This week, the first sign of flowers and leaves put me into full Spring mode. My meals have been fresher than ever and I’m feeling on fire energy wise.
It’s about time!
The hot yoga sessions are also helping tremendously. (Thank you, by the way, for your great comments yesterday.) I’ve been to 4 hot yoga sessions now and you could pretty much say that I’m addicted. But, more on that later.
[We need to mow the lawn and weed the garden! eek…it begins]
Yesterday, I was craving an old favourite- the Protein Power Goddess Bowl that I adapted from The Coup Cookbook. I’ve been smitten with this salad since I made it last year and the tahini-Lemon dressing is just to die for!
My mission yesterday was simple: To lighten up this salad for Spring.
I wouldn’t call this salad heavy per say, but I was never crazy about the 1/2 cup of olive oil that the original recipe calls for. I knew with a bit of work, I could create a lighter Tahini dressing that would taste just as tempting as the original.
Protein Power Goddess Bowl
Yield
6 cups
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This hearty recipe is inspired by a vegetarian restaurant called The Coup in Calgary, Alberta. A rich, tangy lemon-tahini sauce coats chewy French green lentils, spelt berries, and crunchy vegetables. I suggest serving a couple spoonfuls of this recipe on top of a salad or alongside crackers and hummus—a little bit goes a long way.
Ingredients
For the goddess bowl:
- 1 cup uncooked French green lentils (2 to 2 3/4 cups cooked)
- 1 cup uncooked spelt berries or wheat berries (2 cups cooked)
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium or large red onion, chopped
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or 1 large tomato, chopped
- 3 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 1 batch Lemon-Tahini Dressing
- Fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- Chopped green onion and lemon zest, to garnish (optional)
For the Lemon-Tahini Dressing:
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) tahini
- 3 to 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast, to taste
- 3 to 4 tablespoons (15 to 20 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
- Soak the spelt berries in a bowl of water overnight, or for at least 8 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse well.
- Add the drained spelt berries into a medium pot and cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a low boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until tender, but still chewy. Drain excess water.
- Rinse and drain the lentils. Add to a medium pot and cover with a couple inches of water. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes until tender, but still a bit chewy. French lentils will hold their shape beautifully and won't break down like regular green or brown lentils. Drain well.
- Prepare the Lemon-Tahini Dressing: Mince the garlic in a mini food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large skillet or pot, add the oil, onion, and garlic, along with a pinch of salt. Stir. Sauté over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion softens.
- Stir in the chopped red pepper and tomato and sauté for another 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the spinach, cooked spelt berries and lentils, and stir to combine. Sauté until just wilted. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Stir in all of the Lemon-Tahini Dressing, and the fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with chopped green onion and lemon zest on top, if desired. This salad is lovely served on top of a leafy green salad, or you can serve it with hummus and crackers on the side too.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)Lightening up the Tahini-Lemon dressing was a huge success! I cut down the oil by 75% and the dressing still tasted wonderful.
Here are the changes I made to the lightened up version:
- I added another garlic clove (to make 3) (to add more flava!)
- I added 2-3 more tbsp water (to thin it out more)
I was worried the taste would be compromised but it was just as addicting like I remembered. Even if you don’t want to make this lentil salad, you could always make the dressing and use it for salads all week long. It is truly one of my most loved homemade dressings to date.
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Lightened Up Tahini-Lemon Dressing
Adapted from Tahini-Lemon Dressing.
Yield: Just under 1 cup of dressing
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup Tahini
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1/4 cup Nutritional yeast or a bit more, to taste
- 2-4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- 1 tsp kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 3 tbsp water, or as needed
Directions:
1. In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth. Makes just under 1 cup.
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Once you cook your desired grains and make the dressing, you simply sauté some vegetables of your choice until tender.
Yesterday, I added Lacinato Kale instead of spinach and I loved it! It’s less bitter than regular kale.
Mix in your grains and dressing.
When it’s all cooked, remove from heat and stir in the minced Parsley for another kick of fresh flavour.
Taste test… Uncontrollably!
Serve with a lemon wedge and zest and you have yourself a protein and fibre packed dinner! It’s creamy & comforting, with a tangy kick that is just irresistible.
This will definitely be my go-to version of this salad from now on. We didn’t miss the 6 tablespoons of oil at all.
Have a good one!
i am young pup when it comes to eating naturally and healthy. i’m interested in this recipe however concerned with two questions … 1. how well does this salad store? i’m the only one in my family eating this way. 2. do you eat this warm or cold? leftovers warm or cold? … silly questions i know.
I would guess that it would keep for 3-5 days. You could also cut the batch in half if you wanted just 3 cups. I eat it both cold and warm. It is excellent fresh out of the skillet though. I do have it for lunch cold sometimes too and it is good!
Jeny,
I hope you are still eating healty. I’m in the same situation as you. It’is a challenge when the rest of the family is not onboard, but don’t give up. My neice (the vegetarian who still eats a lot of white flour and sugar products) has expressed an interest in trying raw kale, so I’m going to make Angela’s kale salad (with added spinach). If she likes it, I’ll progress to this dish. Good luck with your efforts, hope the family catches on.
I have been eyeing up this recipe for awhile and the lightened up versiom is just what I was looking for! Def making tonight mmm :)
I love all of the colors, and the fiber and protein make it a great meal!
that dressing sounds so yummy!!! I just bought tahini yesterday!! I also love kale and we grow it in our garden!!! So yummy!!!
Major droool happening right now! Lentils and spelt/wheat berries are two of my favorite foods! I love the color and nutrition of this dish……aaaah it looks so good!
Ooh yum this dressing sounds heavenly! I hadn’t tried putting tahini in salad dressing until just a little while ago but it is SO tasty! Gorgeous photos Ange – the colours have got me in a spring mood too, even though it’s not looking overly sunny out today! PS. You’re turning into a hot yoga holic!! I bet you’ll be showing me up next time! Do they know you by name yet? ;)
haha they know me as the girl with the intro pass that never swipes properly maybe! lol
I can’t wait to try this! I make your original a couple of times per month and I’m happy to be able to lighten it up a bit! We’ve gotta get our bods ready for the summer right!?!
That salad looks so fresh and vibrant — I just love the colors. I am definitely in Spring mode as well!
That dressing sounds fab!
“Light” is exactly what I need today! It is so HOT out!! That dressing sounds so so good, it sounds like somethihg that is going to become very versatile in my kitchen!
I love dishes like this. This week I made something similar with quinoa. I also tossed in a huge bunch of fresh herbs (savory, mint, and basil) and lemon and orange juice and zest. Delicious!
Yum! That dish looks like it would be scrumptious! I need to make it asap!
I have SO much kale and spinach right now from my CSA — this looks like a lovely way to use some of it :)
Agreed! I need to use up this kale from the farmer’s market, and this recipe sounds like just the ticket.
This looks so good. I’m not a big fan of parsley, do you think cilantro would work as a substitute?
I’m not sure…Im sitting here trying to taste the flavour combos in my head! I would portion a small serving out of the skillet and then add a bit of minced cilantro to see if you like it first.
I’m like a year and a half late on this, I know, but I finally made my own version of this last night with what I had lying around the house. That mean subbing quinoa for spelt berries (definitely worked, but I’m going to buy spelt next time just for the texture), and cilantro for parsley since one of my chickens got out and ate all my parsley. I think parsley would be divine, but I really liked the cilantro, too! Then again, I’m a big cilantro lover. So, yes, it does work (in my opinion).
I am also not a big fan of parsley, but it works REALLY well in this salad. Especially since it’s cooked. Try a little. YUMMY! And let us know if the cilantro is good too.
Looks so yummy! I’m so into combining lentils with grains these days! The other day, I made a warm salad of brown rice + brown lentils + curry spices and veggies + hard boiled egg. I know you don’t eat eggs, but man, it was so good! Thanks for this! Love the idea of using tahini in it! And lacinato kale is my favorite vegetable ever!
This is the type of recipe I could eat all the time. I would most likely make a huge batch and a huge bowl of the dressing too. :)
The dressing I am really excited for, I usuaslly make one just like it, but maybe add some crushed red pepper flakes. I love my heat whenever I can.
Have a great day!
i’ll take light and flavorful any day! this looks absolutely perfect for any meal really, even breakfast :) i’m actually going to be taking my first hot yoga class next week! i’m excited and a little nervous, but can’t wait :)
I cant wait to see how you like it!
This sounds delicious! Yup, I’ll be making this for dinner tonight!
Hmmm sounds delicious. lemon + tahini would be the perfect spring combo.
Yaaay!!!! Awesome recipe!!! And lightened up means you get to eat more, right??? :D
yes….double yes :)