
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 made this dish last night and I must admit it is one of my absolute favourites. I replacedthe nutritional yeast with some mustard and a little red wine vinegar (had to improvise) but it was delicious. Definitely a winner. Thanks so much for the amazing recipes.
Ever since I first made this I literally have cravings for it at least once a week! Absolutely delicious! I think I’ll make again it for lunch tomorrow :)
Your recipes all look delicious! I have been wanting to try this salad for a long time now but I can’t find tahini in any of my local stores. I am wondering if you think I can sub it for garbanzo beans maybe or something else that is a more common ingredient? Please let me know. Thanks!
What is nutritional yeast a substitute for? I’m not vegan but am wanting to make this recipe. Thanks!
Just discovered this website. I’ve made a few things, and so far, everything has been so fantastic! Just made this last night with the brown rice (gluten free) option. My husband and I ate it warm and it was beyond delicious! Had it left over cold for lunch. Even better! Thanks for the amazing recipes! :D
Yum, very interested in preparing this dressing. I’ve had to be dairy free for some time due to my fibromyalgia. Also, I know I’m a cess pool of candida as the fibro gets worse when I eat anything that could upset this. I can’t find information either way on the internet as to whether or not it’s ‘okay’ to have nutritional yeast if you’re trying to remove Candida. Do you know what could substitute?
I guess I could try it w/o the nutritional yeast, but I would really like to have things according to their recipes and delicious. Every vegan cheese or cheese sauce has nutritional yeast that I find… Would be really nice if there was something that could substitute.
Could I freeze this?
Wow! This was sooo good! I am ordering your book tonight :)
I just cannot live without your recipes. Thanks for sharing!
I made the dressing but substituted almond butter and added a 1/4 c of maple syrup… Heaven!!
Just made this. WOW! Super yummy. The only substitute I made was the bell pepper. I used roasted red bell pepper because I did not have a fresh one. This recipe is a definite keeper. I love your blog and your recipes. Thank you!
Does anyone have any advice on how long this will keep in the fridge? I’m the only one eating but love leftovers for lunch and quick weeknight dinners. Would you recommend leaving the dressing off and only using it on a per-need basis? Or should it keep well in the fridge all dressed from the get go?
Thanks!
Just found your webiste and love it. Was wondering about Tahini-Lemon Dressing would it be ok just ot leave the oil out and if so what could I sub for it maybe water. Look go wanted to make a low lowfat dressing. What do you think?
Help! Just recently told I have food allergies to things I eat ALL THE TIME like almonds and gluten and Brewers yeast! Can you recommend a substitute for the yeast in this tahini dressing?
BTW I got your cookbook for christmas and I love it!
This is soooo good! I put it in a cassava wrap with some Siracha.. YUM! Even my carnivorous husband loved it.
I made this with raw veggies instead of sauteing them and it turned out great! i love it on its own or thrown over a bed of lettuce!
This looks delicious! Do you have any idea if it would freeze well? Thank you!
I’ve been making this dish for years. Enjoying it for lunch today -so, so good!
I have died and woke up in heaven. This dressing is AMAZING. Wow! Why does it taste sooooo good. lol lol Oh She Glows is definitely glowing on this one, you really outdone yourself with this one :)
I am a health coach and am loving all of your recipes! I constantly refer my client to this website for cooking homework. I will be trying this recipe tonight, I like to double the recipe and freeze so I always have food on hand. Will this be ok to freeze? Is there anything I should definitely not try to freeze? The thought of spending a lot of time and money on something that is ruined in the freezer is tough!!! Thanks!
OK, this dressing is the nectar of the gods. I made a full batch today and mixed it with two bags of Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch (shredded brussell sprouts/broccoli/green & red cabbage). Served it at a party and scored a home run. Seriously…the entire bowl was consumed and licked clean. I’m going to whip up another batch tomorrow. It.is.that.good. Thank you for the double dog delicious recipe!