Today, I present my Easy Weeknight Roasted Veggie and Pesto Cashew Bowl!
I don’t know about you guys but I am tired, all the time. Maybe it’s being in my mid-40s, maybe it’s work-life “balance”, ha, maybe it’s just… life. But I’m tired. And when I’m tired, I order take out. However, I love to cook, and once I start, I really get into it. So I’ve been trying to get myself to get back into it (music and dancing ALWAYS seems to help), and that’s where these weeknight roasted veggie and pesto cashew bowls come in handy.
It’s SO easy, I promise. The hardest part is chopping a bunch of veggies, but for real, that’s not that hard. You can do it! (she says to herself). And if this recipe looks like it’s too much, just remove the tofu – it’s still great without it. Even better – sub with Pumfu! My new fave tofu alternative that cooks up the same as tofu but seems to be so much healthier! Just water and pumpkin seeds…. you can’t beat that.
Sometimes I’ll add cauliflower rice to this roasted veggie and pesto cashew bowl (from a frozen bag) as that’s way simpler and faster to heat up than quinoa or real rice, and sometimes I’ll just have the veggies, salad, and sauce. Do what works for you and your schedule!
The recipe below showcases my select go-to veggies, but please use whatever you like and whatever you have on hand. What I prefer to do is make the largest batch ever so I get 3 nights (6 meals) out of the work that this recipe takes. That means 3 huge sheet pans of veggies. It’s a lot of veggies! If that’s too much for you to eat in a few days, then feel free to cut this down however you wish.
Also, a note on this sauce: I am huge fan of dips and sauces and yet I rarely make them anymore (thanks to Trader Joes for providing North Americans with the YUMMIEST dips ever. Have you been to their refrigerated section lately? OMG, so many wonderful dips to choose from!! – so many make perfect toppings to this roasted veggie and pesto cashew bowl).
My favorite sneak attack with most dips or sauces to get more life out of them is to mix them with cashew cream! (1 c. cashews covered with 1 and 1/4 c. boiling water, soak for at least 30 minutes (if you can), and then blend on high). So this sauce is INCREDIBLY easy. You do the above, then add your preferred sauce in the blended cashews, blend again – on low – and voila! You have so much yummy sauce for your weeknight roasted veggie and pesto cashew bowls! You want this sauce in the consistency of a thick salad dressing, so just add a little more water if it’s too thick for your preference and you’re good to go.
My favorite pesto is this vegan pesto by Seggiano however I will say it’s pricey… and delicious. If you’re not fully vegan then grab a cheaper option at your local store and use it! Or do what I do and buy as much as you can when they go on sale (they seem to go on sale about every other month at Whole Foods).
Delicious and healthy weeknight roasted veggie and pesto cashew bowl dinner accomplished in less than 30 minutes of prep time! Woo hoo.
And now – onto the recipe! I hope you enjoy these weeknight roasted veggie and pesto cashew bowls for many years to come. They are certainly apart of our weekly routine!
Peace and love,
Jen
Weeknight Roasted Veggie and Pesto Cashew Bowl Recipe
Weeknight Roasted Veggie and Pesto Cashew Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews
- 200 grams pesto (one jar)
- 15.5 ounce extra firm tofu
- 1 pound fingerling or butter potatoes
- 5 medium carrots
- 3 heads broccoli
- 2 zucchini
- 2 red bell pepper
- 1 white onion
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 6-10 cups power greens salad blend
- .5 teaspoon garlic powder
- .5 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Make sure your oven has 3 racks equally spaced apart – you'll need all 3!
- Place the cashews in a high powered blender and cover with boiling water. Set aside.
- Chop the potatoes, broccoli, carrots and zucchini into bite-sized pieces, and thinly slice the onions and bell peppers.
- Cover 3 large sheet pans with parchment paper, then pile the veggies in the middle of the pans. I typically end up with one pan of potatoes, one of broccoli and carrots, and one of the peppers, zucchini, and onions.
- Pour about 1 tbsp. of oil over each pan of veggies (I use slightly less on the pan with the peppers, as those veggies tend to not need as much as the potatoes and the broccoli). With your hands, rub the oil in really well, especially for the broccoli!, then spread the veggies out on the pans, and top with salt and pepper to taste.
- Roast the veggies for 30 minutes, turn each pan, and roast for a final 20-30 minutes, watching the pans after 20 minutes – you want them browned but not burnt!
- Meanwhile, remove and drain the tofu, and put into a press for at least 20 minutes.
- Once much of the water has been pressed out, slice the tofu into 1/2" cubes.
- Heat up your frying pan with about 1 tbsp. of olive oil, and place the tofu in the pan, flipping once immediately so both sides of the tofu are covered with oil before cooking. Top with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle the garlic powder and onion powder on top of each slice. Fry over medium for about 5 minutes, flip and fry for about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Blend the cashews over high speed for about a minute, or until creamy. Add the pesto and blend on low for about 20 seconds, until creamy.
- Plate your salad greens, then top with the roasted veggies, the tofu, and the cream sauce.
- Enjoy immediately!
- The sauce will keep covered in your fridge for up to 4 days, as will the veggies and tofu, stored separate from the sauce.