Autumn Harvest Bowl

Ingredients

1 Medium Sweet Potato (1.5 pounds) cubed

1 teaspoon of Salt

2 teaspoons of Paprika for the sweet potato (optional)

1 tablespoon of olive oil for the cubed potatoes

Arugula

Yellow bell pepper

Orange bell pepper

Mushrooms sliced

Cored and thinly sliced apples

Avocado (optional)

Quinoa

1 cup of quinoa

1 3/4 cups of vegetable broth

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of nutritional yeast (optional)

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne (optional)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Fig vinaigrette

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup of olive oil

1 tablespoon of chopped shallot

1 tablespoon of raw honey (or agave to keep this whole recipe vegan)

3 to 4 tiger figs roughly chopped (you can use black mission figs)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 1: Place your cubed sweet potatoes in a large bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of paprika and mix together with your hand until the sweet potatoes are coated.

Step 2: On a baking sheet spread out your sweet potatoes.

Step 3: Place your potatoes in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Step 4: Remove the potatoes from the oven and turn it off.

Step 5: Place your yellow and orange bell pepper into a bowl and drizzle it with a little olive oil.  Take your hands and rub the oil on the peppers until they are both coated with olive oil.

Step 6: You can either roast your bell pepper directly on the stove charring all sides or you can roast them in your oven (400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes on one side, then flip over and cook for another 20 minutes on the other side).

Step 7: Blister and char all sides of your bell peppers.  The bell pepper is not burned, and you can remove the charred skin off of it later if you choose.

Step 8: Remove the charred bell pepper from the fire, place in a bowl and cover.  Let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 9: Remove the cover from the bowl, cut off the stem and remove the seeds and liquid from inside of the bell peppers.  You can also easily remove any of the charred skin if you choose. Avoid using water for this step because you will remove the charred flavor.

Step 10: Place the bell pepper on the cutting board and slice them vertically then set them aside.

Step 11: Heat up a large pan on medium high heat.

Step 12: Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, wait for the oil to heat up, then add your sliced mushrooms.  Sauté for approximately 4 to 5 minutes then remove from the stove.

Step 13: In a medium sized saucepan add your quinoa, broth, garlic, salt, nutritional yeast, cayenne and olive oil and mix together.

Step 14: Place the pot on the stove on high heat and bring it to a boil.

Step 15: Once the water is at a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, stir, then cover.

Step 16: Cook until the all the water is gone then turn the stove off.

Step 17: In a blender add your balsamic vinegar, olive oil, shallot, honey, and figs. 

Step 18: Blend until smooth.

Step 19: Place your dressing into a clean mason jar and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Step 20: Build the bowl the way you want and enjoy!