Perfectly seasoned quinoa, topped with a silky cauliflower sauce, tender baby kale and garnished with grated carrots and beets, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and then finished with a generous drizzle of cilantro-lime sauce and cashew sour cream.
To start, first prepare the Cauliflower Sauce.
*Note: For Lime-Avocado Sauce, make only half the recipe and add an additional half bunch of fresh cilantro. This makes for a delicious Cilantro-Avocado Sauce. Once done, place into a squeeze bottle (if you have one, if not, you can simply spoon it on at the end).
Next, gather (or make) the Cashew Sour Cream. Again, place this into a squeeze bottle, if you have one.
**Note: For the quinoa, either use leftover and reheat it just before serving or cook as follows:
Bring the 1 1/2 cups stock and 1 cup of quinoa to a boil in a small pot. Reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Let cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Keep covered and let rest for about 10 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool. *Note: If using plain water, be sure to season the water with a pinch or two of sea salt.
***Note: For the carrots and beets, grate them as desired, we just like a bit of a finer grate for this dish as it makes for a more delicate dish. For the kale, baby kale is best as it is also quite delicate; however, if you cannot find baby kale, regular kale will work just fine.
Just before serving, toss the kale with the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.
To assemble the dish, start by placing about 1/2 cup of hot/warm quinoa on the bottom of a large serving-sized bowl. Next, ladle about a 1/2 cup of cauliflower sauce around the edge of the quinoa (or simply pour over the top).
Next, place a handful of the seasoned kale on top — followed by 1/4 cup each of grated carrots and beets. Next, sprinkle with a tablespoon each of pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Lastly, drizzle the top with a generous amount of the Lime-Avocado Sauce and Cashew Sour Cream. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Note: As far as presentation goes, feel free to play around with the dish and how it is plated. We chose to do it this way because, if you eat from the outside inward, you get a bit of everything with each bite.
While this dish may seem time consuming, it’s actually quite easy to make. Also, many things, like the sauce, the quinoa, cashew sour cream etc. can be made ahead of time. It also tastes delicious, so it’s worth any extra effort.