A Modern vegan dish built on whole ingredients.

Servings: 4
Active time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min

Organic sourcing

Sweet potatoes and kale are on the EWG Clean Fifteen, so organic upgrade is modest. Red bell peppers are on the Dirty Dozen, thus worth buying organic.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 medium zucchini
• 100 g kale leaves
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 ripe avocado
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp water
• to taste sea salt
• to taste black pepper

Method

1. Rinse the quinoa under cold water. In a pot, combine quinoa and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
2. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Toss them with olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Spread the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 20-25 minutes, until tender.
4. Slice the red bell pepper and zucchini. Add them to the sheet with the sweet potatoes for the last 10 minutes of roasting.
5. Wash and chop the kale. Halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the avocado. Set aside.
6. For the tahini drizzle, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, and water until smooth. Adjust with salt and pepper.
7. Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork. Divide it among four bowls.
8. Top the quinoa with roasted vegetables, kale, tomatoes, and avocado slices.
9. Drizzle each bowl with the tahini sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Substitute quinoa with brown rice if preferred.
• Add chickpeas or tofu for extra protein.
• Make tahini sauce ahead and store in the fridge for up to three days.

Source

Paraphrased from the culinary canon by Organic.is editors, 2026. Classic Modern recipe. If you'd like a specific source for further reading, ask Tinni (bottom-right) for a book recommendation.