spring

This fonio bowl with garlicky kale and roasted carrots is comforting, filling, and extra delicious drizzled with vibrant cilantro mint yogurt sauce. Fluffy cooked fonio is combined in a bowl with garlicky sauteed kale, roasted carrots with pine nuts, and cooked black lentils. A drizzle of cilantro mint yogurt sauce finishes off this vegan and gluten free meal.

Anybody else out there love to pile stuff into a bowl as a filling meal?! Bowls are my go-to in every season when I am plum out of creativity. They rely on a super simple formula that is infinitely adaptable based on the veggies you’d like to use! Here’s the formula I typically stick to: 1 cooked grain + 2-3 cooked veggies + vegan protein (beans, lentils, or tofu) + a really delicious sauce to tie everything together. I often include a bite or two of sauerkraut or fermented veggies on the side for digestive health. And, if I feel like I need some fat, I’ll add in half of an avocado.

For this winter version, I built it off of the lovely carrots I brought home from a local farm and the last of the kale I harvested from my garden. The cooked grain is fonio (definitely a favorite for how quickly it cooks!) while the protein comes from the cooked black lentils. This cilantro mint yogurt sauce adds a zingy herbal flavor and finishes off this colorful and filling plant-based meal!

Grab These Ingredients

• Olive Oil — helps roast the carrots and cook the kale. You can sub avocado oil if you prefer!
• Carrots — you’ll need one pound total which is typically 1-2 bunches depending on their size. Want a more colorful meal? Use rainbow carrots!
• Sea Salt — helps season and balance flavors. Feel free to use kosher salt instead if that’s your jam.
• Pine Nuts — these add a lovely buttery crunch to the roasted carrots. Since pine nuts can be pricey, you can use pecans, walnuts, or almonds instead.
• Black Lentils — I personally prefer black lentils (also called beluga lentils) over most others since they have a somewhat nutty flavor and retain a firmer texture once cooked. You can of course use any variety you like here! Just make sure to cook it according to the package directions.
• Garlic — lends flavor to the kale. Feel free to omit if you can’t eat/digest alliums!
• Lacinato Kale — adds leafy green goodness to the bowl and pairs well with the carrots! Lacinato (also called tuscan or dino kale) is my favorite but feel free to use any kale variety here. Don’t like kale? You can also use spinach, arugula, or Swiss chard.
• Vegan Butter — adds a little flavor to the fonio. Feel free to use regular butter if you aren’t vegan or more olive oil.
• Fonio — this grain cooks up so quickly and has a lovely nutty flavor. If you don’t have access to fonio, feel free to use another quick-cooking grain like quinoa or pearled farro.
• Cilantro Mint Yogurt Sauce — I love to make this a day or two ahead so everything comes together quickly. Plus, it allows the flavors to marry!

What is Fonio?

Fonio is a gluten free grain that is a type of millet. It’s most commonly grown in West Africa and is high in dietary fiber. Fonio grains are incredibly small and when cooked, they have a fluffy texture similar to couscous. In terms of taste, fonio has a lovely nutty flavor similar to millet. I typically buy this brand of fonio at my local Whole Foods. I highly recommend giving it a try if you haven’t already!

How to Adapt This Bowl Recipe to Your Needs

We all have different nutritional needs and dietary restrictions. Here are some easy ways to make this bowl more suitable for your needs and palate:

• If you want more protein, add some baked or grilled tofu or tempeh.
• If you want more fats thrown in to the mix, add a quarter or half of an avocado. Or, increase the amount of pine nuts.
• If you can’t find fonio, you can use whatever cooked grain you like such as quinoa, rice, or pearled farro.
• Need to make it grain free? No worries! You can use cauliflower rice in place of the fonio and add more protein with some cooked tofu or tempeh.
• Want to shave off some prep time? Used canned lentils instead of cooking them yourself.
• Find yourself in a season other than winter and don’t have access to kale or carrots? Use any leafy greens in place of the kale and any other veggie you like for the carrots such as potatoes, beets, squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, or radishes.

How to Make This Fonio Bowl with Garlicky Kale & Roasted Carrots

Start by preparing your veggies. Clean your kale and carrots and pat them dry. Trim any greens off the carrots then slice them in half lengthwise. For the kale, stack the leaves, and roughly chop them into bite-sized pieces.

Start the cooking process with the carrots since they will take the longest to cook. You’ll toss them with some olive oil and salt and pepper then place them in the oven to roast. During the last couple of minutes of their cooking time, you’ll add the pine nuts.

While the carrots cook, you’ll make the lentils, kale, and fonio. The lentils will take about the same amount of time as the carrots (20-25 minutes). The kale is a simple sauté with olive oil and minced garlic that comes together in about 7 minutes while the fonio only takes 5 minutes. I typically make the fonio last because most of the cooking time involves it being covered so it can steam off the burner.

Time to put everything together! There’s no right or wrong way to plate this dish. Simply add some of the fonio, carrots, kale, and lentils to your bowl of choice, then drizzle it with the cilantro mint yogurt sauce or your favorite dressing.

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