This is such great vegan dinner and a recipe I make on repeat – vegan harvest bowls with roasted root veggies and tempeh from Gena Hamshaw's nutritionally balanced cookbook, Power Plates. This is one of those great bowl foods because it's a little "whatever you got" clean out the fridge types.

For more great weeknight dinners with a plenty of veggies, try my autumn harvest bowls, vibrant rainbow salad, and easy chickpea tagine.

Two grain bowls with tempeh and vegetables.
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Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Grains: the grains suggested included spelt and barley (which I opted for), but if you don't eat gluten a short grain brown rice would be delicious.
  • Vegetables: whatever you have on hand. I did a mix of turnip, rutabaga, parsnip, carrot, and golden and red beets. Yam, sweet potato, or kabocha would be an amazing addition, too.
  • Dressing: the maple mustard dressing is amazing, but I think nutritional yeast dressing would also be great and add a little cheesiness.

Top Tips

  • Make extra: I recommend making a big batch of the maple mustard dressing to use all week and help simplify your suppers.
  • Use flavoured tempeh: if you want to skip the extra step, you can use tempeh that's already been marinated. I don't find that glazing it as instructed takes a lot of extra time though and it's worth it. Baked tofu would be a good sub.

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Recipe

Two grain bowls with tempeh and vegetables.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Harvest Bowls with Barley

A great vegan dinner! Vegan harvest bowls with roasted root veggies and tempeh from Gena Hamshaw's balanced cookbook, Power Plates.
Reprinted with permission from Power Plates, copyright © 2018 by Gena Hamshaw. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
Servings: 4
Author: Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • 9 inch (23 cm) square baking pan
  • Parchment paper
  • Cooking pot
  • Sieve
  • Whisk
  • 2 Baking sheet

Ingredients

  • 1 cup spelt or wheat berries barley, or farro

Tempeh

  • 8 ounces tempeh cut into 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) strips
  • 1 cup apple cider juice
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 2 cloves garlic minced or finely grated

Roasted Root Vegetables

  • 2 pounds root vegetables peeled if need be and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
  • 2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
  • 8 sprigs thyme
  • 8 sprigs rosemary
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups firmly packed baby kale spinach, or arugula1⁄2 cup

Maple Mustard Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or tahini
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water if needed

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), oil a 9 inch (23 cm) square baking pan, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Cook the grain. I used pearl barley, which I cooked by adding to a pot of boiling water and simmering for 45-60 minutes or until tender. After cooking, I gave it a quick rinse to remove extra starch.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the tempeh. Put the strips in the oiled pan. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the cider, mustard, tamari, and garlic. Pour the mixture over the tempeh and cover the pan with foil.
  • To cook the root vegetables, put them in a large bowl, drizzle with the oil, and toss until evenly coated. Spread them evenly on the lined baking sheet (you may need two baking sheets) and nestle the herb sprigs among them. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper
  • Bake both the tempeh and the root vegetables for 25 minutes. Remove the foil from the tempeh and stir the vegetables well, then bake for another 20 minutes or so, until the tempeh is browning and the vegetables are tender; there will be some marinade left in the tempeh pan, but it should have thickened up considerably. If it hasn’t, bake the tempeh for 5 to 10 more minutes.
  • To serve, divide the greens among four bowls and top each with one quarter of the grain, tempeh, and root vegetables. Drizzle with the dressing and serve right away

Maple Mustard Dressing

  • Combine the oil, maple syrup, mustard, tamari, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and nutritional yeast in a small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk to combine. If the dressing is thicker than you’d like, whisk in the warm water as needed. (Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the dressing will keep for 1 week.)

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 649kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 948mg | Potassium: 1550mg | Fiber: 23g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 6802IU | Vitamin C: 106mg | Calcium: 380mg | Iron: 7mg

60 Comments

  1. My favourite bowl consists of roasted sweet potato, roasted brussel sprouts, wild rice, black beans or tempeh, braised kale or swiss chard, pumpkin seeds, and an avocado sauce!

  2. I love a mix of lightly braised greens (rainbow chard is super pretty, and kale is great, too), a couple different types of grains like quinoa, wild rice, farro, and barley, roasted root vegetables, pickled onions to add a kick, a runny-yolk egg, and a good vinaigrette to throw it all together! Thai peanut sauce is especially great. And of course chia or hemp seeds sprinkled on top!

  3. My favorite is a quick rice go to dish in the morning.

    Rice cooked the night before, fry up some cherry tomatoes, cook garlic, and then add the rice. After it's warmed up I put it in a bowl with copped leeks and cilantro. Topped with avocado and a bit of black lava salt.
    It's such a quick and great breakfast of prepped the night before!

    This book looks so amazing! It would be a wonderful part of my cooking collection.

  4. Looks like a lovely book! My favorite bowl would likely have noodles or potatoes and a sweet and salty sauce....like Thai peanut!

  5. Beautiful post as always! My favourite bowl food and my go-to breakfast is oatmeal with apples, cinnamon, hemp hearts and peanut butter.

  6. Ooh I have her Vegan book and I love it! I'm not good at creating my own bowls...But one of my favorite things to eat is marinated tofu, peas, broccoli, shredded kale and bulgur wheat with some sweet soy mix on top!

  7. It changes weekly, but this week my favourite bowl food has been classic: roasted sweet potatoes + beets, steamed broccoli, lentils, lemon tahini dressing, and sauerkraut. Last week I was all about sushi bowls! Who knows what I'll want next week 🙂

  8. I love all of the food bowls people have mentioned so far! I want to make them all... for me, it definitely comes down to couscous (love me some couscous) with toasted spiced chickpeas, broccoli, sweet potato, and then a savory sauce. I used to do a lot of tahini or peanut sauces, but I'm getting really into making dressings with fresh-blended herbs, lemon, and mustard. Yum!! 🙂

  9. I guess my favourite bowl food must be the one I have most often - homemade toasted muesli and yoghurt. But I'd love inspiration for more healthy bowl food meals 🙂

  10. oatmeal will always be my fave bowl food.
    I eat it every morning post work-out topped with homemade nut/seed butter, yummm.

  11. This book sounds amazing! I've been on a red lentil dahl kick lately -- lots of veggies, creamy coconut and brown rice. Yum!

  12. One of my favorite fall meals on the farm: all kinds of roasted veg and steamed greens straight from the garden, garlicky tahini sauce, fresh herbs, and a mix of organic rice and lentils.

  13. I love grain bowls, especially when they involve roasted cauliflower, and I love maple/mustard flavored things, so this recipe looks great.

  14. This book looks so wonderful! I love making a big bowl of red lentil dahl with some pickled cabbage and spicy roasted sweet potatoes 🙂

  15. This book looks so stunning! I have been lusting after every single recipe I've seen people posting from it, and yours is no exception. You made and styled it so beautifully!! And I think I'm with you- that dressing is getting made and going on absolutely everything I make from now on. xx

  16. Definitely the classic- roasted potatoes with rice, lots of vegetables, chickpeas, sauerkraut, and a tahini dressing. That cider tempeh looks delightful!

  17. I’m obsessed with mixed roasted veggies and brown rice with tom yum spices, fresh bean sprouts and cilantro. If you have deep fried garlic flakes to sprinkle on top, there’s literally nothing better.

  18. I am crazy over any Thai inspired bowl with peanuts. The combination of spices, flavors and textures is so satisfying. As long as it is vegetarian or occasionally light on lean meat and loaded with in season veggies and noodles I am willing to experiment and tweak recipes to maintain a flavorful but healthier dish. I would love to win this cookbook!

  19. Oh yum! My favorite type of dinners are ones made with a bowl full of hearty grains, and then I literally clean out my fridge and add all the leftover bits and bobs from the week...topped with salsa and avocado (or a tasty sauce!).

  20. First time I have heard of Power Plates. I love yummy food bowls. This recipe looks amazing as does the recipe book. Would love to have rhe opportunity to explore more great recipes in Power Plates😊

  21. Sweet potatoes, wild rice, roasted crispy chickpeas, arugula, and a tahini lemon dressing is my go-to but I look forward to exploring the exciting bowls in Power Plates!

  22. Oh man, anything with sweet potatoes and spicy seeds. I also am obsessed with Sprouted Kitchen's citrus miso dressing and would put that on any bowl you put in front of me!!

  23. What a beautiful book!! ✨⭐️🌟🌙

    My favorite bowl includes forbidden rice, red + yellow peppers, purple onions, corn, Napa cabbage, scallions, baby bok choy, edamame + tofu glazed in a ginger sesame soy sauce. Sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and fresh cilantro.

    Thank you!! 🙏🏻💖🌟🦋

  24. Mediterranean Bowl: quinoa, leafy greens mix, roasted bell peppers, kalamata olives, feta cheese, chopped onions and tomatoes topped with a bell peppers dressing. TO DIE FOR 🤤🤤🤤🤤

  25. I love a good Buddha bowl loaded with my fav ingredients- butter lettuce, paprika chickpeas, farro, shredded beets, edamame, cucumber, ancient grains, hemp seeds and pomegranate seeds topped with lemon balsamic avocado and ground pepper! So easy to prep for a whole week of lunches!

  26. Ah! I love a good bowl! My favorite weekday lunch is sweet potato, micro greens, pickled onions, and a red wine/shallot/tahini dressing over farro. So good!!

  27. A good ol‘ vegan Buddha Bowl for sure! But also a very close favorite is brown rice, vegan kimchi, sweet & sour cabbage, broccoli, salad and topped with some sriracha and soy sauce 💝✌🏼

  28. I’m not very experienced when it comes to the yummy food bowls but from what I have had, I’ve got to say açaí bowls! I love them full of all the berries too!

  29. Roast veggies, brown rice, roast veggies, herbs, roast veggies, and did I mention veggies? 🙂 and a zingy dressing.

  30. I've had my eye on this book for a while now. It looks absolutely gorgeous! Does bowl food have to be savory? Because if not, I'm a ginger and cinnamon oats with bananas kind of girl, but if I need to eat vegetables then I'm always in the mood for a sushi-inspired bowl or a curry with plenty of brown rice and root vegetables.

  31. Vegetable bowl with poached eggs! Spinach, grated carrots and beet, green onions, marinated artichokes, feta and two poached eggs miam!

  32. Classic grain/Buddha bowl of squash or sweet potatoes, spinach, quinoa,roasted cumin chickpeas, parsnip, avocado, and drizzle of tahini!

    But this looks amazing! Gotta try this week.

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