Chipotle-Inspired Sweet Potato and Black Bean Power Bowl

Are you frequently short on time and cringe at the thought of making dinner? I feel ya. If I don’t take the time to plan and prep ahead, it can get ugly real quick! I’m a huge fan of one bowl meals, aka “power bowls” because they are easy to assemble and a great way to pack in a nutritious meal with minimal effort. Get the recipe for one of my favorites below – a chipotle-inspired plant protein power bowl!  

In case you haven’t heard, Florida was in recent danger of a massive hurricane, and there were many counties that were even being asked to evacuate. Now if you’ve lived in the sunshine state long enough, then you would remember the string of hurricanes that rocked our world about 12 years ago.

Because of these distant memories, one mention of “hurricane” and us Floridians are dashing to the stores stocking up on waters, breads made with fake whole grains, high-fructose corn syrup jellies and peanut butter made with hydrogenated oils (wait, was it just me?!).

As I was running around stocking up on last-minute hurricane supplies, I had a raging craving for Chipotle. Because I work from home most days, I hardly ever eat out for lunch so it’s a rare opportunity when I get one of their delicious burrito bowls. I don’t know why, but the Mexican infused bowl that bursts with flavor from all the yummy toppings was calling my name and I just couldn’t ignore it.

When I saw this month’s Recipe Redux theme, I knew I had to take a stab at recreating this delicious bowl at home, using seasonal ingredients as a twist. The October theme is “plant protein power bowls” – packed with protein, fiber and color, plant power bowls are trendy and delicious. Show us the healthy recipe that’s in your bowl.

Plants + Protein + Bowl = The Ultimate Quick and Healthy Dinner

Fall seems to be an unusually busy time for many of us, and as I feel up to my earlobes in projects over here, I’m desperate for quick and easy solutions when it comes to healthy eating.

I know that the busier I get, it’s even more important for me to eat healthy, nutrient-rich foods to keep my energy up, my mind clear and my immune system working like a powerhouse.

Enter the ever so trendy, yet ridiculously easy power bowl. I love to cook a batch of grains and roasted veggies at the beginning of the week and throw them in a bowl with a little sauce and call it a meal.

It’s a super simple way to get all of your essential nutrients at mealtime. And with a little planning and prepping ahead of time, it can be done in under 5 minutes.

This particular chipotle-inspired bowl has all the flavors of the real thing, but is much healthier since we are using quinoa as a base and fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Instead of using a traditional meat protein source, I’m using black beans and quinoa in this bowl, which not only provides protein, but fiber to help keep you fuller longer and sustain your energy, plus other nutrients to help kick your health up a notch.

While I am huge fan of all things homemade, when it comes to convenience, I do cut corner sometimes, especially if I can find a pre-made item that contains fresh, whole ingredients. In this recipe, I’m using a fresh, store bought salsa, but we will be making our own guacamole!

To save time and energy in the kitchen, I would prep the cilantro lime quinoa and roasted sweet potatoes ahead of time. You could also drain and rinse the beans so that they are ready to go.

Then all you have to do when the hunger strike hits is heat up the quinoa, sweet potato and beans, top with spinach, salsa and guacamole and you are good to go!

Chipotle-Inspired Sweet Potato and Black Bean Power Bowl

• Author: FitLiving Eats by Carly Paige
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 2 1x
• Category: Main
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

I’m a huge fan of one bowl meals, aka “power bowls” because they are easy to assemble and a great way to pack in a nutritious meal with minimal effort. Get the recipe for one of my favorites – a chipotle-inspired plant protein power bowl!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 large sweet potato, cut into small cubes
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup fresh salsa
• 1 cups baby spinach

For the cilantro lime quinoa:

• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 2 Tablespoons cup cilantro chopped
• 1/2 lime, juiced

For the guacamole:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons red onion, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lime, juiced

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the cubed sweet potatoes, olive oil, cumin and salt and toss to combine. Spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 15 minutes, or until fork tender. When finished, set aside.
3. Meanwhile, make the guacamole. In a bowl, add the avocado and mash until creamy. Add the cilantro, red onion, garlic powder, salt and lime juice and stir to combine.
4. To make the cilantro lime quinoa, cook quinoa according to package (about 1/3 cup dry). Once cooked, fluff with a fork and add the cilantro and lime juice. Mix well.
5. To assemble the power bowl, add 1/2 cup cooked quinoa to the bottom of the bowl. Add a handful of spinach. Next, add about 1/2 cup each of the roasted sweet potatoes and black beans. Then, add a scoop of the fresh salsa and homemade guacamole. Enjoy!

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Keywords: chipotle bowl, dinner recipe, plant based, power bowl, quick dinner, roasted sweet potatoes, seasonal ingredients, sweet potato, black bean, vegan

If you want an even lower-carb option, you could forgo the quinoa and serve the veggies on top of a bed of spinach. It would be equally as delicious!