Buddha Bowl (Print View)
A nourishing bowl with quinoa, roasted chickpeas, fresh veggies, and creamy tahini dressing.
# What You Need:
→ Grains
01 - 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
02 - 1 ¾ cups water
03 - Pinch of salt
→ Vegetables
04 - 2 medium carrots, julienned
05 - 1 avocado, sliced
06 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
07 - 1 small cucumber, sliced
08 - 3.5 oz red cabbage, finely shredded
09 - 3.5 oz baby spinach
→ Protein
10 - 1 can (14 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
11 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
12 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - ½ teaspoon ground cumin
14 - Salt and pepper, to taste
→ Tahini Dressing
15 - 3 tablespoons tahini
16 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
17 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup
18 - 1 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce
19 - 2 to 3 tablespoons water, to thin
→ Toppings (Optional)
20 - 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
21 - 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
# How-To Steps:
01 - In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa, water, and a pinch of salt to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid is fully absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork.
02 - Preheat oven to 400°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 tray. Roast for 20 minutes, shaking the tray halfway through, until golden and crispy.
03 - While the quinoa and chickpeas cook, wash and cut all vegetables. Julienne the carrots, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the cucumber and avocado, finely shred the red cabbage, and rinse the baby spinach.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, gluten-free soy sauce, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until the mixture is smooth and reaches a pourable consistency.
05 - Divide the fluffed quinoa among four bowls. Arrange the prepared vegetables — carrots, avocado, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red cabbage, and baby spinach — in sections over the quinoa. Top each bowl with roasted chickpeas and drizzle generously with tahini dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and fresh herbs if desired.
06 - Serve immediately while the chickpeas are still warm and crisp.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- It forgives every substitution you throw at it, so you never need a grocery run to make it work.
- The crispy chickpeas alone are worth turning on the oven, and they disappear faster than popcorn at movie night.
02 -
- Do not skip patting the chickpeas dry before roasting, because excess moisture is the enemy of crunch and I learned this the soggy way.
- Tahini behaves differently depending on the brand, so add water gradually and taste as you thin the dressing.
03 -
- Roast the chickpeas a few minutes longer than you think they need, since they crisp further as they cool on the tray.
- A drizzle of extra dressing right before eating wakes up leftovers like nothing else.