan). Would you recommend subbing chickpeas or white beans, or just skipping it?
Hey Victoria! You can use any other bean you love or leave them out. Either way the bowl will still be great. Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love the recipe!
No quinoa for me, but everything else: come to momma! Definitely agree on the egg, I like soft boiled or fried with liquidy yolk –> the best way to eat an agg in my opinion. And no, the avocado vinaigrette is not odd at all! Sounds delicious and I can imagine, why you love this bowl so much. It just screams my name (except the grains, obviously). Oh and a last thing, I get where you were pointing with the less-cheese-on-photos situation, it is tricky and sometimes troublesome to shoot. But just like you, I adore the cheese to death and goat’s especially.
Wonderful recipe!
LOVE both those ways for eggs.. yum! So glad you are loving this recipe too! Thanks so much! ?
Yuum, this recipe looks absolutely delicious, can’t wait to try it out.
I hope you absolutely love this! Thank you Pika!
This looks like the most beautiful bowl of wholesome food! That avo basil dressing sounds so good!
Awh thank you so much Vicky!
Yuuum, this recipe looks so delicious, can’t wait to try it out as soon as possible.
Thank you Pika! I hope you love it!