roasted apple + sweet potato quinoa bowl

I'll be the first to admit, I didn't think this concoction was going to be all that good, resulting in one good photo of it. But when I threw it all in a bowl, I realized this could be an amazing go-to lunch, quick dinner, heck, I'd even eat this for breakfast.

Sometimes, the best meals, are the ones you aren't trying to impress anyone for - just a bunch of flavors thrown in a bowl.

That's kind of what this is - I wanted a little apple, a little carbs from the potato and quinoa, I throw arugula on top of just about everything, a little pepitas and walnuts for protein, and just about everything else, well they were pretty much just a whim.

The apples are sweet, and the arugula adds just the right amount of bite, and the combo of quinoa and sweet potato, this quick little bowl will fill you up. Plus, anything in a bowl is instantly 100 times better for me.

It starts with one apple, and one small sweet potato - diced and tossed with just a teeny bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Throw it on a sheet pan, and roast for about 30 minutes. When I'm in a real rush - once you dice those potatoes, pop them in the microwave for 5 minutes, and it'll help cooking time. In the mean time, prep your quinoa according to directions - my typical portion is 1/2 cup of quinoa to 1 cup of water. If you want to get real wild, make your quinoa in broth - just watch out for the sodium content. In about 15-20 minutes, you should be good to go. The rest is the best part - you can eyeball all of it. I started my base with the quinoa (about 1/4 cup), added about 1/3 of a cup of cooked apple and sweet potato, a small handful of a spinach arugula mix. About 1 tablespoon of pepitas, 1 tablespoon of walnuts, and 1 tablespoon of craisins.

That is literally it. So quit hoping I have more to say about it, and get in the kitchen.

roasted apple + sweet potato quinoa bowl

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes total

Ingredients

• 1 apple, diced (I like red - but any kind would work)

• 1 small sweet potato, diced

• dash of olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon pepitas

• 1 tablespoon craisins

• 1 tablespoon walnuts

• handful of greens

• 1/4-1/2 cup of cooked quinoa

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Dice apple and sweet potato and lightly toss with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes. (Pop sweet potato in the microwave for 5 minutes after its been diced to speed along the process)

3. While they are baking, prep quinoa according to taste and directions.

4. Once apple and potato are done, remove from oven and layer the remaining ingredients into a bowl.

5. EAT!

xx

Rita