Roasted Veggie Buddha Bowl

Serves 4

This high fiber, protein-rich and ridiculously healthy veggie bowl is so yummy it will immediately become one of your favorite dishes! While I am always in the mood to eat a big bowl of roasted veggies with nuts, beans, sweet potato, avocado etc., I want the rest of my family to be as enthused, so I prepare everything, set it out on the counter and everyone makes their own bowl with whatever ingredients they want in it.  The verdict – they love it!  This is a picture and the recipe of my bowl, which is also perfect for a meatless Monday dish, but I also grilled a piece of chicken and salmon so my family could add those to their bowls as well.

Ingredients:

  • I Head of Cauliflower cut into small florets
  • 1 Sweet Potato sliced 
  • 1 can Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans); drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup Quinoa rinsed
  • 3 cups packed Kale
  • 2 cups Arugula
  • 1 Avocado
  • 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
  • 2-4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Garlic Clove minced
  • 2 cups Vegetable Broth
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon (optional)
  • Parsley for garnish
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Black and white Sesame Seeds (optional)
  • Lemon wedges
  • Cashew Cream for drizzling 

Preparation:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chickpeas:

  • Spread drained and rinsed Chickpeas on a baking sheet in a single layer and dry them really well with a towel.  The drier they are, the better and crunchier they will turn out.  The key is to make sure they go into the oven without any water left on them. 
  • Drizzle or spray with Olive Oil, sprinkle with ½ -1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. garlic powder and freshly ground pepper.  
  • Bake for about 45 minutes, shaking the pan every 15 minutes or so to make sure they don’t burn.
  • They should be golden brown and crunch on the inside when they’re done.

Veggies:

  • Melt Coconut Oil in small saucepan.
  • Coat Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Oil, season with Salt and Pepper, sprinkle Sweet Potatoes with cinnamon and spread on baking sheet. 
  • Roast for about 30 minutes, checking and turning veggies on the baking sheet half way through until desired amount of browning and tenderness.  

Quinoa:

  • Rinse and drain the Quinoa.  Add rinsed Quinoa, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. Garlic Powder and vegetable broth to a small saucepan and bring to boil over high heat.  Turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, until liquid is dissolved.  Let sit for a few minutes, fluff with a fork and set aside.

Kale and Arugula:

  • While Quinoa and the rest of the ingredients are roasting, preheat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil.  Add Garlic and sauté for 1 min.  Add Kale and Arugula and cook for approx. 3-5 minutes until wilted.  Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds.

Serving:

  • Assemble the bowl with a scoop of Quinoa, Cauliflower, Kale and Arugula mixture, Sweet potato slices, Chickpeas and ¼ Avocado.  
  • Add lemon wedges to squeeze over bowl.
  • Finally drizzle with Cashew Cream and enjoy!