Buddha Bowl with Tahini Dressing (Printable Version)
A colorful plant-based bowl with roasted chickpeas, fresh veggies, quinoa, and creamy tahini dressing.
# What You'll Need:
→ Grains
01 - 7 oz cooked quinoa or brown rice (about 1 1/3 cups)
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 large carrot, grated or spiralized
04 - 1 cup steamed broccoli florets
05 - 1 avocado, sliced
06 - 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
07 - 3.5 oz baby spinach or mixed greens (about 3 cups)
→ Plant-Based Proteins
08 - 1 can (14 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
09 - 1 tbsp olive oil
10 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
11 - 1/2 tsp ground cumin
12 - Salt and pepper, to taste
→ Dressing
13 - 3 tbsp tahini
14 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
15 - 1 tbsp maple syrup
16 - 1 tbsp tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
17 - 1-2 tbsp water, to thin dressing
→ Toppings
18 - 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
19 - Fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, or mint)
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 390°F. Toss drained chickpeas with olive oil, smoked paprika, ground cumin, salt, and pepper until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden and crispy.
02 - While chickpeas roast, prepare quinoa or brown rice according to package directions if not already cooked. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
03 - Halve the cherry tomatoes, grate or spiralize the carrot, steam the broccoli florets until tender-crisp, slice the avocado, and thinly slice the red cabbage. Arrange on a clean work surface for easy assembly.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, tamari, and water until smooth and creamy. Adjust water as needed to reach a pourable consistency.
05 - Divide the cooked grains evenly among four bowls. Arrange the prepared vegetables, greens, and roasted chickpeas on top in sections. Drizzle generously with the tahini dressing.
06 - Sprinkle each bowl with toasted sesame seeds and fresh herbs of your choice. Serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Every single component can be prepped ahead, making weeknight dinners feel like you hired a personal chef.
- The tahini dressing is the kind of thing you will want to put on literally everything, from roasted vegetables to morning toast.
- It is endlessly adaptable based on whatever is wilting in your crisper drawer.
02 -
- Do not skip drying the chickpeas after rinsing them, because wet chickpeas steam instead of roast and you will end up soft and disappointing instead of crispy.
- The dressing thickens as it sits in the fridge, so always whisk in a splash of water before using leftovers.
03 -
- Adding a spoonful of nut butter to the tahini dressing creates a richer, more complex flavor that people will not be able to stop thinking about.
- Let the roasted chickpeas cool for just two minutes before adding them to the bowl, because they reach peak crunch in that brief window.