Shop Collagen
Get clinically proven results for your hair, skin, nails, joints and gut with collagen. Packed with powerful ingredients and offered in versatile powders, capsules or gummies.
Shop Organic SuperGreens
From clean energy and detox and digestion support to gut health and whole-body balance – our Organic SuperGreens products give you the benefits of juicing without the hassle.
Shop Protein
Discover superfood protein powders with easy-to-digest ingredients, designed to help you support your metabolism, build lean muscle and be greater than your goals.
Shop Gut Health
Put your gut health first. Our powerful probiotics, enzymes and supplements are designed to promote gut health and comfort, healthy digestive function and immune system support.
Shop Vitamins & Minerals
Designed to fill the gaps left by modern diets, our superfood formulas combine ancient techniques like fermentation with clinically proven ingredients for results you can really feel.
Shop Herbals
Explore targeted benefits like building a healthy immune defense, or overall benefits for a healthy life, from history’s most powerful superfood ingredients.
Shop Bundles
Save on intentionally paired supplements to help you achieve your goals. Whether you’re just getting started or well on your wellness journey, there’s a bundle for you.
Holiday
Don’t miss a thing! Find everything holiday in one place from festive deals to helpful gift guides and more.
Our Story
Ancient Nutrition is driven by our mission to bring history’s most powerful superfoods to the world with a steadfast commitment to restoring our farmlands and healing our planet through regenerative farming.
Home/Blog/Quinoa Bowl with Miso Tahini Dressing
Quinoa Bowl with Miso Tahini Dressing
By Holly Darnell, RD
February 17, 2023
It's the time of year when we're still crawling out from potential overeating rich foods at holiday time, and we're looking for clean, nutrient-filled but delicious recipes. Whether you know it yet or not, you might be looking for a quinoa bowl.
What is a quinoa bowl? It's an increasingly trendy item you'll see at cafes and fast casual restaurants but also a recipe that you can easily whip at home with what you have on hand.
Quinoa, it turns out, makes for a great base for a bowl because it's versatile, stores well in the fridge after making (so can be used in quinoa bowls all week long) and is nutrient-dense.
A critical aspect to a yummy quinoa bowl is the dressing, which ideally brings the whole dish together. See below for a savory, flavorful miso tahini dressing for your quinoa bowl.
Notably, quinoa is a rare plant food that is actually a complete protein source. It’s somewhat rare for a plant food to have the complete profile of all 20 amino acids, including the nine essential amino acids that your body doesn’t produce on its own. (For another delicious quinoa-based dish, try our kale quinoa cakes.)
Besides being high in protein, quinoa also contains a good amount of fiber, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and folate, along with an array of other essential micronutrients.
One cup (about 185 grams) of cooked quinoa contains the following:
222 calories
39.4 grams carbohydrates
8.1 grams protein
3.6 grams fat
5.2 grams fiber
Next, add all of the suggested ingredients below and you'll have one of the most nutritious dishes you can make. One serving of this quinoa bowl delivers:
595 calories
78.4 grams carbohydrates
24.3 grams fiber
8.8 grams sugar
20 grams fat
2.8 grams saturated fat
14.4 grams unsaturated fat
33.2 grams protein
283 milligrams vitamin C (378% DV*)
333 micrograms vitamin K (370% DV)
2.6 milligrams manganese (145% DV)
502 micrograms folate (126% DV)
1.1 milligrams copper (124% DV)
744 milligrams phosphorus (106% DV)
2044 IU vitamin A (88% DV)
272 milligrams magnesium (88% DV)
0.9 milligrams vitamin B1 (85% DV)
490 milligrams sodium (33% DV)
* Daily Value based on a 2,000 per day diet
For this version of a quinoa bowl, I've chosen to make a miso tahini dressing. A mixture of natural sweet and sour, it will delight your taste buds.
This quinoa bowl sauce uses only the best ingredients, including garlic, tahini, miso, Dijon mustard, maple syrup and coconut aminos.
If you're not familiar with some of these ingredients, tahini is toasted ground hulled sesame. A Middle Eastern condiment, it's used most often in hummus and baba ghanoush.
Known in the Western world as the main ingredient used to make miso soup, miso paste also is a great probiotic food and brings an earthy, salty flavor.
Coconut aminos? Made from the fermented sap of coconut palm and sea salt, it's a savory, salty flavor.
Quinoa bowls make for an easy weeknight dinner, or prepare the night before so you can have it for lunch the next day. It takes only about 30 minutes to prep.
1. First, prepare the chicken bone broth. Simply add two cups of water to a medium-sized stockpot and place on medium heat. Add two scoops of Chicken Soup Bone Broth Protein and whisk until well combined.
If you want a vegan quinoa bowl, simply prepare the quinoa with water.
2. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a colander for a couple of minutes, and place in the stockpot with the bone broth. Heat to high and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Fluff with a fork when done. The quinoa will absorb the broth. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow it to cool.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, blanch the broccoli. Fill a medium saucepan with water and add some sea salt and bring to a boil. Lower the broccoli florets into the boiling water and cook for only 2 to 3 minutes. Broccoli should be bright green and tender-crisp.
Make an ice bath by filling a medium bowl with cold water and ice. Remove the broccoli from the boiling water and immediately plunge into ice water. When the broccoli is completely cool, drain well.
4. To prepare the dressing, whisk the garlic, tahini, miso paste, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, coconut aminos and sea salt until smooth. Add in cold water, just one tablespoon at a time until the dressing reaches a desired consistency.
5. Assemble the bowl. Place one cup of cooked quinoa in a dinner-sized bowl. Add in black beans, sauerkraut, avocado, green onion and sesame seeds (see other potential toppings below). Top with miso tahini dressing.
The toppings above are mere suggestions. You are welcome to add any toppings that you think may work well with this quinoa bowl dressing, and hopefully some of these ingredients are already in your kitchen.
Here are some ideas for other quinoa bowl toppings:
Sliced red cabbage works well with miso tahini dressing and adds a nice crunch. Same story with red pepper and shredded carrots.
You can substitute kimchi for the beet sauerkraut for some extra East Asian flavor and still deliver those great probiotics.
Black beans add plenty of fiber and some plant-based protein, but you also go with other types of beans, such as red kidney beans or mung beans. You may also choose lentils.
Sunflower or pumpkins seeds can add some extra texture and won't interrupt the flavor.
Shredded or chopped chicken breast or thigh can also work well. Because the sauce is so flavorful, you don't even need to season it beyond perhaps some pepper.
Sticking to a vegan theme? Go with baked tofu or tempeh for some more plant-based protein.
Recipe developed by Holly Darnell, RD. Holly is a registered dietitian nutritionist who unlocked self-love at the intersection of exceptional food and practical solutions for healthy living. She’s passionate about helping others make simple, positive lifestyle changes on their individual path to healing.
Category
Main Dishes, SaladsServings
4Time
40 min (Prep Time: 20 min; Cook Time: 20 min)Calories
595Author
Holly Darnell, RDQuinoa bowls are trending, from fast casual restaurants to cafes, but they're also really easy to make at home. Try this spin on the quinoa bowl recipe, which is loaded with plant-based protein and flavor, in part courtesy of a sublime miso tahini dressing. And don't worry, you'll also be able to customize away!
2 cups water
2 scoops Bone Broth Protein Chicken Soup (skip if making vegan quinoa bowl)
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 heads broccoli, chopped
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup beet sauerkraut (option to use kimchi)
1 avocado, sliced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Sesame seeds, optional, for topping
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons creamy tahini
1 tablespoon white miso paste
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
½ teaspoon sea salt
4–6 tablespoons cold water
In a medium-sized stockpot, prepare the chicken bone broth. Place on medium heat; add 2 cups of warm water and 2 scoops of Chicken Soup Bone Broth Protein. Whisk until combined.
Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a colander for 2–3 minutes, and place in the saucepan with the bone broth. Heat to high and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 15–20 minutes; fluff with a fork. The quinoa will absorb the broth. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow it to cool.
While the quinoa is cooking, blanch the broccoli. Fill a medium saucepan with water and 1 teaspoon sea salt and bring to a boil. Lower the broccoli florets into the boiling water and cook for 2–3 minutes. Broccoli should be bright green and tender-crisp.
Make an ice bath; fill a medium bowl with cold water and ice. Remove the broccoli from the boiling water and immediately plunge into ice water. When the broccoli is completely cool, drain well.
Prepare the dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk garlic, tahini, miso paste, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, coconut aminos and sea salt until smooth. Add in cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time until dressing reaches desired consistency.
Assemble the bowl. Place 1 cup of cooked quinoa in a bowl. Add in black beans, sauerkraut, avocado, green onion and sesame seeds. Consider additional toppings or substitutes. Top with miso tahini dressing.
Serving Size 1 bowl (573g) Calories 595, Carbs 78.4 grams, Fiber 24.3 grams, Sugar 8.8 grams, Fat 20.1 grams, Saturated Fat 2.8 grams, Unsaturated Fat 14.4 grams, Trans Fat 0 grams, Cholesterol 0 milligrams, Protein 33.2 grams, Sodium 490 milligrams (33% DV)
Related Articles
February 10, 2023
|recipes
Cleansing Soup with Chicken & Bone Broth
In this full-flavored, high-protein cleansing soup recipe, the nutrition facts (see below) are off the charts. You get a whopping 49 grams of protein per serving and more than 20 percent daily value of a dozen vitamins and minerals.
January 26, 2023
|recipes
Homemade Chocolate Protein Bars
The afternoon slump is a real thing. Whether you're trying to get through a long work day, or you or loved ones are about to exercise, it's the best time of day for a tasty snack that deliver on all levels: adequate amounts of the three macronutrients (carbs, fat and protein), refilling energy stores, plenty of nutrients and delights your taste buds.
December 28, 2022
|recipes
Butternut Squash Bisque Recipe
When it's getting cold outside, warm up inside with this hot butternut squash soup! In this case, it's a Butternut Squash Bisque that loaded with good nutrition and is pretty easy to make.
September 26, 2024
|recipes
DIY Wellness Shots that Support the Gut, Brain & More
Have you seen this wellness trend? Wellness shots are typically small bottles that feature certain nutrients and are designed to boost one's health, such as promoting a healthy immune system or working as energy boosters or detox drinks. They can also be fairly pricey for such a small drink.