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Drizzled with creamy maple tahini dressing, this vegan and gluten-free autumn harvest bowl uses in-season produce like apples, sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, kale and pumpkin seeds. This makes it the perfect Fall meal for when you want something fresh and delicious that can be made under 30 minutes.

Don’t you just love Fall produce? I know I do, and I try to make the most of it while it’s still in-season. This healthy vegan salad features all the best Fall ingredients. Topped with maple tahini dressing, it’s a standout salad that’s always a hit!

MAIN INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE AUTUMN HARVEST BOWL

  • Sweet Potato – High in fiber and antioxidants, it’s one of my favorite Fall root veggies.

  • Apples – Any variety works but I recommend something nice and crisp like Fiji or Honeycrisp.

  • Chickpeas – This will give you some major protein to help keep your energy levels up.

  • Kale – This is one of the most nutrient-dense foods and a key ingredient to this dish. Any variety works!

  • Dried Cranberries -Adds a tart, natural taste to the bowl. When cranberries are dried, they lose most of their vitamins, but they hold on to other nutrients such as potassium and calcium.

  • Tahini -If you’re unfamiliar with what Tahini is, it’s a smooth paste made by grinding sesame seeds. It kinda looks like peanut butter, but it’s not as sweet. The nutty flavor is strong and earthy, and can be a little bitter.

  • Maple Syrup – Maple has a distinctly sweet flavor which helps balance the earthy flavor of the tahini.

ADJUST THIS RECIPE TO YOUR DIET

  • Nut option: Replace the pumpkin seeds with walnuts.

  • Gluten: You can sub the quinoa for something like freekeh (it has notably more fiber than brown rice and even quinoa!) 

TIPS FOR MAKING THIS VEGAN AUTUMN HARVEST BOWL

  • You could use any fruits and vegetables that you have one hand – be creative!

  • Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Autumn Harvest Bowl with Maple Tahini Dressing (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: LunchCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

1

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Calories

300

kcal
Total time

30

minutes

Drizzled with creamy maple tahini dressing, this vegan and gluten-free autumn harvest bowl uses in-season produce like apples, sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, kale and pumpkin seeds. This makes it the perfect Fall meal for when you want something fresh and delicious that can be made under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • For the bowl:
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

  • ¼ cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • 2 cups kale, chopped

  • ½ cup quinoa, cooked

  • ½ apple, sliced

  • 2 tablespoons dried cranberries

  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, raw or roasted

  • For the tahini dressing:
  • ¼ cup tahini

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place sweet potatoes and chickpeas on baking sheet then drizzle with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Toss potatoes and chickpeas to coat, then roast for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.
  • While chickpeas and potatoes roast, add all tahini dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until combined.
  • Place kale in a bowl and pour in half of the tahini dressing. Toss and massage the dressing into the kale with your hands.
  • Once chickpeas and potatoes are done, assemble harvest bowl by adding remaining ingredients to the bowl with the kale then drizzling with remaining tahini dressing.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
  • You could use any fruits and vegetables that you have one hand – be creative!

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OTHER EASY SALAD RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

This orzo salad is quick, simple, and loaded with flavor! This delicious, naturally vegan dish is easily made gluten-free with the use of your favorite gluten-free orzo or rice. The addition of fresh herbs and vegetables take this orzo salad above and beyond!

Overhead image of a bowl of orzo salad with basil and a fork on the side.

I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to walk into the grocery store these days and see SUCH a variety of fresh spring produce! Like, give me allllllll the spring produce. Just toss it all in my cart, I’ll figure out something to do with it. And that’s pretty much how this orzo salad was created. I needed a way to jam as many fresh vegetables and herbs into a dish as possible, without it tasting too healthy. I mean we’re all about healthy around here, but too healthy ends up tasting like the earth, so we need to avoid that. In this salad – the orzo will keep you satisfied, the chickpeas will keep you full, and the veggies will keep you feeling your best! Now this orzo salad is a well-rounded dish, if I’ve ever heard of one.

Make it Gluten-Free

  • Use Gluten-Free Orzo: There are a handful of gluten-free orzos out there. I’ve personally tried the Jovial Grain Free Cassava Orzo and can couch for its tastiness. Though feel free to use whatever gluten-free orzo you love in this recipe.
  • Use Rice Instead of Orzo: Rice would make a delicious gluten-free substitute in this orzo salad! Simply cook 1 1/2 cups of brown or white rice in 3 cups of vegetable broth and use just as you would the orzo in this recipe.

What You Need To Make Orzo Salad

Chickpeas – Chickpeas give this otherwise light orzo salad a bit of heartiness. This starchy protein is mild in flavor, not at all taking away from the flavors of this dish. Feel free to use your favorite white bean in place of the chickpeas in this recipe, or even add some roasted chicken if you’d like!

Arugula – I love arugula for its peppery, almost spicy taste. Arugula is another layer of both health and flavor in this recipe. Though if you don’t like arugula, you can use fresh spinach instead.

White Wine Vinegar – White wine vinegar is slightly more mild and less acidic than most other vinegars. If you don’t have white wine vinegar, then I suggest picking up a bottle next time you’re at the store. It not only tastes great in this orzo salad recipe, but would make a great addition to most other salads. Though if you can’t find white wine vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar instead.

Orzo Salad

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

7

minutes
Total time

17

minutes

This orzo salad is quick, simple, and loaded with flavor! This delicious, naturally vegan dish is easily made gluten-free with the use of your favorite gluten-free orzo or rice. The addition of fresh herbs and vegetables take this orzo salad above and beyond!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups orzo, see Notes

  • 4 cups vegetable broth, see Notes

  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion

  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 1 cup chopped cucumber

  • 1 cup arugula

  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil

  • For the dressing:
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon honey, use maple syrup if vegan

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

  • Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a large pot, add in the orzo and cook for about 7 minutes or until al dente.Orzo Salad Process Photo 1
  • Drain orzo then set aside in a large bowl to cool.
  • While orzo cools, make the dressing by adding all dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisking to combine.Orzo Salad Process Photo 2
  • Add remaining ingredients to the orzo along with the dressing, then toss to combine.Orzo Salad Process Photo 3

Notes

  • Orzo: You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free orzo or rice instead. For more information, see the section above titled “Make it Gluten-Free.”
  • Vegetable Broth: Feel free to use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth in this recipe.

Did you make this recipe?

Share it and tag @samdoesherbest on Instagram!

Like this recipe?

Follow us @samdoesherbest on Pinterest

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