I follow so many bloggers, chefs, food media sites etc on Instagram. Around this time of year, it always feels like our little region is behind everyone else in terms of spring splendour. I know that homegrown fruit and vegetables are a long way off, but even the flowers and general green in the landscape are slow on the uptake here. All the hot pink magnolias and spring bulbs are blowing up my feed while I keep proclaiming, “March is soooooo ugly!”
So, a few strategies. I keep cut flowers, cute plants and other indoor greenery around at all times. I also buy and grow a lot of sprouts. I naturally start craving them when the daylight stretches later into the evening. So many varieties can always be in season in your own house! Whether you’re planting peas for shoots, soaking alfalfa for a cute little tangle on your sandwich, or activating some sweet bean-based ones like I have here.
If I’m DIY’ing the sprout thing, 90% of the time I’m picking mung beans. They taste so clean, grassy and sweet. They never take longer than two days to get going and they’re loaded with easily assimilated protein. I’ve linked to some guides for growing them at home in the recipe below.
Since it is the international year of pulses, I’m still doing the Pulse Pledge and I hope you are too. Once I have a batch of these sprouts ready to go, it’s easy to get my weekly quota in. I bought a sprout grower from an older gentleman that used to eat a handful of mung sprouts every morning. He was a pretty radiant and positive guy, so of course I leaped onto his high-vibe bandwagon. They really do make you vibrate with a certain energy if you can work up the nerve to eat them pre-coffee though ;)
I pair the sprouted mung beans with a few other goodies in this bowl. A rich and complex beet tahini sauce that’s spiked with garlic, tamari, and balsamic vinegar sits on the base of the plate. A creamy, dreamy heap of coconut quinoa with chili and coriander balances the sweet crispness of the sprouts. I finish the plate with some thin wisps of cucumber and a sprinkle of fresh dill. The sprouts themselves are incredibly diverse, and I imagine the quinoa and beet tahini would both taste great with a bunch of other things.
Sprouted Mung Bowl with Coconut Quinoa & Beet Tahini
Ingredients
BEET TAHINI INGREDIENTS (makes extra)
- 1 small-medium beet, scrubbed
- 1 small garlic clove, chopped
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon Tamari soy sauce
- sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
COCONUT QUINOA INGREDIENTS
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup finely diced shallots (1 large shallot)
- ¼ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- pinch chili flakes
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk (from a can)
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- sea salt, to taste
MUNG BOWL
- scant cup mung bean sprouts
- 1 English cucumber, peeled into ribbons
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Notes
- You can use any sprouted beans/legumes you like. I know a few of my local grocery stores sell these kinds of sprouts if you aren’t up to the challenge of doing it yourself.
- I follow these instructions for sprouting mung beans.
- Also, if you’re boiling a beet for the sauce, you might as well do a whole bunch to have around for future salads, bowls etc.
Instructions
- Place the beet in a medium saucepan and cover it with water. Bring the pot to a boil and then simmer until the beet is soft when pierced with a paring knife, about 30-40 minutes. Remove the beet and let it cool slightly. The rough outer skin of the beet should slip off with ease at this point. Peel the beet and chop it roughly.
- Place the chopped beet in an upright blender along with the garlic, tahini, water, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, tamari, salt, and pepper. Blend the mixture on high until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Rinse out and towel off the medium saucepan you used for the beat. Set it over medium heat and pour the oil in. Add the shallots to the pan and stir. Sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the coconut, coriander and chili flakes, and sauté until very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the quinoa and stir to coat in the oil and spices. Add the coconut milk, vegetable stock, and sea salt to the pan and stir. Bring the quinoa to a boil and then simmer until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- Spread a couple tablespoons of the beet tahini across 4 shallow bowls. Portion the quinoa among the bowls. Top each bowl with a portion of sprouted mung beans, cucumber ribbons and fresh dill. Serve immediately.
*This post was created in partnership with USA Pulses and Pulse Canada. All opinions/endorsements are my own. Thanks for supporting!
Mung beans need to be cooked. They are a legume and should not be eaten raw – even if sprouted. I will try this with the beans cooked till just tender. The taste should still be good!
This recipe rocks :) I`ll make it tomorrow for lunch in the office and I`m sure that I`ll get some envy looks :P Thank you!
I want to jump into that bowl. The colors and textures are so vibrant. And really you had me with that coconut. I adore anything coconut (though Eric complains about the texture… But that means more for me!!!)
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Looks so fresh and beautiful!I can’t get enough of beetroots they’re incredible vegetables, and tahini too so the combination is great! xx
This bowl totally radiates all of the sunshine and colors the outdoors may be lacking right now Laura, I love this! Also the idea of the sauce on the bottom of the plate brilliant. I am all about those home grown sprouts and mung beans are mega fresh, big big fan.
beets! tahini! my two fave things together ahhh <3 also loving your photos!
This looks AMAZING. I’m new to your blog but I’m loving everything. I was also pleased to see the Pulse Pledge! Just last night my husband and I made lentils and rice with crispy onions!
I can’t wait to try this recipe…it’s the freshest most sophisticated one I have seen…maybe I too will jump on the “high-vibe bandwagon” with this. Happy feasting.
laura – i get your spring/march feelings completely. we’re definitely coddling some plants indoors to help them survive the fickle weather in our region this time of year (insert snowstorm yesterday). but i just keep feeding the universe overages of optimism and hopefully the spring signs will amount to more and more. – – mung beans are one of my favorites. and beets. and beet tahini is one of the most inspiring things i’ve seen this week, thank you. xo
I seriously need to get my sprouting game on. The lazy side of me just wants to buy them from the store but the hippie side of me wants to grow it all by myself. So have start listening to that hippie in me and follow your example, finally! Enjoy your weekend xx
I’m totally with you on the whole magnolia thing. Whenever I see them on Instagram I’m like ´well where the heck ARE they?!´ (not where I live, that’s for sure).. On another note, this bowl is total magnificence! Yay for pulses! Mungbean sprouts are always a winner in my book. It’s gorgeous! Love ya, Laura!
Oh, I’m glad I’m not the only one who found that Vogue story super inspiring. I love the direction you took- this looks lovely. You’ve almost inspired me to start growing my own sprouts and have definitely inspired me to google growing my own sprouts. I hope your March blooms very soon.
Ooh beet tahini! I’ve seen beet hummus before but never beet tahini. So creative, Laura!!
Any mention of the word tahini and I am there! That beet tahini, oh my, it deserves all the heart eyes. Thank you for this beautiful recipe, which strikes me as quite perfect for the start of Autumn here in Aus! I can’t wait to try it.
I love the colours <3 I have never tried sprouting my own beans before! Seems like a great time to give it a go, seeing as it's the year of the pulse and all… and I recently bought some succulents to place around the house and am kind of obsessed with them now. A little bit of green here and there can make such a difference!
This bowl is so colorful and gorgeous while tha flavors sound delicious! I am all for this healthy bowl packed with nutrition!