Quinoa, beans and roasted cauliflower bowl of goodness

This is the kind of 'recipe' that comes up when you have a refrigerator filled with leftover ingredients. When cooking, I always boil some extra quinoa, extra beans, I roast extra everything then keep them in the fridge to use in different ways throughout the week. I used a storebought mix of grains but you could make your own by combining equal parts of red quinoa, white quinoa, millet and buckwheat or, keep it simple and use only quinoa. Soak the beans overnight, then boil them the following day (add a bay leaf to the cooking water for flavor and digestion-enhancing properties) or, if pressed for time, use canned beans. Use this recipe as inspiration to create your own bowls of goodness using your favorite ingredients.

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

- 1 cup mixed ancient grains (red quinoa, white quinoa, millet, buckwheat)

- 1 small cauliflower, cut into florets

- 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced

- 1 cup white beans, boiled and drained

- 1 cup pickled beets, sliced

- a handful mixed greens (arugula, baby spinach, romaine etc.)

- 4 Tablespoons hummus (storebought or try this recipe)

- 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- salt and pepper, to taste

Boil the mixed grains according to the instructions on the packaging (bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil, add salt and the grains, lower the heat and cover, then allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes until water is absorbed, stirring a few times; remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes). Toss the cauliflower with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and roast at 400 F until fork tender (about 25 minutes, depending on the oven). Toss the sweet potatoes with the remaining olive oil and roast alongside the cauliflower. To assemble the salad, distribute the ingredients equally between the bowls, season with salt and pepper and top with the hummus. Enjoy!