I'm not the type of person who makes New Year's resolutions but this year I'm making one to be healthier. The holidays got me bad last year and I'm overloaded with sugar. It's time to make a change. So I'm starting the new year with a vegetarian Mediterranean chickpea bowl. Just because it's healthy, doesn't mean it has to be boring. This dish is anything but boring with brown rice pilaf, spiced roasted chickpeas and vegetables, Calabrian chile hummus, and a lemon herb yogurt sauce. You almost forget this is healthy because it's just that delicious!
Mediterranean Chickpea Bowl
Ingredients
Lemon herb yogurt sauce
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove grated
- salt and pepper
Calabrian chile hummus
- 14 ounce canned chickpeas
- ¼ cup reserved canned chickpea liquid
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 1-2 tablespoon Calabrian chilies
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Brown rice pilaf
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ medium onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup brown rice
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Roasted chickpeas
- 14 ounces canned chickpeas drained, rinsed and dried
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 bell pepper sliced
- 1 red onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper
Remaining ingredients
- 2 fried eggs
- 1 avocado sliced
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Make lemon herb yogurt sauce. Combine Greek yogurt with parsley, dill, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Make Calabrian chile hummus. In a blender or food processor, blend canned chickpeas with ¼ cup reserved canned liquid, tahini, Calabrian chiles, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. Add extra Calabrian chilies for a spicier hummus. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic and saute until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add brown rice and white wine and bring to a boil. Add chicken stock and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, cover pot, and reduce heat to low. Continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all of the liquid has been evaporated and rice is tender. Remove from heat and fluff rice with a fork. Keep warm.
- Toss chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, sliced red bell pepper, and red onion with olive oil, garlic powder, coriander, onion powder, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, tossing vegetables halfway through cooking time.
- Meanwhile, fry eggs until desired degree of doneness.
- Assemble bowls. Portion rice into two bowls and top with chickpea mixture, sliced avocado, and fried eggs. Place a dollop of hummus and lemon herb yogurt sauce and top with crumbled feta, mint, and dill. Serve with extra sauce on the side.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
When people tell me healthy food is bland, I always tell them to use spices. You can bring a dish to life with spices and they don't add calories, just flavor. With plenty of spices and two sauces, this Mediterranean chickpea bowl is bursting with so much flavor.
For a twist on classic hummus and for a little kick, I decided to make Calabrian chile hummus. Calabrian chilies are medium-hot, spicier than jalapenos but milder than cayenne peppers. If you can't find Calabrian chilies, substitute them with Fresno chilies.
To add a creamy healthy sauce, I decided to whip up a lemon herb yogurt sauce. This sauce is basically tzatziki without the cucumber and with extra herbs. It's simple but adds a refreshing element to the Mediterranean chickpea bowl.
Feel free to make both sauces the day before. In fact, the yogurt sauce is better as it sits.
Set aside the sauces and prepare the cooked components. To be healthier, I chose a brown rice pilaf but you can use any grain you desire. Just make sure to adjust the amount of stock according to the grain. If you're not a fan of white wine, you can omit it but it does add another layer of complexity to the rice.
Keep the rice warm while you roast the chickpeas and vegetables. Toss the ingredients in all of the spices and spread them on a sheet pan.
Roast the chickpeas and vegetables for about 20 minutes or until lightly charred. Make sure to toss the vegetables halfway through to get even browning.
Now it's time to assemble the Mediterranean chickpea bowls. Portion the rice into bowls and top them with roasted vegetables, fried eggs, avocado, crumbled feta, both sauces, and fresh herbs.
I wanted to keep my dish vegetarian so I chose eggs as my protein. However, you can easily swap the eggs for any other meat including shrimp, salmon, chicken, or even meatballs. The sky is the limit!
I was a little worried that this Mediterranean chickpea bowl wouldn't be substantial enough for the hubs. Luckily, it was very satisfying! And might I add, incredibly delicious. There's so many different textures and flavors happening but they all work so well together. I'll be enjoying this bowl many times this month!
For more one-bowl meal inspiration check out this Korean spicy chicken bowl!
Leave a Reply