The weather is warming up, and these Mediterranean Power Bowls are a perfect reminder that summer is coming! Packed with protein, fresh veggies, and drizzled with a homemade Tzatziki dressing, this is a meal you want on your menu. These Mediterranean rice bowls are perfect for families with a variety of palates, and preferences. Adaptable for vegetarian, vegan, toddlers, and more. Happy cooking!
Adapting your Mediterranean Power Bowl:
- Vegan:To adjust this Mediterranean rice bowl to a vegan diet, I recommend treating the chickpeas like you would the chicken. In this case, you can forgo the marinating, but grill the chickpeas with all of the seasonings you would have used on the chicken. Depending on how many chickpeas you are grilling, you may need to adjust the seasoning ratio. If you are only cooking for yourself, I would cut the seasoning measurements in half, and then taste before adding more! For the dressing you can replace the Greek yogurt for a vegan yogurt option such as plain coconut yogurt. Your dressing will be slightly runnier than the original recipe, but still taste yummy! You can also omit the feta cheese for a vegan cheese substitute, or just leave it out!
- Vegetarian: You are pretty much following all instructions the vegan diet option gives, minus the change in dairy products!
- Toddler Friendly: My little ones love this Mediterranean bowl recipe. I give them all ingredients in this bowl, I just serve it slightly different than I would my husband and I. I simply separate each food group so that it doesn’t overwhelm them. Serve chicken in a small pile, rice in a small pile, each topping in its own separate pile, and then always give them some of the dressing for dipping.
Tips to add more flavor to your rice:
This is an extra step in your meal making process, but if you have the time, I totally recommend! Before you add your rice and water to your pot, place your empty pot over medium-low heat. Add a small amount of butter or avocado oil and 3-6 cloves of minced garlic(measurement depends on how much you like the garlic flavor, measure that stuff with your heart:). Sauté until fragrant, then add your rice and stir for one minute to incorporate garlic into the rice evenly. Instead of using water, swap for bone broth or vegetable broth. This not only adds flavor, but more nutrition too! Here is a link to a short clip on my instagram on how I make my rice!
Serving and Meal prepping Mediterranean Power Bowls:
- How to Serve: This is how “I” serve this meal, so if you follow these steps, you will get the result that I get. If you want to get creative, you do your thing. I begin by placing the cooked brown rice at the bottom of my bowl. Next, I add a little bit of butter, sea salt and pepper for more flavor. Then I add my chicken and chickpeas. Following this I add all of my fresh vegetables and other toppings, and then drizzle the tzatziki dressing over the whole bowl. Then mix it all up to disperse the dressing evenly throughout the bowl, and squeeze a lemon wedge on the top. Add more salt and pepper if desired, and enjoy!
- Meal Prep: To make these Mediterranean power bowls for meal prep, you will prepare the meal as the directions call for. Assembly will be slightly different though, as to preserve the quality of your meal. You can prepare your rice the same, and add your chicken and chickpea mixture. Add all of your toppings of choice, but leave out the avocado and dressing. If you are using cherry tomatoes, don’t cut them. As they can make surrounding food soggy if left for a few days before eating. If you are making this meal to eat throughout the week, add your avocado fresh the day your are going to eat your meal. Additionally don’t add your dressing until right before you are about to eat. Again, this prevents any topping from becoming too soggy!:)
Mediterranean Power Bowls
Delicious and flavor filled Mediterranean Power Bowls. High protein meal prep option as well as a macro friendly meal!
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
- skillet
- pot
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts cut into inch sized cubes
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp dill
- 1 tsp paprika
- salt+pepper
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice prepared
Tzatziki Dressing
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp mayonaise *optional(can just add extra greek yogurt)
- 1 shallot roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cucumber medium sized, seeds removed
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp dill
- 2 tsp salt (adjust to taste preference)
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Protein Bowl Toppings
- cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- cucumbers sliced or chopped
- leafy greens romaine, spinach, or kale (washed and chopped)
- black olives
- bell pepper chopped or sliced thinly
- red onion chopped or sliced thinly
- avocado cubed or sliced
- feta cheese crumbled
- extra lemon sliced, for juicing with meal
Instructions
Tzatziki Dressing
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings to personal preference( e.g. if you prefer more salt, or need to add a little more greek yogurt to lessen a strong dill flavor).
Chicken and Chickpeas
- Add chopped chicken to a bowl.
- Then add avocado oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, dil, paprika, salt and pepper to the bowl.
- Mix until chicken is evenly coated. Cover marinade, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes(the longer the better).
- Pre-heat pan with avocado oil.
- Next, add marinaded chicken to pre-heated pan, and grill for 4-5 minutes.
- Once the chicken is close to cooked through, add chickpeas, stir, and continue cooking until chicken is completely cooked through.
Protein Bowl Assembly
- Cook brown rice according to instructions on package.
- Lay brown rice at the base of your bowl. (I add a little bit of butter, and salt and pepper to mine.)
- Then add grilled chicken and chickpea mixture, desired vegetable toppings, and drizzle with Tzatziki dressing.
- Enjoy!
Looking for more Macro friendly recipes?! Check these out! >>>>
Healthy Tangy Sriracha Burger Bowls
Pesto Sweet Potato Bowls
Ok, this is so yummy! It’s so flavorful, filling, and so good for you!!