Buddha Bowl (on a plate)

I’ve always loved the color and variety of all the delicious, nutritious items in a Buddha Bowl. This dish is meant to be packed so full to represent the round belly of Buddha. The best part about this dish is there are no rules to what you want to add to it, so have fun! I’ve included my suggestions in this recipe.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 2 large carrots, shredded
  • 1/2 head small purple cabbage, shredded
  • 1 yellow pepper, sliced thin
  • 1/2 avocado, sliced
  • 2 cups kale, torn into small pieces
  • 2 handfuls romaine or spinach, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 2 stalks green onion, chopped both green and white parts

Seasonings and Dressing

  • 1 tsp. Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. Smokey paprika
  • pinch of Cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup Tahini
  • 1/4 cup + 2 Tbls. Tamari
  • 1 Tbls. Maple syrup
  • 2 Tbls. Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup Rice wine vinegar
  • Water as needed to thin dressing

Additional add-ons: black olives, tomato wedges, tofu, brown rice, red onion

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Place chickpeas in large bowl; mix 1/4 cup tamari, 1 tsp. paprika and 1 tsp. garlic powder and coat chickpeas. Let sit for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
  3. Add all the dressing ingredients to a small blender (or whisk it well) and blend until smooth, adding water for desired consistency.
  4. Cut sweet potato into medium size pieces and lay out in a single layer on baking sheet lined with parchment.
  5. Spray lightly with tamari or low sodium soy sauce (optional) and roast for 8-10 minutes.
  6. Flip sweet potato pieces, add the chickpeas to the baking pan and roast for another 10-12 minutes, until potato edges and chickpeas are browned.
  7. While potatoes are roasting, place the torn kale into another large bowl and pour in a small amount of your dressing. Using your hands, massage the dressing into kale pieces. This removes the bitterness. Massage until you begin to feel the kale soften.
  8. Build your Buddha Bowl (or plate it) based on the colors of your ingredients. Using individual plates, begin with equal parts of greens as the base, then the massaged kale. Add the quinoa next, then the sliced and shredded vegetables in small piles around the plate. Nestle the avocado slices on, and roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas.
  9. Drizzle with the remaining tahini dressing and sprinkle with green onions.