Quinoa

1. Begin by rinsing your quinoa in a colander. Quinoa must be rinsed prior to cooking due to a natural chemical that coats the seeds and gives a bitter taste.
2. Prepare your quinoa according to package instructions. Add 2 cups of rinsed quinoa to a pot along with 4 cups of water, butter, salt and mixed/7 spice and cook on high heat. Allow to come to a boil then reduce to low and cook uncovered for 15 minutes until fluffy.
   • 2 cups dry quinoa, fully rinsed
   • 2 Tablespoons butter
   • 2 teaspoons mixed/7 spice, you can also sub allspice or cinnamon
   • 3 teaspoons kosher salt, half if using table salt
3. Allow to cool and set aside.

Roasted Veggies

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and place one rack on the highest shelf and one on the very bottom lowest. 
2. Begin by trimming and cutting your sweet potatoes and cauliflower.
3. Clean your sweet potatoes well, trim the ends and cut into 1/2" rounds or half circles. You can remove the skin if you'd like - I like to keep on. Toss the sweet potatoes onto a half sheet pan.
   • 3-4 sweet potatoes or yams, cleaned and sliced into 1/2" rounds
4. Cut your cauliflower in half then remove the core and leaves from both sides. Cut again into quarters and begin cutting slicing the cauliflower to achieve 1/4" thin slices. Once sliced, cut into small florets and place on a 2nd half sheet pan. 
   • 1 large head of cauliflower, core removed and sliced into florets
5. You are going to add the following spices to EACH sheet pan - 
   • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, half if using table salt
   • 2-3 grinds of black pepper
   • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
   • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   • 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
   • 2 heaping teaspoons toum, divided (sub 2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided)
6. With clean hands, mix each sheet pan veggie with your spices and oil until all pieces are fully coated. Take some time to arrange them so they have enough room to roast without overlapping.
7. Place your sweet potato tray on the top tier of the oven and your cauliflower on the bottom rack, roast for 15 minutes.
8. After 15 minutes, flip your sweet potatoes and shimmy your cauliflower. Pop back into the oven for another 10 minutes until golden brown, caramelized and slightly charred. 
9. Set aside to make bowls.

Tahini Sauce

1. In a bowl whisk all your ingredients together except your water and salt.
   • 1 cup tahini, be sure you mix well
   • 4 Tablespoons honey, use maple syrup to keep vegan
   • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
   • 2 heaping teaspoons of toum, or 2 cloves garlic finely minced
   • 1 small shallot, minced
   • 2/3 cup lemon juice, about 3 lemons
2. Once fully whisked, add your water, adjust as needed to make the consistency you'd like your sauce. Salt to taste, about 2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 of table salt.
   • 1/2 cup water, add more as needed
   • salt to taste

Assemble

1. Place a layer of cooked quinoa in a shallow bowl.
2. Add some fresh spinach leaves, I like to tear mine apart.
3. Add your sweet potatoes and cauliflower 
4. Finally the rest of your add-ins:
   • cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
   • ripe avocados, cubed
   • English cucumber or several persian cucumbers, diced
   • crumbled feta, (omit for vegan)