This Veggie Power Bowl topped with Cashew Honey Mustard Dressing is the perfect post-workout meal. Packed with quinoa, sweet potatoes, dried tart cherries, spring greens, roasted tofu, and sunflower seeds, it fuels your body and supports recovery. This post was created in partnership with the Cherry Marketing Institute.
Are you signed up for any races this spring? Eric and I are planning our race calendar and deciding which events to enter over the next few months. I’m thinking of a few 5Ks and 10Ks, while Eric is eyeing another half marathon. We missed one of our favorite local events, the Winter Park Road Race—a 10K that happened while we were on a Disney staycation—but the trip was worth it.
There’s some interesting research showing how tart cherries can help recovery after endurance efforts. In two separate studies, runners who drank Montmorency tart cherry juice before and after long-distance races recovered faster than those who consumed a different beverage. That’s a good reason to include tart cherries in your training routine.
To support muscle recovery, try incorporating tart cherry juice into your plan. The suggested approach in those studies was about two 8-ounce servings of tart cherry juice per day (or two 2-ounce servings of concentrate), roughly equivalent to nearly 100 Montmorency tart cherries.
Tart cherries are versatile: add juice or concentrate to smoothies and yogurt, sprinkle dried tart cherries on oatmeal, or toss them into a salad or power bowl like this one. You can also find tart cherries frozen or canned—slightly frozen tart cherries are especially refreshing after a hot workout.
For more recipes and ideas on using tart cherries in training, visit ChooseCherries.com.
Veggie Power Bowl with Cashew Honey Mustard Dressing
- Author: Kristina LaRue’
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
This Veggie Power Bowl with Cashew Honey Mustard Dressing is an energizing, nutrient-dense meal ideal for refueling after exercise. Quinoa provides complex carbohydrates and protein, sweet potatoes add vitamins and beta-carotene, dried tart cherries support recovery, and roasted tofu supplies plant-based protein. A creamy cashew-based dressing ties it all together.
Scale
Ingredients
Veggie Power Bowl
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 1 medium sweet potato, diced
- 6 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and diced
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups spring greens
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- ½ cup dried tart cherries
- 2 tablespoons shelled sunflower seeds
Cashew Honey Mustard
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup water
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the diced tofu and sweet potato on the sheet, then toss with melted coconut oil and cinnamon. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the tofu is golden.
- While the vegetables and tofu roast, soak the cashews in water for at least 15 minutes. Drain and add the cashews to a food processor. Process until finely ground, then add mustard and honey and process again until smooth. With the processor running, slowly add water until the dressing reaches a pourable, creamy consistency. Stir in paprika and blend briefly to incorporate.
- To assemble the bowls, divide the spring greens between two bowls (about 1 cup per bowl). Top each with ½ cup cooked quinoa, half the roasted sweet potato, 3 ounces roasted tofu, ¼ cup dried tart cherries, and 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds. Drizzle 1–2 tablespoons of the cashew honey mustard dressing over each bowl and serve.