Mediterranean-Inspired Vegan Buddha Bowl
There’s something so perfect about a buddhabowl. This vegan buddha bowl is loaded with healthy ingredients like wholegrains, chickpeas, sweet potatoes and broccolini and then topped with oh.so.temptingtahini dressing. This vegan recipe is so easy (to make and on the eyes) –what’s not to love!
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry Lotus Foods' Organic Tri-Colored Blend Rice you can find it here
- 2 sweet potatoes (garnet yams) cubed
- 4 bunches broccolini washed and trimmed
- 1/2 cup + 2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp Spice Jungle's Mediterranean Spice Blend, divided optional; you can find the spice blend here (see Recipe Notes for alternative options)
- 1 14 oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- sesame seeds as optional garnish
- fresh parsley as optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400º.
- Prepare the Lotus Foods’ Organic Tri-Colored Blend Rice in accordance with the package directions.
- While the rice is cooking, toss the cubed sweet potatoes in 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with ½ tbsp of Mediterranean spice blend. Spread the sweet potatoes out on an aluminum baking sheet prepared with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
- Likewise, toss the broccolini in 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread the broccolini out on a separate baking sheet prepared with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
- Roast the sweet potatoes on the middle rack for 20 minutes. Pause to stir the sweet potatoes then roast for an additional 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the sweet potatoes for the final 10 minutes. They should be slightly crisp on the outside and not dried out.
- When the sweet potatoes are stirred at 20 minutes, add the broccolini baking sheet in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- While the vegetables are roasting, spread the drained and rinsed chickpeas out on a clean kitchen towel. Gently rub the chickpeas to remove as many of the skins as possible.
- Add the chickpeas to a medium sized sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until the chickpeas are soft.
- Drain the water from the chickpeas and add 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Gently saute the chickpeas in the olive oil until they begin to crisp very slightly. Then sprinkle 1/2 tbsp of Mediterranean Spice Blend over the chickpeas and stir to coat. Set the chickpeas aside.
- Combine the tahini, ½ cup olive oil, salt and garlic in a small food processor. Blend until creamy. Then slowly stir in the lemon juice.
- Build your buddha bowls by first adding the cooked rice to the bowl. Then top with roasted broccolini, roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas and the tahini dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I'm a big fan of SpiceJungle.com's Spice Blends and use them frequently in my recipes. For this Mediterranean-Inspired Buddha Bowl, I used Spice Jungle's Mediterranean Spice Blend. If you don't have this particular spice blend, you can substitute in a different spice blend (just be sure to test your proportions). If you don't have a spice blend, I would recommend using some fresh lemon juice, crushed red pepper, salt & pepper as your seasoning.
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