Steemit Culinary Challenge #45: Farro Fajita Bowls with Slow Cooker Vegetables & Citrus Slaw

Happy Monday everyone!  I am joining the #steemitculinarychallenge put on by the amazing @woman-onthe-wing for the very first time this week.  A vegan Buddha bowl sounded like a very delicious theme to create a recipe to submit.

My boyfriend loves nachos, tacos, burritos and just about anything in that family, so I decided to do a fajita bowl mixing cooked and raw elements.  There are a few separate components, but they are all fairly easy to prepare.  I love the mix of the warm, spicy farro and slow-cooked vegetables paired with the crunch and zing of the slaw.  And of course a bit of avocado makes everything better!

I also try to add greens to almost anything, so using a bit of baby kale was a great bed to layer everything else on top.  Normally I am not very fancy and I just mix everything together, but I tried to make an attempt at nicer presentation to make it actually look like all of the lovely Buddha bowls I see on Instagram!

Here is my recipe in the order that I made everything:

For the Slaw

• ½ head of red cabbage, shredded
• 12 Brussels sprouts, trimmed & thinly sliced or shredded*
• 2 cups chopped pineapple
• 2 limes, zest & juice 
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• ½ cup chopped green onions

 Combine all of your slaw ingredients in a big bowl and mix well. I like to make my slaw at least a few hours ahead of time so that the acid from the lime softens up the cruciferous veggies a bit and all of the flavors have a chance to meld together.

 *I use the slicing blade on my food processor to make this step easier.

 For the Vegetables

• 3 large portabella mushroom caps, sliced into strips
• 2 onions, peeled, halved & sliced
• 2 bell peppers (orange, yellow or red works), seeded & thinly sliced
• 2 zucchini squash, halved & cut into strips
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Prepare all of your vegetables and add to a 3-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle on your spices and mix together. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. 

Remaining Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups dried farro
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 cups cooked black beans (or 2 15-ounce cans rinsed & drained) 
• 2 avocados, sliced
• Baby kale or other leafy green for serving 
• Salsa of choice for serving

Cook your farro according to package directions, adding in the chili powder with the cooking liquid. Set aside when done. 

Once all of your components are prepared, assemble your bowls. I started each bowl with a large handful of baby kale as a base. Then add a scoop of farro, black beans, the veggie mix from the slow cooker, about ¼ of an avocado, slaw, and a dollop of salsa. You can make them nice and pretty like I did for my pictures, or just mix all together and enjoy!

Thanks for checking out my latest creation!  And thanks to @woman-onthe-wing and all of the guest contributors/judges for making such a great challenge possible! :)