Mediterranean Veggie Bowl with Tzatziki sauce

Ok, let's talk about clean eating for a minute. Unfortunately, the term "clean eating" was used so many times by so many people that it became totally overused and lost its true meaning. I am not claiming to be inventing something new here, I just would like to define what clean eating means for me. Which is simply eating something like this Mediterranean Veggie Bowl with Tzatziki sauce.

Why? Because it contains everything our bodies need. It has lots of vegetables, greens, healthy fats and plant proteins. The idea of clean eating is just that - to eat food that is as close to its natural state as possible. It means eating whole food which wasn't packaged and processed. Many clean eating programs will suggest to eliminate product groups like coffee, dairy or grains. I however only suggest you cut out refined sugar and any product that contains ingredients that sound like they came from a chemistry lab. Which of course they did. Ideally, the food you use contains only one ingredient and does not come in packaging. Disclaimer: organic chickpeas in the can are fine 🙂

Health Benefits

Now that we have talked about the clean-eating for a bit, let's have a quick look at the health benefits of this beautiful veggie bowl. As I mentioned above it contains lots of vegetables, plant-proteins, healthy fats and is gluten-free of course.

Quinoa

Quinoa is now a fundamental staple food in many households. It is not some hippy super-food anymore, but rather an everyday food for so many, which is amazing. Quinoa is most famous for being one of the only plant foods that supplies complete proteins and offers all essential amino acids. This makes it a perfect food for all people enjoying a vegan diet. Quinoa contains large amounts of flavonoids, including quercetin and kaempferol. These flavonoids are proven to have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-cancer and anti-depressant effects. Plus it is naturally gluten-free!

Tomatoes

Like quinoa, tomatoes are rich in the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. (link) I know there are some people who avoid tomatoes in their diet, as they belong to the so-called nightshade-vegetables which might cause inflammation. However, I have never experienced any side-effects from tomatoes. If you are sensitive to the nightshades, you can substitute with roasted pumpkin or sweet potato. Did you actually know that tomato is a fruit?

Cucumber

Cucumber is often overlooked in terms of its health benefits. It is very low in calories, but contains a great amount of water and soluble fibre which helps with hydration and weight loss. It contains antioxidants and is especially rich in vitamin K. Just in case you wondered, cucumber is a fruit too!! 🙂

If you love cucumbers, make sure to try my FIVE-MINUTE ASIAN-STYLE PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD

Radishes

Radishes are a good source of vitamins C, folate and riboflavin (vitamin B2). They contain minerals such as calcium, potassium (which helps to regulate blood pressure) and manganese (involved in the regulation of brain and nerve function). (source)

Ok, enough statistics for today, lets make this delicious

Mediterranean Veggie Bowl with Tzatziki sauce

Mediterranean Veggie Bowl with Tzatziki sauce

Elena Elliott

This delicious Mediterranean inspired Veggie Bowl with Tzatziki sauce is a perfect lunch or dinner. It is easy to make and is filled with vitamins and antioxidants to lower the inflammation in your body. Gluten-free of course!

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Servings 2 serves

Ingredients

  

Roasted Chickpeas:

• 1 can of organic chickpeas BPA free can
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Salad:

• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
• 1 continental cucumber cut into bite-sized chunks
• 6-8 radishes sliced
• a handful of chopped parsley or any other herbs you prefer
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to season

Tzatziki:

• 1 cup of yoghurt of your choice I use organic Greek yoghurt
• ¼ of a cup of grated cucumber juice squeezed out
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 small garlic clove minced
• salt and pepper to season

1 cup of cooked quinoa (see note)

Instructions

 

• To make roasted chickpeas simply mix the drained chickpeas, olive oil, smoked paprika and a pinch of salt on a baking tray and roast the chickpeas for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile cut the tomatoes, cucumber, radishes and parsley and put them in a mixing bowl with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, mix carefully. I arranged them in small piles in the photo, but would definitely mix them together before eating.
• To make tzatziki, simply combine all ingredients together, done!
• Arrange quinoa, chickpeas, veggies and tzatziki in a bowl and enjoy!
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Notes

 You don't have to roast the chickpeas if you are short on time. However if you have some time to spare, those chickpeas are delicious. 

You also can "roast" the chickpeas in a frying pan. Put all ingredients in a hot frying pan and cook them for about 5 minutes. Be careful the chickpeas pop a little bit like the popcorn. When they start to pop it is time to take them off the heat.

If you don't know how to cook quinoa see this post here.

Keyword buddha bowl, gluten-free, meal prep, veggie bowl

Did you make this recipe? 
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Thank you!