Wholesome, Veggie-Packed Buddha Bowl

This buddha bowl recipe is the ultimate healthy, filling, fresh and veggie-packed meal for one! I like to take a buddha bowl for lunch when I know I’m going to be on-the-go all day. 

This nutritious meal contains a balance of essential macronutrients. There’s protein in the chickpeas, carbohydrates in the vegetables and rice, and healthy fats in the avocado, coconut oil, and tahini. 

You won’t believe just how healthy this recipe is! The beetroot, sweet potato, kale, and cauliflower all contain Vitamin C, essential for immunity. While vitamin B6 from the beetroot and kale helps with your metabolism, eye health, hormones, and nervous system function.

With so many foods naturally rich in vitamins, this meal is sure to be added to your list of healthy go-to lunches. Best of all, it’s versatile, so you can switch out the ingredients for whatever you have in the fridge or pantry. 

Buddha Bowl Recipe

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 60 mins
Serves: 1
Dietary Preferences: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free

Ingredients:

• ½ medium sweet potato, peeled and sliced into ½ cm rounds
• 1 small beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 large handful kale, stems removed
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 90g cauliflower, cut into florets
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 30g brown rice
• Spicy Baked Chickpeas
• ¼ avocado, sliced
• toasted pinenuts, to garnish

Turmeric Tahini Sauce 

• 1 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp warm water
• ½ tsp pure maple syrup
• ¼ medium lemon, juiced
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the sweet potato, beetroot, and kale in a large bowl. Add half of the oil, salt, and pepper and toss gently to coat, ensuring that all the vegetables are seasoned and coated in the oil. 
3. In a separate bowl, place the cauliflower, turmeric, salt, and pepper, if desired, and remaining oil. Toss gently to coat and set aside.

4. Place the beetroot on the lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and, using tongs, turn the beetroot over before adding the sweet potato and cauliflower to the tray. Bake the vegetables in the oven for a further 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and, using tongs, turn the vegetables over before adding the kale to the tray. Bake in the oven for a further 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, place the rice and 200ml of water in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20–25 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and leave to stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. 
6. To make the sauce, whisk the tahini, water, maple syrup, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and turmeric together in a small bowl.

7. To serve the Buddha Bowl, place the rice in the bottom of a serving bowl. Arrange the sweet potato, beetroot, cauliflower and kale on top of the rice and top with the chickpeas and avocado. Drizzle over the turmeric tahini sauce and sprinkle over the pinenuts. Enjoy!

You can easily plan ahead by preparing the ingredients separately. Keep the turmeric tahini sauce in a separate container and add it right when you are about to eat. 

The thing I love about this recipe is that you can substitute in any leftover veggies you might have from another meal. Some veggies that work well in a buddha bowl are cabbage, broccoli or Brussels sprouts. 

If you’re short on time, swap out the Spicy Baked Chickpeas for tinned chickpeas.

Enjoy this buddha bowl your way!

You can make this buddha bowl into a high protein meal by using quinoa instead of brown rice or adding chicken. For a vegan diet, try one of these vegetarian sources of protein. 

Looking for another way to eat sweet potato? Try this easy Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potato. It also makes a great lunch and you can meal prep it ahead of time. If you love this recipe you might enjoy this Winter Lunch Bowl recipe as well. 

I hope you enjoy this nutritious recipe!