A weeknight dinner that's mostly hands-off: everything roasts on one tray while the rice and eggs cook. It serves 4, takes about 45 minutes, and is vegetarian. If you're cooking for 2, the leftovers are tomorrow's lunch.
It also follows the plate from Canada's food guide, which we covered last week: half vegetables, a quarter whole grains and a quarter protein foods, here from chickpeas and eggs.
Ingredients
For the tray
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 800g), cut into 2cm cubes
- 2 tins of chickpeas (400g each), drained and patted dry
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 red capsicum, cut into strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- A good pinch of salt
To serve
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice or quinoa
- 4 to 8 eggs (1 or 2 each)
- 2 big handfuls of baby spinach
For the dressing
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- A pinch of salt
- Water to thin
To finish
- A handful of chopped parsley
- A pinch of chilli flakes, if you like heat
Method
- Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Start the rice or quinoa first, following the packet, since brown rice can take up to 40 minutes.
- Toss the sweet potato with half the oil and roast for 15 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas and capsicum to the tray, sprinkle over the paprika, cumin and salt, drizzle with the rest of the oil and toss. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Add the broccoli, toss again and roast for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potato is soft and the broccoli is charred at the edges.
- Bring a small pot of water to the boil, lower in the eggs and cook for 6½ minutes for soft yolks. Move them to cold water, then peel.
- Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup and salt, adding water a tablespoon at a time until it pours.
- Divide the grains between bowls, add a handful of spinach to each, then the roast vegetables and chickpeas. Top with halved eggs, the dressing, parsley and chilli.
For lunch the next day
Keep the grains, roast vegetables and dressing in separate containers. Peel only the eggs you're eating tonight. Cooked eggs left in their shells keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat the grains and vegetables, or eat them at room temperature with the spinach stirred through.
Swaps
- No eggs: add a third tin of chickpeas, or crumble over some feta.
- No tahini: use thick natural yoghurt with lemon juice instead.
- Out of broccoli: use cauliflower, or a tray of green beans for the last 10 minutes.
The takeaway: half the tray is vegetables, and the grains and chickpeas make up the rest. Cooking for 2, one tray covers dinner and tomorrow's lunch.