Abu Dhabi and a Butternut Squash & Chickpea with Toasted Coconut Tahini Rice Bowl Recipe [Clean, Vegan]

Let’s start that discussion about my recent UAE and Oman birthday trip! First up? Abu Dhabi! Why not add a middle eastern flair recipe with this easy butternut squash and chickpea with toasted coconut tahini Rice Bowl.

I am super excited to share my most recent birthday celebration trip! I started off in Abu Dhabi and here are some of the highlights! We rented a car from Dubai and drove the Abu Dhabi, which I enjoyed so that we could do only the things that we wanted to do, and could get there in a reasonable time. Of note, their is a bus that is super cheap from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, but it takes about 3 hours by bus instead of 1.5 hours by car. There are also plenty of tours that can go their, as well. For me though, there were parts of those tours that I wasn’t interested in, so that wasn’t a great option for me, but might be for you!

The most obvious major attraction (and must see) is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This beautiful feat of construction is awe inspiring. I can’t even imagine how much it cost to make it, but it is breath taking.

Some tips:

• You need to be fully covered. If you don’t have your head, arms and ankles covered, you will need to borrow clothing . I recommend using your own clothing and scarf (use for a head scarf) so you don’t have to worry about it
• Rent the audio book version. It is much quicker if you are on a time limit and you can pick and choose what to listen to depending on your interests. However, they do have a free tour that you can listen too if desired.
• Try to go earlier in the morning, a lot of the tour groups etc seemed to come later during the day and this could make things crowded.

There is also the palace that has been converted to a hotel. We did not go in, but looked quite nice from the outside!

This picture proves that it is not only Dubai that has crazy tall buildings! Look at these ones!

We also went to the Etihad Modern Art Museum (which also has a cafe attached if interested). It is tiny, but man there are some cool pieces in this gallery. There was a “Reflections” collection in this museum that I thought was just SO cool. She painted half of an image on a rock, or piece of wood and then put it up against a mirror so that the other half was a mirror image, but one that was needed to make the image complete. SO cool. I loved all of them. Here is an example of one of them.

We also made it to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Yeah, I didn’t realize that there was another one aside from the one in Paris either. I felt like we had to check it out since, well, you know! It’s the Louve. Here is the outside sign and below that is my favorite piece in the collection.

There is also going to be a Guggenheim soon, but it is still being built. The outside looks really cool, though. The UAE certainly has very interesting architecture if that is something you are interested in.

Ok! That is some of the stuff that I wanted to share with you about Abu Dhabi! Please let me know if you have any questions! We did all of this during a day trip and it was quite manageable.

While you are waiting of for the other installments of my trip (including Dubai and Oman!) try out this Butternut Squash and Chickpea with toasted coconut tahini rice bowl! This clean and vegan meal is easy to make and great to eat for lunch, or dinner with plenty of protein and fiber to keep you satisfied! You can mix it up as in the initial photo, or leave it unmixed as above! Whatever you like best is fine.

If you need a homemade oil free tahini recipe, feel free to check out the one I have on my blog here!

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Abu Dhabi and a Butternut Squash & Chickpea with Toasted Coconut Tahini Rice Bowl Recipe [Clean, Vegan]

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 1 bowl

Author AZ@…And A Dash of Cinnamon

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup brown rice cooked
• 1/4 cup chickpeas rinsed
• 1/3 cup butternut squash cooked
• few dashes cinnamon
• few dashes turmeric
• few dashes pepper
• 1/2 T coconut toasted
• 1/2-1 T tahini

Instructions

1. This recipe is super quick if you already have these ingredients cooked up and ready to be used.

2. If not, cook your brown rice according to the package, same with the butternut squash (roast, steam, bake, microwave whatever you want!) and toast your coconut.

3. Once you have your ingredients ready, simply mix your rice, squash, chickpeas and spices and mix. Once hot, top and mix in your coconut and tahini. If you need tips on how to do this quickly, send me a comment/message!

4. Eat and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I love to have ingredients pre-cooked, chopped etc and keep them in the freezer so that you can quickly pull and thaw and make a meal quickly

-there are many ways to cook this up efficiently depending on what you have already prepared and what you still need to do. If you need help, hints, tips feel free to ask!

This recipe is also easily multiplied to make as many servings as you need.

If you want a homemade tahini, feel free to check out my easy oil free tahini recipe here

I link up with Deborah and Sarah’s, and  the fit foodie mama’s Meatless Monday, #recipeoftheweek,What’s for Dinner

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