My favorite herb is tarragon. It elevates *everything.* Think about the difference between hollandaise sauce (delicious on its own) and bearnaise sauce. If you’ve never had bearnaise sauce, this is hollandaise with extra white wine vinegar and tarragon. Tarragon is just elegant – kind of sweet on the nose and aromatic like fennel (but not like licorice.) I had a lot of tarragon while in France and I also had a lot of fresh steamed crudite style vegetables in Copenhagen, so I thought why not kind of combine my favorite salad, this crudite style vegetable, and my favorite herb? And that’s how this was born.
This is a great meal to make ahead. Make the quinoa ahead of time, steam the veggies ahead of time and make the dressing ahead of time. All you have to do at lunch is assemble and enjoy. Huge fan of that! I also love the veggies with the dressing (sans quinoa) for a fun family style salad at a dinner party. However you want to serve this, I hope you love it.
Tarragon Caesar Veggie Bowl
Ingredients
For the dressing (lasts one week in the fridge):
- 1 bunch tarragon
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp anchovy paste
- 3 tbsp avocado oil mayo or vegan mayo
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- salt for seasoning if needed
- For the bowl: make ahead and store cooked ingredients in the fridge:
- 1 cup white quinoa
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 bouillon cube or 1 tsp bouillon paste
- 1 bunch broccolini ~1/2 lb thick pieces sliced in half vertically
- 8 pieces of asparagus sliced in half vertically if thick
- 2 radishes or 1 large radish thinly sliced
- Micro greens for topping optional but nutritious and fun!
Directions
- **For the quinoa:**
- Fill a small pot w 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Add bouillon & mix. Reduce to a simmer. Add quinoa & cover. Cook for 12-15 min until all liquid is absorbed. Allow to come to room temperature before storing in the fridge.
- **For the veggies:**
- For both methods, fill a large bowl halfway with ice. Add water. Set aside.
- For the steamer: Fill a pot or deep rimmed pan w/ 1-2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Add steamer basket on top. Place broccolini & asparagus in the basket and cover. Steam for 2 minutes until bright green and fork tender — the broccolini will have a little raw crunch in the center. Place into ice bath until cooled. Strain & dry off & either store in the fridge for meal prep or plate.
- For blanching: fill a pot 3/4 the way w water. Season with 1 tbsp of kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Place veggies in the water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove & place in ice bath. Strain, dry and store in fridge or serve.
- **For the bowl: **
- Add quinoa. Top with veggies & swirl tarragon Caesar dressing. Add radish slices, micro greens & some grated parm or Parm crisps.
Rate & Review
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