Spiced Chickpea Grain Bowls
with barley / cucumbers / chimichurri sauce
These grain bowls have layers of flavor starting with spiced chickpeas and vegetables and a final topping of creamy yogurt-based chimichurri sauce.
Ingredients
- Cilantro - 1/3 cup, chopped
- Parsley - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Shallots - 1 clove, chopped
- Capers - 1 Tbsp, drained and rinsed
- Vinegar, red wine - 1 Tbsp
- Lime juice - 2 tsp
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Oil, cooking - 1/3 cup
- Barley, hulled and uncooked - 2/3 cup
- Cumin - 1/2 tsp
- Oregano - 1/2 tsp
- Paprika - 1/2 tsp
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Bell peppers, any color - 1, diced
- Zucchini - 1 lb, cubed
- Cucumbers - 12 oz, diced
- Beans, garbanzo (15 oz / 387 g) - 1 can, drained and rinsed
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Lemon juice - 1 tsp
- Yogurt, plain or Greek - 1/2 cup
- Chimichurri sauce (ingredients listed separately) - ~1/3 cup
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Barley - Double if making Thursday’s meal. Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Salt water generously and add barley. Cook for 45 to 55 minutes, until tender but not soggy. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make spice mix - Combine cumin, oregano, paprika, and salt (portion for grain bowls). (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Bell peppers / Zucchini - Prep as directed and combine. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make chimichurri sauce - Double if making Wednesday’s meal. Combine cilantro, parsley, garlic, shallots, capers, vinegar, lime juice, salt, and oil (portion for chimichurri) in a blender or a food processor. Add more oil if it’s too thick. Season to taste with salt or more lime juice. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Cucumbers - Dice cucumbers. (Can be done up to 2 days ahead)
- Beans - Drain and rinse.
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Make
- Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil (portion for grain bowls) and then peppers and zucchini. Saute until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add beans and spice mix. Saute for 2 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and squeeze lemon juice over top. Season with some salt and pepper.
- Whisk together chimichurri (if doubled reserve half for Wednesday) and yogurt.
- Reheat barley (reserve half if doubled) in the microwave.
- Divide barley between bowls. Top with beans / vegetables and cucumbers. Top with yogurt-chimichurri sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
41 reviews
I really loved the sauce! Agree with other reviewers that more barley would have been good, though I'll probably just make rice next time since it cooks so much more quickly.
0 HelpfulI was surprised by how tasty this was. I made the original and vegetarian versions simultaneously. I liked having more veggies, even with the steak. The yogurt sauce definitely made this meal. Agree that amount of barley was skimpy for 4.
0 HelpfulI always love chimichurri sauce. Roasted the chickpeas in the oven so they were a little crispy
0 Helpful