Recipe Box: Cava Bowls

We have CAVA at home

I had been craving a CAVA bowl and while I wasn’t going to drive to LA for one, I decided to try my hand and make one at home. I DELIVERED. These bowls have become a regular lunch staple in my meal prep.

Below I will walk you through how to shop for (grocery list included) and prepare these four simple components for your homemade bowls:

• Marinated harissa honey chicken

• Tomato cucumber salad

• Roasted red pepper hummus

• Tzatziki sauce

With some simple additions (your grains or greens base), you’ll have all of the prep done to enjoy four servings of at-home Cava bowls. It’ll be up to you whether you want to store as ingredient prep or as individually made bowls for on-the-go!

And if any of this doesn’t sound like your jam, don’t worry, I’ve got substitution options below, including plant-based options!

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At-home Cava bowls

Grocery list

Produce

• garlic (you will need 3 cloves total)

• 1 lemon

• 1 English cucumber

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• 1 small cilantro bunch

Canned/packaged

• 16oz rice of choice (white, brown, or cauliflower)

• 15oz can chickpeas

• 8oz roasted red peppers (or roast 1 red bell pepper yourself)

• harissa paste (I went for mild)

Proteins

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

Optional additions:

• greens of choice (kale and arugula are my suggestions)

• red or green cabbage

• pickled red onions

• crumbled feta

Spices you’ll use:

• kosher salt & black pepper

• onion powder

• garlic powder

• cumin

Pantry staples to have on hand:

• olive or avocado oil

• honey

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Substitutions, & additions

• for a plant-based option: Substitute the chicken thighs for falafel OR tofu or chickpeas seasoned with the same marinade, then baked the same way to crisp up.

• Substitute the chicken thighs for a different protein choice like boneless chicken breast (same cook time), salmon cubes, or peeled shrimp (lower cook time to 10 minutes).

• Substitute tzatziki for almond butter, cashew butter, or sun butter if it’s not your thing

• Add your fave fresh veggies to the tomato cucumber chopped salad — red onion, celery, or shaved carrots would be delish!

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Ingredient prep guide

Follow the prep guide to make your bowl components:

• Marinated harissa honey chicken

• Tomato cucumber salad

• Roasted red pepper hummus

• Tzatziki sauce

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Assembling your bowls

1. Prepare your rice of choice according to package instructions as well as any greens you chose to add (optional)—arugula, spinach, kale, etc.

2. Evenly divide the rice (and greens if using) between between four bowls or containers.

3. Evenly divide the harissa honey chicken between the bowls or containers.

4. If enjoying immediately, add even servings of the tomato cucumber salad, hummus, and tzatziki sauce on each bowl. For meal prep, store the tomato cucumber salad, hummus, and tzatziki sauce in separate containers from the chicken and base. When assembling, add on top right before enjoying.

5. Store meal prepped containers in the fridge. The chicken will last up to 4 days, the cucumber salad will last up to 5 days, and the hummus/sauce will last up to 7 days (these are my favorite meal prep containers).

   

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I hope you have an amazing weekend, thank you so much for supporting me and this newsletter.

Let me know if you try this recipe! 😊

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