Before I jump right into the recipe, let me first tell you a little story about my recent visit to Ceremony Coffee Roasters in Baltimore. This is where I discovered the Macro Bowl and decided I needed this in my life. Since friends don’t let friends eat boring food, I thought I’d share the recipe with you too.
Jump to RecipeThe source of deliciousness: Ceremony Coffee Roasters
If you’re visiting Baltimore’s Harbor East area and looking for a nice modern cafe to meet up with a friend, date, or colleague for either lunch or a nice tea/coffee, then look no further than Ceremony Coffee Roasters’ Harbor Point location. There are many reasons to love this place, so I don’t know where to start!
Accessibility is kinda a big deal
First, let me just say that since I don’t live in the city anymore, I definitely appreciate any place that has plenty of parking readily available within a short walk of where I want to be. If parking were a hassle, I would never go somewhere to start with. (I feel like a grouchy old lady saying that lol but it’s true!) Luckily, whoever I go to Ceremony I have always been able to find a metered spot right out front, so that already gives this place two thumbs up.
A coffee shop that feels like home
Okay, so onto more important things besides parking. Real talk, whenever I stop in I feel like I don’t want to leave. That’s probably everyone else there seems to be enjoying themselves, and the vibe definitely encourages you to stay awhile. In fact, I have once brought my laptop and worked for an afternoon there, and it was so pleasant because I felt like everything I needed was right there (AKA kombucha, mocha lattes, chai lattes, and nitro cold brews among other beverages you don’t find at most coffee shops).
Discovering the Macro Bowl
And of course, the reason why I’m writing this blog post is to tell you about their food. I’ve heard great things about their sandwiches, toasts, and bowls, so when I was in the area last Sunday I was stoked to stop in there and see for myself what all the hype was about. Then I glanced over the menu—instantly the Macro Bowl caught my eye and my mouth watered as I read the description on the menu. It’s described as offering curried roasted cauliflower, sauerkraut, roasted bell pepper, artichoke hearts, spiced chickpeas, avocado, Ceremony Power Greens, with an agave lime vinaigrette. Um, YUM (minus the sauerkraut because that’s not my thing)!
Here’s what one person’s Macro Bowl looked like on Instagram:
So after waiting anxiously in line, I gave my order to the staff member, and then she said the three words that a hungry foodie never wants to hear, “The Kitchen’s Closed.” At first, I was in denial and thought I heard her wrong, but she explained that they had a really busy weekend and went through most of the food available on their menu, so they closed the kitchen a little early. Womp Womp, it happens.
D.I.Y.
If you’re familiar with the “Missed Connections” section on Craigslist where someone seeks out someone else they once were too shy or otherwise unable to exchange contact details with, then maybe you’ll understand how at that moment I felt like the Macro Bowl was a missed connection. I couldn’t just post a sappy missed connection letter to Craigslist and hope that Ceremony Coffee Roasters would answer it by opening their kitchen back up for me. No, I had to make one myself since I’m a stubborn Norwegian. When I want something, there’s no convincing me otherwise.
So I went home and got to work making my own macro bowl based on the menu’s description.
Not only does the finished product taste great, but it also looks like it’s restaurant quality. When I brought this prepared salad into work for lunch, my coworker who noticed me eating it asked if I had ordered it from somewhere. Fooled her! I haven’t been able to go back and compare how my bowl tastes compared to the original, but I’m pretty sure this recipe comes close to the original.
I’ll still be going back to Ceremony because I just love that place so much, but at least if I’m having a craving for their food and can’t get access to it, I can still have it!
Create your own “Macro Bowl”
Ingredients
Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp curry powder
Salad Foundation
- Your favorite hummus
- 1 Package of baby arugula
- 1½ Avocados
- Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend
Marinated Chickpeas and veggies
- ¼ tsp Trader Joe's Chili Lime Seasoning Blend
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp Lime zest
- 2 tbsp Lime juice
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Agave
- 3 tbsp Diced red onion
- 1 jar Fire-roasted bell peppers, drained
- 1 jar Fire-roasted artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 can Chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
Instructions
Preparing the roasted cauliflower
- Set the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Cut the cauliflower into florets and place in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil and curry powder over it, then mix it all up until the cauliflower is evenly coated with curry.
- Roast the cauliflower for 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown and slightly crispy.
- Let it cool for five minutes.
Laying the foundation of the Macro Bowl
- Scoop a spoonful of your favorite hummus onto the bottom of each bowl.
- Once the roasted cauliflower has cooled, place it on top of the scoop of hummus, and then apply ⅓ of the arugula package on top, and place ½ of an avocado (cut into cubes) on top of that.
- Sprinkle everything with Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning blend.
- Organize the following into little clusters on top of the arugula: ½ of an avocado that is cut into cubes, the fire-roasted artichokes, and bell peppers.
Preparing the marinated chickpeas
- Combine all of the ingredients listed under the marinated chickpeas & veggies ingredient list into the same dish or container. This will be the dressing of the salad. (Because I like to make this ahead of time for lunches at work, I keep the marinated chickpeas & veggies separate from the salad foundation until I am ready to eat it, otherwise, the arugula would get soggy).
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