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A plate of quinoa, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potato mixed with vegetable ricotta-style cheese
4.91 from 11 votes

Maple-Glazed Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Charred Brussels sprouts, and Poppy Seed Quinoa

This colorful dish is worthy of a painting canvas! Lightly crispy sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts—roasted until the edges are irresistibly caramelized—rest on a bed of crispy quinoa. A few spoonfuls of creamy plant-based ricotta are added to contrast color and texture, but it's totally optional. Then, flavors of maple syrup, mint, toasted pumpkin seeds, and poppy seeds mingle with it all for this vegan wonder.
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Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Keyword: pumpkin seeds, quinoa
Servings: 4
Calories: 1554kcal
Author: Naïby

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup quinoa red and white, rinsed
  • 450 g sweet potatoes (½ lb)
  • 450 g Brussels sprouts (4 cups)
  • 3 green onions
  • 1 big bunch mint rinced
  • 1 cup pumpkin seeds (100 g)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar divided
  • 1 cup macadamia or plant-based ricotta cheese (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds divided
  • Salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 ° F/230 °C.
  • In a medium pot, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 16 to 18 min until the quinoa is tender. Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork and set it aside in a warm place.
  • While the quinoa cooks, cut the Brussels sprouts in half (or into quarters if they are large). Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1 inch (2 cm) cubes. Thinly slice the stems of the green onions (do the same for the white bulbs and save them for people who don't have digestive problems if you wish). Pick the mint leaves off the stems and roughly chop them. Discard the stems.
  • In a medium bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with a drizzle of oil. Season with 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds, salt, and pepper. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, toss the seasoned sweet potatoes on half the baking sheet. Bake for 6 min.
  • Remove from the oven and add the Brussels sprouts on the other half of the baking sheet. Return to the oven and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking, until the vegetables are golden and tender.
  • While the vegetables cook, in a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil on medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds, toast, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until golden (beware! Pumpkin seeds may burst during cooking). Transfer to a cutting board, salt, and pepper immediately. When cool enough, roughly chop the pumpkin seeds.
  • In a small bowl, combine the toasted pumpkin seeds, half the mint, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper to taste. In a medium bowl, add the maple syrup, remaining mint, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Mix well.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining apple cider vinegar to the pot of quinoa, a generous drizzle of olive oil, and half the tops of the green onions (or the scallion bulbs for weakened intestines). Season with the rest of the poppy seeds, salt, and pepper to taste.
  • Divide the finished quinoa between your plates, garnish with half the ricotta. Place the roasted vegetables on top. Garnish with the remaining ricotta, remaining apple cider vinegar, roasted pumpkin garnish, and the remaining green tops of green onions as desired.

Notes

To cook the quinoa, put one part uncooked quinoa in two parts water. Bring to a boil, salt generously, and add the quinoa. Simmer gently, cover, and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes after turning off the heat.  Warning! Do not mix the quinoa during cooking. Just peel off the grains lightly with a fork just before serving. 

Variants

Replace the sweet potato with Butternut squash or carrots.
Add chickpeas for more protein.
Replace the quinoa with couscous, farro, or brown rice

Conservation

Placed in a tight-sealed container, this grain bowl will keep up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 1554kcal | Carbohydrates: 166g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 86g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 200mg | Potassium: 3059mg | Fiber: 34g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 33820IU | Vitamin C: 202mg | Calcium: 458mg | Iron: 17mg
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