Native Foods Inspiration

Native Foods recently opened up a location in Denver near our house (lucky us!) and we have eaten there a few times now. In fact, I wrote a little review about it. I’m super grateful they have soy-free options, but it’s kind of disappointing not being able to try their homemade seitan, tempeh, or native cheese. Their recommended substitutes are either beans or portobello. This doesn’t work for every dish so it leaves me with very few options. My favorite entrée I’ve tried so far is the Rockin’ Moroccan earth bowl with portobello instead of native chicken or tofu. It’s a simple yet amazingly tasty dish that has grilled veggies over quinoa accompanied with their homemade Moroccan sauce. I suggest you give it a try.

They also have two books out called The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook and the more recent Native Foods Celebration Cookbook. I haven’t seen any of these recipes, but I’m sure they are similar to what is available in their stores. You can visit their website to buy the new book or peruse their blog for recipes.

I was inspired by the Rockin’ Moroccan dish to create my own Native Foods bowl with an extra spicy twist. If you can’t handle spicy foods this is probably not going to work for you. If you are a sriracha lover then you will probably love this. I wanted to keep it simple and fresh yet sassy. Papa tummy calls it the Hottie Chickpea bowl. I’m not sure what to call it other than delicious.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 cups water
3/4 cups white quinoa, rinsed
3/4 cups red quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or 15 ounce can, drained and rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup sriracha
juice from half lemon
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
5 small sweet peppers or 1 large bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 large onion, cut into 8 sections

Directions:

Combine water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 25 minutes. While quinoa is cooking prepare the rest and set aside when done.
Add chickpeas, broth, sriracha, lemon juice, yeast, tomato paste, coconut aminos, and maple syrup into a food processor. Blend until smooth, this could take up to 5 minutes.
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Saute broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots for 3 minutes. Add peppers and onions and saute for another 5 minutes.
In another medium saucepan heat sauce until warm.
To serve lay down a bed of quinoa, pile on veggies, and pour on the sauce.