BY MILA HYMAN / FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER + STYLIST BASED IN DUBAI
ROAST SWEET POTATOES WITH MISO MUSHROOM QUINOA AND STEAMED BROCCOLINI
THIS IS A GREAT WHOLE FOOD MEAT SUBSTITUTE FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS / VERY EASY + QUICK / PERFECT FOR WEEKNIGHT DINNERS AND LEFTOVERS THE NEXT DAY /
The secret ingredient is always love !
Use this recipe as an inspirational guideline. I invite you to get creative, experiment, try new ingredients and different combos. If you don't have/like something, swap it out with something else. Taste as you go along. Trust your tastebuds and your gut...and most importantly, have fun!
Love x Mila*
I love meals that hero whole foods, like the roast sweet potato in this case, which is served with a side of salad or grains. It's so quick and easy to prepare, and it's nourishing and fulfilling!
The roast sweet potato and the salty miso mushroom quinoa is such a good and well-balanced combo! The chilli also balances out nicely with the sweet potato, so if you don't usually eat chilli, this is a good and safe combo to be adventurous with.
The Miso Mushroom Quinoa is very straightforward to make and doesn't involve too many ingredients. It's also a great dish on its own or served alongside other dishes, let's say, when you're entertaining friends for dinner.
For this dish, I'm using quinoa as it's relatively quick and simple to cook, which makes it ideal for weeknight dinners. You can swap the quinoa with bulgar wheat, brown rice or any other grain you prefer.
You can also swap out the vegetables if there's something else you prefer or want to add. Some good swaps or add-ons are baby spinach or zucchini.
For the broccoli, you can either steam it or add it in with the rest of the vegetables with the quinoa, up to you.
The recipe is very versatile, so get creative!
If you're cooking for 2 people, then you'll most likely have leftovers for lunch the next day...which is great!
ROAST SWEET POTATOES WITH MISO MUSHROOM QUINOA AND STEAMED BROCCOLINI
Ingredients
1 kg Sweet Potatoes / roughly 3 - 4 / halved lengthways
1 cup uncooked Quinoa / cooked
1 Onion / sliced quarter rings
2 Green Chillies / finely chopped / (optional)
250g Brown Button Mushrooms / thinly sliced
4 - 5 Kale Leaves / chopped
200g tenderstem Broccolini
2 Tbs Brown Miso Paste
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Water
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
Instructions
FOT THE ROAST SWEET POTATOES
Preheat the oven to 180°C
Rinse the sweet potatoes and halve them lengthways.
Prepare a baking tray with parchment baking paper and place the sweet potatoes, flat side facing up.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the sweet potatoes and rub them with your hands, coating them thoroughly in oil. Sprinkle over some salt.
Pop the tray into the oven and roast for 30 minutes - set a timer.
*Start preparing the Miso Mushroom Quinoa
After 30min, check on the sweet potatoes. You can leave them in until they're cooked and got some nice caramelisation going.
*FOR THE MISO MUSHROOM QUINOA
Prepare and cook the quinoa as per the packet instructions.
In a separate pan, drizzle a bit of olive oil and add the onion. Simmer till the onion starts to go translucent.
Add the chilli and mushrooms. Stir-fry for a minute or two.
If you're not steaming the broccolini, you can add it to the pan now. Stir-fry for a minute or two. Turn the stove off once the veg is cooked and tender (careful not to overcook the broccoli).
While the veg is simmering, make the miso sauce by combining the miso, soy, and sesame oil in a small bowl. You can add a bit of water if it's too pasty.
Once the quinoa is cooked, add it to the vegetable pan.
Pour over the miso dressing and mix thoroughly.
*If you're steaming your broccolini, get that going now in a separate pot. Usually, it only takes about 5min or so, depending on how you like it done.
Back to the mushroom quinoa pan, add the chopped kale and mix. You can turn the stove back on if you need a bit of heat to steam the kale.
Do a taste test to check if it needs anything. If it tastes quite salty, don't worry, the flavours balance out with the sweetness of the sweet potato.
ENJOY + HAPPY EATING!
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions, comments or requests.
I would love to hear if you've tried the recipe and what you think of it!
Love x Mila*