A simple bowl of quinoa with steamed kale, roasted bright yellow turmeric cauliflower, and raw carrot gets topped with a vibrant tangy, creamy spiced beet yogurt sauce. It’s finished off with salty feta cheese, crunchy toasty seeds, and fresh herbs. This one is all about the sauce and toppings!
Ingredient highlight
Beets! Are a really great source of folic acid, fiber, and potassium. The deep purple color comes from betacyanin, which, in combination with the fiber content, has shown to be protective against colon cancer.
Beets also contain nitrates that our bodies convert to nitric oxide, which has a blood dilating effect. This is why runners and endurance athletes love beets – they may increase our endurance!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 5 minutes 
Cook Time 20 minutes 
Total Time 25 minutes Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 4 cups chopped kale
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets about 4 cups
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 carrots, peeled and grated or peeled into ribbons
- 1 cup shredded chicken (optional)
- ½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds or chopped almonds
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup cilantro
- Lemon wedges
For the beet yogurt sauce:
- 1 beet, roasted, trimmed, skin peeled off*
- 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
*How-To Roast Whole Beets:
- Preheat oven to 400F. Wrap the beets in some tinfoil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes (size dependent), or until easily pierced with a knife. Unwrap and let cool. Once cooled, trim the root off and use your hands to peel off the skin (it should come off easily) or use a knife.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F or 425F convection. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add quinoa to a medium pet along with 1 ½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the water has evaporated and quinoa grains have burst open. Add kale to the pot on top of the quinoa and cover to let it steam gently. Set aside.
- Add cauliflower, oil, turmeric, salt and pepper to the baking sheet and toss to coat. Bake for 20 minutes, or until charred in spots.
- To make the sauce, add the cooked beet, yogurt, olive oil, lemon, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add salt or lemon if needed. If too thick, add water in 1 tablespoon increments to thin it out.
- Add warm quinoa, kale, cauliflower, and chicken (if using) to your bowl along with the carrot. Drizzle with beet yogurt sauce and top with toasted nuts or seeds, feta cheese, cilantro, and squeeze of lemon. Give it a final sprinkling of salt and black pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Roast beets
- Make beet yogurt sauce
- Cook 1 cup quinoa (+ kale)
- Prep veggies (cauliflower, kale, carrot)
- Toast seeds or nuts
- Roast cauliflower
Substitutions:
- You can use any roasted vegetable in place of the cauliflower. Broccoli, fennel, cabbage, potato, etc… would all work!
- Don’t like beets? Substitute 1 cup of roasted carrots for a yummy spiced carrot yogurt sauce!
- Add some shredded chicken to up the protein
- If you don’t like beets, try making it with roasted carrots (1 cup chopped roasted carrots)
- To make vegan: use vegan yogurt or substitute a lemon tahini dressing. Skip the feta, but make sure to sprinkle with additional salt at the end. Or make these Smoky Turmeric Pepitas for a salty, smoky crunch!
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge
- Beet yogurt sauce: up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer
- Quinoa: up to 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer
- Cauliflower: up to 4 days in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Be sure to warm up your quinoa, kale, and cauliflower. Top with the sauce, feta, seeds/nuts, herbs and a generous squeeze of lemon.
- Try tossing the leftover beet yogurt sauce with some pasta for some vibrant noodles!
- The sauce is delicious on roasted veggies and meats!
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