These Winter Green Bowls are packed with nutrient-dense, seasonal ingredients, and are a welcome shift from the cookies and cocktails of the recent holiday season. 

Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean there aren’t vegetables in season. The brassica family - which includes veggies like the broccoli and cauliflower featured here - are happy and sweet during the cooler weather, as are leafy greens, like the arugula used in the pesto. Pumpkin seeds are also green, and are a nod to the winter squash hanging out in cool, dark storage like the pantry. All together, you get the Winter Green Bowls, a celebration of the flora around us that remains evergreen, despite the season. 

The pumpkin seed and arugula pesto that tops these bowls includes a good spoonful of whole-grain mustard, which is not just for flavor, but also for added nutritional benefits. Mustard seeds help cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower retain an enzyme that helps activate powerful antioxidants such as sulforaphane found in brassica vegetables. These Winter Green Bowls are full of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, along with plant-based protein (in the quinoa and pumpkin seeds). 

Winter Green Bowls are a nourishing and warm meal for this cold weather, and an embrace of the current season. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or great make-ahead meals for lunches, I hope you’ll make and enjoy these Winter Green Bowls soon!

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍