Open Kitchen’s Southwest Bowl

You know the one. It's vegan and vegetarian, but few carnivores would say it is worse off for having no animal proteins. It has a pleasant blend of warm grains and cold pico de gallo, crunchy tortilla chips and soft sweet potato, with a little kick of spice on the finish.

Something about the Southwest Bowl makes you want to pat yourself on the back for choosing something that is both healthy AND delicious today. It's a perennial favourite at the Vegetarian Kitchen station in Open Kitchen, and has been on the menu since the dining room first opened in 2016.

While it comes with a long ingredient list, it's not a difficult recipe to make, and could easily be tweaked using ingredients you have laying around the house.

Making this recipe? Tag us @ubcfoodie on Instagram for a chance to be featured!

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Southwest Bowl Recipe

Yield: 4 Servings

Roasted Sweet
Potato Hash

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 jalapeños, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
½ zucchini, diced
1½ cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Dried chili flakes and salt to taste
14 oz/398ml can of black beans, rinsed and drained
Fresh cilantro to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. In a mixing bowl, toss diced sweet potato, red onion, jalapeños, red pepper, zucchini and corn with olive oil, minced garlic, chilli flakes, and salt.
3. Spread hash ingredients out on a baking sheet or roasting pan in an even layer. Try not to overcrowd the veggies or they will steam rather than roast.
4. Roast hash for 15-20 minutes, or until sweet potato is browned on the edges and soft when poked with a fork. Remove from the oven and let cool.
5. Once cool, add black beans and cilantro, and toss to combine.

Cumin Lime Dressing

Ingredients

⅔ cup canola oil
½ tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp lime juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all dressing ingredients. Screw the lid on tightly and shake to emulsify.

To Assemble

Ingredients

4 cups cooked quinoa or brown rice
Roasted sweet potato hash (recipe above)
Cumin lime dressing (recipe above)
Pico de gallo (store bought or make your own)
Salsa verde (store bought or make your own)
1 avocado, sliced into quarters
1 lime, sliced into quarters
Tortilla chips (we use slices of fried tortilla shells in Open Kitchen)
Fresh cilantro and sliced jalapeños to taste

Method

1. In a large bowl, toss rice/quinoa, roasted sweet potato hash and cumin lime dressing.
2. Divide mixture into four bowls.
3. Top each bowl with pico de gallo, salsa verde, avocado and lime wedges, and tortilla chips.
4. Garnish with a sprinkle of cilantro and enjoy!