A Fall Harvest Power Bowl loaded with your fall favorites, topped off with a spiced maple tahini dressing! This bowl is vegan-friendly and can be made gluten-free with your choice of grain. Lots of healthy carbs and fats in this bowl plus fiber to keep you feeling full.
I was out for my daily walk the other day and it was absolutely gorgeous out. I don’t take my phone out with me, because if I did I know I’d be looking at it for no reason really. And my walks are a time to just… BE. To slow down and pay attention. To be in the moment. I ended up taking a longer walk than usual, due to the fact that I am still finding my way around the neighborhood (yes I got a little lost) but I found myself thinking about way too much that was on my to-do list. And I was walking fast, but not intentionally. I slowed down my pace to look up at the leaves changing colors on the trees. And it was an instant reminder to take this time of year in, because it doesn’t last long. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, listened to the wind in the trees, and imagined I was at my favorite place. And just like that all was well in the world… Or at least in my life in that moment. I was probably smiling like a nut job while an older couple passed by…
Call me a little crazy but I felt amazing. My to-do list was no longer on my mind and I was just walking and honestly focusing on nothing but listening to the trees in the wind. And truly, that attitude carried on for the rest of the day.
I can’t tell you guys enough how important it is to give your mind a break. I’m not really one for mediation (yet?) but these walks are a form. Take a break from your desk, get outside if you can, go for a quick walk, and leave your phone. Seriously… leave it. It will do your mind some good 🙂
Okay, now that I’ve got that off my chest, we can move onto this fall harvest power bowl 😀
Um… guys? Can I just bring up the fact that I am sharing TWO savory recipes in the same week. This is basically unheard of in FMK land. I can barely handle myself. I feel a little funny about it to be honest… But no worries, I’ll have something super duper great for you on Monday. It rhymes with…
cones.
^ that isn’t obvious at all.
ANYWAYS… When I made that sweet and spicy roasted squash I loved it so much I had to put it in a bowl meal. And we all know that everything great in life you can find in a bowl.
Granola. Chipotle. Ice cream.
Right? Just agree.
But for real… this fall harvest bowl? NEW LOVE. Naturally I’ve included my beloved B sprouts and kale. I’ve also changed some things up on you in the dressing department > see SPICED MAPLE TAHINI DRESSING.
It’s funny… I am honestly not one for tahini on it’s own. Of course I love it in hummus, but JUST tahini… not my favorite. However, when paired with a touch of maple syrup and you kick things up a notch with some cinnamon and cayenne it’s kind of awesome. Okay, and YES clearly I am on a sweet and spicy thing at the moment. I carried over the flavors from the squash into the dressing and it’s spectacular.
For the power bowl you need
- a grain (I used freekeh but feel free to use quinoa or rice for gluten-free)
- kale
- roasted squash (delicata, acorn, carnival, pumpkin, butternut, etc.)
- roasted brussels sprouts
- apples
- tomatoes
Or course what goes in the power bowl is ultimately up to you. Pick your fall favorites and just shove everything into a bowl 😀
These types of bowl meals are great for a satisfying dinner or make for an awesome lunch when prepping the grain and roasted veggies ahead of time. I know in the moment prepping ingredients days ahead can feel like a pain, but I promise it is worth it! Being satisfied with your meals is a great way to stay the healthy course and power through each day 🙂
Fall Harvest Power Bowl with Spiced Maple Tahini Dressing
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Prep Time: 5 mins - Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
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Yield: 2 -
Category: Lunch -
Method: oven -
Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
A Fall Harvest Power Bowl loaded with your fall favorites, topped off with a spiced maple tahini dressing! This bowl is vegan-friendly and can be made gluten-free with your choice of grain. Lots of healthy carbs and fats in this bowl plus fiber to keep you feeling full.
Ingredients
for two large bowls:
- 2/3 cup freekeh (or other grain)
- 1 cup brussels sprouts, halved
- 1 small delicata or acorn squash (about 3/4 lb)
- 1 TBS oil
- 1 cup chopped kale, massaged in oil
- 1 small honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
- 10 grape tomatoes
for the dressing:
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 2 TBS maple syrup
- 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- a few dashes of all spice
- a few dashes cayenne pepper
- 3-4 TBS water to thin
- additional toppings to consider: feta, goat cheese, avocado, seeds, etc.
Instructions
- Cook the freekeh: place 1/2 cup freekeh and 1½ cups of water in medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until water has evaporated.
- Roast the veggies: Slice squash into rings and scoop seeds. Place squash and brussels sprouts on greased pan and drizzle with oil and sprinkle with seasoning. Roast veggies at 375F for about 25-30 minutes.
- Make the dressing: whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Or use small blender. Set aside while rest of ingredients are cooking.
- Assemble the bowls: Once all of your ingredients are ready, divide cooked freekeh (about 1/3 cup), roasted veggies, apple slices, tomatoes, and massged kale into 2 medium bowls. Top with tahini dressing, and enjoy!
Notes
Servings for about 2 large bowls, but could easily adjust for 3 or even 4 servings! Store any leftover ingredients covered in fridge, and enjoy the next day for lunch.
-Store leftover dressing in container in fridge up to 1 week.
Nutrition info approximate, based on 1/2 of the bowls without dressing.
Nutrition of dressing: 1/4 recipe – 146 calories. 11g fat. 10g carbs. 2g fiber. 6g sugar. 4g protein.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2
- Calories: 374
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 27mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 69g
- Fiber: 19g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: vegan power bowl, maple tahini dressing, ways to use freekeh
let’s chat
- How often do you take a break from your phone?
- Are you a bowl fan?
Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says
Such a gorgeous bowl, Ashley!! I’m a HUGE fan. 🙂 I totally feel you on those breaks from our phones. Sometimes I get so caught up in scrolling through social media or texting that I forget to look up and I hate that. I need to do more breaks more often!
Ashley says
Yessss the scrolling gets to be ridiculous for me too. They need to have a built-in timer that shuts down the app once you’ve hit a certain amount of time 😉
Beverley @ Born to Sweat says
hahahahaha. it rhymes with cones. i actually thought about that for a minute. i’ve been meaning to make pumpkin scones in forever but our kitchen is STILL NOT SET UP and its killing me. this harvest bowl looks effing amazing and i can’t wait to go grab a delicata squash and brussel sprouts soon! pinning! xx
Ashley says
Ahhh I hope you have your kitchen and can get to baking STAT.
Thanks for pinning Beverley! XX
Emily says
I totally know what you mean about getting out in nature and just feeling at peace. It really reminds me that God is in control of my life, of the world, and that I have nothing to worry about; nature is just so awesome.
And this bowl looks AMAZEBALLS; I love your savory recipes too. I need to try something like this; I could probably use butternut squash right?
Ashley says
Yeah you could totally use butternut squash!
Erin @ Erin's Inside Job says
Ugh come on. I’m so hungry for this. I’m going to invade your house and make you cook for me.
Ashley says
YES DO IT
Virjinia says
I’m an unintentional bowl fan because sometimes it’s just easy to throw stuff in and enjoy! I do make myself take phone breaks and it’s usually when I’m spending time with family members and loved one to really be intentional with my time. Or sometimes I sit in the bath and meditate because my brain is just DRAINED.
Ashley says
Yes being intentional with time and focusing on conversation with no distractions is something I am working on too!
Chrissa - Physical Kitchness says
LOOK AT YOU sharing all those yummy savory recipes. You’re the jack of all trades. I sooooo need to work on being more present. It’s something I have huge mom guilt over – when I’m trying to always multitask when playing with my son or feeding the baby. The days will go by too fast then I’ll be just a big fat mess when they are grown and out of the house! Thanks for the reminder xoxo
Ashley says
Awww don’t have mom guilt! You are a rockstar <3
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
Omg yummmm!!! I am in need of a good power bowl right now! Loving the maple tahini dressing, I’ve been adding cinnamon to my dressing lately to make it feel more like “fall”, but missing the maple. Going to be adding that next!!
Ashley says
Haha, love that you’re adding cinnamon to dressing lately!
Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life says
We have a ‘no tech during dinner’ rule in our house where we put phones etc away and just concentrate on spending time with each other.
And YES all great food is found in bowls. I can’t wait to make this power bowl. My love for brussels sprouts is still going strong despite the sweltering spring weather here. I love the sound of the spiced tahini maple sauce too! I’ll be drizzling that on everything!
Ashley says
Yes that is such a good rule Amy! I don’t care for phones at the dinner table either. Gosh that makes me sound old but it is true!
The spiced maple tahini has been great on all of my salads lately 😀 Thanks Amy!
Jess @hellotofit says
It’s so nice to clear our minds of the CLUTTER (and technology). At the top of the mountain Lo and I hiked, it was so nice to just BE. Don’t get me wrong, we took a ton of pics, but I also felt so SMALL in this huge world, which was an awesome thing. Nature is SO beautiful, and we can take it for granted!
Now, pass me a fork, I wanna dig IN to this power powl!
Ashley says
Gosh those views you had looked amazing! I went on a couple hikes out in the PNW with my bestie so I know what you mean, it is just stunning out there.
Mary Swanzy says
Just finished making this bowl! The dressing is AMAZING!! I added some sweet potato, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, and mushrooms to the bake and threw it all on top of some quinoa.
This just might become a staple in our house (especially that dressing!)
Thanks for the great recipe!!!