Buddha bowls are the ultimate healthy comfort food! What is a Buddha bowl? Basically any combination of grains, veggies, protein and sauce. This recipe was presented as part of the Culinary Medicine Workshop that we presented at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine annual conference in 2017. The lemon tahini dressing in this recipe is also great on falafels or with other Middle Eastern-inspired dishes. See the Notes section of the recipe for lots of great variations on this recipe!
PrintBuddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Yield: 4 bowls (serve as a one-course meal)
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables (optional)
- 1 sweet potato, medium dice
- 1 onion, sauté sliced (thinly sliced)
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, optional
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
Lemon Tahini Dressing
- 4 tablespoons tahini (roasted, if possible)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Juice of 1 large lemon (about 3 tablespoons juice)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, grated)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons water to thin, as needed
Seasoned Chickpeas (optional)
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Salad
- 1-1/2 cups cooked quinoa (1/2 cup dry quinoa, cooked)
- 2 cups mixed salad greens or steamed kale
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut julienne or shredded, optional
- 1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage, optional
- 1/2 red bell pepper, julienne, optional
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
Instructions
- Decide which components of the bowl you want to make. For times’ sake, I suggest either making the roasted vegetables OR including the optional salad ingredients (i.e., carrot, purple cabbage, and red bell pepper), but not both.
- Roasted Vegetables: if including roasted vegetables in the dish, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss all ingredients (i.e., sweet potatoes, onion, oil, salt and pepper) together in a small mixing bowl and then spread them evenly on a sheet pan. Bake for 20-35 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Stir 1-2 times during the roasting process.
- Lemon Tahini Dressing: Blend, whisk or shake all ingredients together. I like to make this in a 1-cup canning jar with a lid that can double as a storage container and allows easy shaking for later use if the dressing has separated.
- Seasoned Chickpeas: Combine all ingredients (i.e., chickpeas, salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder) in a small bowl until chickpeas are evenly coated. Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add chickpea mixture to the pan. Cook until chickpeas are starting to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Divide quinoa and greens between 4 large bowls. Top with roasted vegetables (if including), seasoned chickpeas (if including) and remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle with lemon tahini dressing. Serve.
Notes
- Dressing makes 3/4 cup—you will only use about half for this recipe. Save the rest to top falafels or cooked vegetables—also makes a great dip!
- You can substitute an equivalent amount any other vegetable you prefer for the sweet potatoes and/or onions; Brussels sprouts are a great fall option.
- You can substitute any spice mixture you want for the chili powder and/or garlic powder used with the chickpeas; curry powder, garam masalas, jerk seasoning or berbere are good options.
- You can substitute cubed, baked tofu or any bean of your choice for the chickpeas.
- This bowl is delicious served with almost any type of dressing—try peanut sauce, a spicy chipotle dressing or simply fresh lemon juice.
Nutritional Info (per bowl): Calories 578, Total Fat 19.8g, Saturated Fat 2.6g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 375mg, Total Carbohydrate 83.3g, Dietary Fiber 18g, Sugars 14.8g, Protein 22.5g, Vitamin A 39%, Vitamin C 73%, Calcium 13%, Iron 34%
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