Merah Hati Cintaku: Green Goddess Salad Bowls

These Green Goddess salad bowls are all about flavor: tasty grains and grilled veggies smothered in creamy green tahini dressing.

You know that Saturday feeling? Where you have time to do all the things you’ve been putting off all week? Where you have the space to experiment in the kitchen, enjoy the cooking process, and not worry as much about cooking at lightening speed? (If your work is outside of the Monday through Friday tradition; just insert the day of the week that fits!) Our friend Sarah Copeland has just launched a gorgeous new book called Every Day is Saturday, and it’s all about how to have the Saturday mentality of taking pleasure in cooking food for your family, whatever the day of the week. And this Green Goddess salad is a scrumptious preview. Keep reading for more about the book and this recipe!

About the book: Every Day is Saturday

Sarah is a dear friend of Alex and me, former food director at Real Simple, genius recipe developer, and a serious light in the world of food. If you don’t follow Sarah already, head to her Instagram right now and do so. She shares sweet vignettes of her dear family: they’re picture perfect but at the same time real and relatable. (I’ve never met her kiddos and I feel like I’m a distant aunt!) The way that Sarah cooks and eats is simple and elegant, and her aesthetic is truly divine. We hope someday we’ll be able to visit Sarah and bask in the glow of her glorious food! In the meantime though, there’s her new book.

Every Day is Saturday is a brilliant compilation of recipes that shows you how to cook like it’s Saturday, every day of the week. At every step, Sarah guides you into more confident, strategic cooking. The photography is so beautiful that at first glance you might think something to be complex: but the recipes are simple and genius (Tahini Toast with Lemon and Honey, Baked Fish with Capers and Herbs, 3 ways to use Whipped Cream, etc). And we loved this Green Goddess salad bowl meal, which is intended for using up leftovers from weekend cooking throughout the week. You’ll absolutely love it; congratulations to Sarah on an incredible new volume of recipes.

Get it: Every Day is Saturday by Sarah Copeland

How to make Green Goddess salad

Now! Let’s talk about this Green Goddess salad! This main dish salad “bowl meal” is incredibly flavorful and the perfect way to get your veggies and grains. We are all about the dressing of the same name: one of our fan favorite recipes is this Healthy Green Goddess Dressing. So Green Goddess anything always catches our eye: we love the savory creaminess of this light green drizzle.

This Green Goddess salad features a different sort of that dressing: a Tahini Green Goddess Dressing. And, man, is it tasty! The nuttiness of the tahini is a perfect offset for the yogurt and fresh parsley. Aside from a salad dressing, you could use it as a dip for all sorts of things: might we suggest oven baked fries or our best potato wedges? And it would be perfect with baked salmon or broiled salmon. To make the Green Goddess dressing, just whiz up plain yogurt, tahini, garlic, lemon, and parsley in your blender! It makes quite a bit, so we’d suggest making a half recipe if you’re not sure you’ll eat that much. It’s perfect for using as a dressing and drizzle for meals throughout the week.

This Green Goddess salad is all about using up leftover grains and veggies from the week or weekend. You can literally make it with any grain: some of our favorites around here are rice, quinoa, millet, or farro. Pictured above is some pearl couscous we found in our pantry — it’s not technically a grain (it’s pasta!), but it’s very quick to cook. We love couscous when we’re in a rush! For the veggies, Sarah has specified to grill up some eggplant, zucchini and red onion: which was a fantastic combination! Mix those all with greens and some of the Tahini Green Goddess dressing, and you’re in business. It was a healthy lunch for us; it works as a bowl meal dinner recipe too — try it on the patio with frose this summer: you won’t be disappointed!

Looking for bowl meal recipes?

Looking for bowl meal recipes? Aside from this Green Goddess salad, here are a few of our favorite vegetarian bowl meals (and one pescatarian one, too!):

This Green Goddess salad recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant based, and dairy free, use our Best Tahini Sauce instead of the Tahini Green Goddess dressing.

Green Goddess Salad Bowls

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Sonja
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4

Print Recipe

Description

These Green Goddess salad bowls are all about flavor: tasty grains and grilled veggies smothered in creamy green tahini dressing.

Ingredients

For the Green Goddess salad bowls

1 1/2 cups uncooked red or brown rice
1/2 cup uncooked red or white quinoa
1 large eggplant (about 2 pounds)
2 large zucchini (about 2 pounds total)
2 red onions
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon za’atar or ground coriander
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
3 cups baby kale or spainch
1/2 cup toasted almonds
Any dry, semisoft cheese, such as ricotta salata, cotija or feta, for serving

For the Tahini Green Goddess Dressing (makes 3 1/2 cups)

2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup tahini
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups packed fresh parsley leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Cook the rice and quinoa together in 4 cups water, in a rice cooker, or on the stovetop until just tender.
Cut the eggplant and zucchini into 2-inch pieces. Cut the red onions into eighths.
Meanwhile, heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Toss the eggplant, zucchini, and onions with the oil, za’atar, and salt. Grill, turning once, until tender and nicely charred, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Set aside to cool slightly.
Make the Tahini Green Goddess Dressing: Puree all the ingredients and 2 tablespoons water in a blender until smooth and uniformly green. Serve or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. (This recipe uses only about 3/4 cup of the dressing, so feel free to make a half recipe if you don’t think you’ll eat it all!)
Toss the vegetables, kale, and about 1/2 cup of the dressing together in a large bowl. Spoon the warm rice and quinoa into bowls. Scoop the dressed vegetables over the grains. Serve warm, topped with almonds and cheese, with extra dressing on the side.