While Austin has tons of incredible healthy restaurant options that I adore, I find myself again and again returning to Flower Child. It’s the perfect place to meet friends for a weeknight meal, grab a healthy dinner after a packed day or head to simply because I crave their insanely delicious veggies pretty much all the time.
Check out my Austin Restaurants That Make Clean Eating a Treat post for all of my favorite menu items, but it’s often tough to stray away from the OG Mother Earth Bowl. My friends and I are such hardcore fans that we even dedicated a girls night this past weekend to recreating it on our own. Luckily, I was able to find the recipe online right from the Flower Child kitchen, so all that was required was some prep on my part.
This iconic meal starts with roasted portobello mushrooms and sweet potatoes. Because I typically roast my sweet potatoes into crispy fries, I had to find another method for getting them soft and sticky this time. I discovered that peeling your sweet potatoes, covering them generously in avocado oil and slow roasting at 325 for an hour and a half is KEY. The result is perfectly caramelized and worth the wait.
While those are cooking up in the oven, throw together the easy Cucumber Relish. It adds a punch of acidity and crunch that pairs well with all of the other flavors.
As for the Super Grain Mix, quinoa, farro and barley come together for a hearty and healthy component to this bowl. While, yes, this step is a bit time consuming given you have to individually cook each grain, it’s worth it! I made plenty extra to have in bowls throughout the rest of the week. Swap chicken or veggie stock for water to infuse even more flavor into the grains.
But what really completes the Mother Earth Bowl are the sauces. The Broccoli Pesto is filled with hearty greens and lots of freshness. I likewise made a large batch of this to use in pasta and salads – highly recommend. Yet the Red Pepper Miso Marmalade might just be your new favorite dressing on the planet. It’s tangy, flavorful and incredible drizzled all over the roasted sweet potatoes.
Plate all of these components together with fresh arugula, sliced avocado and a sprinkle of hemp seeds, and you’re in business!
Though you should absolutely try out this go-to menu item at Flower Child, it was so fun to make an event out of recreating it in my own kitchen with friends who love this healthy, delicious dish as much as I do. And once you’ve tasted this incredible combo, you’ll truly want it for every meal from now on .
- 2 oz sweet potatoes, roasted
- 2 ½ oz portobello mushroom, roasted
- 4 oz arugula
- 1 tbsp daikon sprouts
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- ¼ avocado, sliced
- 1 tsp hemp seeds
- 2 oz cooked red quinoa
- 2 oz cooked farro
- 2 oz cooked barley
- 1 cup broccoli, blanched
- 4 ½ tbsp black kale, blanched
- 2 ¼ tbsp pistachios, roasted and salted
- 1 ⅓ tbsp spinach
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp mint leaves
- 1 ¼ tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ cup pickled peppadew peppers
- 1 tsp garlic
- 2 tsp ginger, peeled
- 1 ⅓ tbsp miso paste
- 1 ½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 3 tsp tamari
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup cucumbers, seeds removed, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- ½ tsp mint leaves, minced
- ¼ tsp salt
Mix together when cooked.
*Note* For perfectly soft and sticky sweet potatoes, I recommend peeling and roasting at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.
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