Food Blog: The meals you told us you need

Thursday, August 28, 2025

The meals you told us you need

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What To Cook This Week

Protein-Packed Quinoa Caesar Bowl

Hey, Team DE here.

On Saturday we sent out a survey about what feels hardest about cooking each week. So many of you shared the same things:

🌱 Over half of you (58%) like to plan meals, while the rest prefer to keep it spontaneous and cook from what's in the fridge

🌱 Most of you (72%) only want to spend 20–45 minutes on weeknight dinners

🌱 The biggest challenges? Finding variety (63%), keeping things quick (44%), and staying inspired (35%)

🌱 Lunches came up again and again - with more than half (54%) saying you need fresh ideas
🌱 And so many of you said you're looking for recipes everyone in the family will enjoy

This Quinoa Caesar Bowl is designed with all of that in mind: simple to make, packed with 25g protein, ready in less than half an hour, and flexible enough to rework into an easy lunch the next day.

SERVES: 4

TIME: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 slices bread, torn into bite-sized pieces

240g medium–firm tofu, chopped into 2cm / ¾″ pieces

1x 400g tin chickpeas, drained & rinsed

1/4 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes

(optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

100g quinoa

100g frozen edamame beans

80g watercress/salad leaves

pinch of flaky sea salt

FOR THE DRESSING

40g sunflower seeds

60g cashews

175ml plant-based milk

1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 lemons, zested & juiced

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200°C fan / 425°F. Arrange the bread, tofu and chickpeas in 1 layer on a large flat baking tray. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes (if using), drizzle over the olive oil and season with flaky sea salt. Roast for 15–20 minutes, tossing halfway through until everything is golden and crisp. Set aside to cool completely.

2. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa in a large pan of boiling water, according to packet instructions. Tip in the edamame beans for the last minute to defrost. Drain and set aside to cool completely.

3. To make the dressing, simply place all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.

4. To serve, toss together the quinoa, edamame beans and watercress (or salad leaves) in a large bowl. Then arrange on a platter and top with the croutons, tofu and chickpeas. Finish with the dressing drizzled over the top (or mixed in).

Recipe Edits Inspired By
What You Told Us

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