Blue Zone Harvest Bowl

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Happy March! Spring is right around the corner, but right now it’s that time of the year where one day’s warm and one day’s cold and you never know which one you’re going to get. Soups and stews are still in order, but some days you can’t help but dream – of tender greens, fresh peas, and the season’s first asparagus… It won’t be much longer, I promise. 

To survive this wishy-washy time, be adaptable. A dish like this Blue Zone Harvest Bowl lets you do just that. Plant-based, seasonal, and fortified with beans, it’s inexpensive, delicious and easy to pull off. Full of fork-tender roasted veggies that are caramelized and flavorful, it’s warm and comforting, and it’s healthy, too. 

The longest living, happiest, healthiest people in the world live in hot-spots around the globe known as “Blue Zones.” They know that good food, good sleep, good friends, plenty of movement and a sense of purpose are a recipe for living better.

Eating as they do in the blue zones is simple. Meals are always delicious, affordable, nourishing and best of all, easy. Some blue zone tips: shop for food at your local farmer’s market or community-supported farms. Do your best to avoid factory-made foods, foods wrapped in plastic, food products made with more than five ingredients, and pre-made or ready-to-eat meals. Reduce meat and aim for a plant-forward approach. 

Aim to eat at least three Super Blue Foods daily. You don’t have to eat these in copious amounts to get all of their benefits. Here is a rundown of the Super Blue Foods: beans, greens, sweet potatoes, nuts (including peanuts and sunflower seeds), olive oil, oats (slow-cooked or Irish steel-cut are best), barley, fruits, green or herbal teas, and turmeric.  

For best results, use a fresh, or recently opened, jar of tahini for the tahini dressing. You’ll find that it will blend better and you’ll have less struggle than you would with what’s left at the bottom of the jar. Refrigerate any dressing that you have left over and plan to use it within 5 to 7 days.

Line your baking tray with parchment paper for easier clean-up if you like, although I think vegetables prepared this way make very little mess. And go ahead and cook extra with this recipe. I made about twice as much of all the roasted vegetables and transferred what was left to a resealable freezer bag for easy reheating later. 

Plate your harvest bowl on a bed of spring greens. Dress your greens first with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little olive oil. You can add a splash of balsamic vinegar if you like. Spoon on your roasted veggies and add pomegranate seeds, pistachios or pumpkin seeds, or any other seed or nut that you like. Drizzle tahini dressing generously over all and enjoy!  

Blue Zone Harvest Bowl

• 2 pounds firm vegetables, such as sweet potato, potato, carrot, pumpkin, red onion
• 1 pound softer vegetables, such as eggplant, zucchini, broccoli
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 15.5 ounce can Great Northern or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Tahini Dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• pinch salt
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons hot water, plus more if needed

Preheat oven to 400º F. Cut vegetables into similar-sized small pieces, keeping the firm and soft vegetables separated. Drizzle half of the olive oil over the firm vegetables then spread in an even layer over a baking tray. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then bake for 20-30 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. 

Meanwhile, prepare soft vegetables by tossing them in remaining olive oil, then seasoning with salt, pepper and finely chopped rosemary. Add soft vegetables to the tray about halfway through the cooking time, mixing in to combine with par-cooked firm veggies. Remove from oven once vegetables are fork-tender and starting to caramelize around the edges. 

Place roasted vegetables and beans together in a bowl and drizzle dressing over while still warm. Serve with additional dressing alongside. 

for the dressing:

Whisk together tahini, maple syrup, lemon juice a pinch of salt and olive oil. While whisking, slowly drizzle in 1 tablespoon of hot water at a time, until mixture is smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking, adding more lemon juice, maple syrup, or salt if needed. 

-Eat Well magazine