Ah, the modest Buddha Bowl. It may not look super exciting, but it’s a staple in any vegan or vegetarian’s diet. If you’re not a veg, you may be wondering “what the heck is a Buddha Bowl?” WELL, let me explain it to you. It’s basically one giant bowl of awesomeness that is filled with every single thing you need for a balanced dinner: generally some kind of rice or quinoa topped with heaps of veggies, a protein source, and covered in a dreamy dressing to tie it all together. This particular bowl is made with brown rice, spicy sriracha chickpeas, spinach, purple cabbage, and sweet potatoes. It’s all topped with a sweet and spicy tahini dressing that will knock your socks off. Even though it may not look like much, it’s honestly delicious and pretty simple to make. Can you boil rice? Can you wilt spinach? That’s pretty much as difficult as this recipe gets. In an attempt to save my husband from washing 100 dishes, I generally spread out the cooking process a bit in order to continually use the same pot for most of the components. As always, feel free to experiment with this recipe. Kale is easily swapped for the spinach, swap the brown rice for quinoa, or add sliced avocado to make it your own.
Ingredient Spotlight: Turmeric is an amazing, bright yellow spice that has been used in Chinese and Indian medicine for centuries as a potent, but safe anti-inflammatory. It has been used to treat a wide variety of illnesses and ailments including hemorrhage, chest pain, colic, and many many more.
Active Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients: 1 cup brown rice (I use Minute Rice) 1 sweet potato, cut into large pieces 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1½ tablespoons sriracha 2 teaspoons maple syrup ½ teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup chopped red cabbage
1 cup baby spinach
for the dressing: 4 tablespoons tahini 4 tablespoons warm water 1 teaspoon maple syrup ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon sriracha
Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil. Place cut sweet potatoes on sheet and toss with oil and salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the brown rice according to package directions and chop all of your veggies. When the rice is finished cooking, divide into 2 large bowls and set aside. Cover the bowls to keep warm and begin preparing the chickpeas. Wipe out the rice pot and add the chickpeas, sriracha, maple syrup, paprika, and garlic powder and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to keep the chickpeas from burning. Off the heat and divide the chickpeas between the two rice bowls. Place the cabbage in the pot and cook over low heat until slightly softened. Add to the rice bowl and do the same with the spinach.
To make the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a container with a lid and shake to combine.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 633 Fat: 29g Carbs: 88g Protein: 21g Sodium: 810mg Sugar: 11g
*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.
Source: Crazy Vegan Kitchen: Spicy Buddha Bowl
