A good salad or grain bowl is all about incorporating a complement of textures and flavors, and this bowl does not disappoint. I made it trying to use up some ingredients I found on their last leg while cleaning out my fridge, and it ended up being our favorite meal of that week. If you have littles at home, serving the individual components separately on a plate for them automatically made this a fun and well-liked dish for our kids as well. Make this for dinner one night and prep extra portions of the ingredients for incredibly satisfying lunches throughout the week.
Mediterranean Bowls with Tahini Dressing
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4 small pitas, cut into strips
- Olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1¼ cups Israeli couscous or Israeli couscous grain mix (I like Trader Joe’s Harvest grain blend)
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 handful mint leaves, chopped
- 1 handful basil leaves, chopped
- For the Lemon Tahini Dressing:
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic, minced or grated
- Water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- For assembling:
- 1 5-oz package spinach and kale power greens mix, cut into ribbons
- 8 ounces cooked shredded chicken breast
- ½ cup hummus
- ¼ cup Pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Arrange pita strips on a large sheet pan in a single layer. Drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, enough to lightly coat strips. Season with salt and place in preheated oven. Bake for about 5-7 minutes, flipping once during cooking, until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven (keep oven on . When cool enough to handle, transfer to a plate for finish cooling.
- On the same baking sheet, dump garbanzo beans and spread in an even layer. Pat dry with a paper towel to ensure they are completely dry from rinsing. Drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, enough to lightly coat. Season with salt and place in preheated oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, shaking occasionally, until crisp and starting to brown a bit. Remove from oven and set aside.
- While chickpeas are cooking, cook Israeli couscous according to package direction. Once cooked, allow to cool slightly, then add lemon zest and juice. Stir in mint and basil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- For the dressing:
- Whisk together tahini, juice of 1 lemon, maple syrup, olive oil, and garlic. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin until dressing is a drizzling consistency. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Assemble the bowls:
- In 4 large bowls, divide greens, chicken, crispy chickpeas, and prepared couscous. Add a large spoonful of hummus to the center. Top bowls with crispy pita strips and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing (you may have some left over) and serve.
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