Roasted Veggie Buddha Bowls with Cilantro Tahini Dressing

~Amanda~

Buddha Bowls are one of my absolute favorite meals and I make them at least once a week these days, twice if I’m feeling really extra that week :). If you’ve looked at any foodies posts on Instagram or Pinterest lately, I’m sure you’ve been overwhelmed by the number of Buddha Bowl pics people post, but that’s for very good reason; they are so beautiful and full of color and texture, which makes them amazing to photograph. More importantly, they are incredibly delicious and extremely healthy. Any good Buddha Bowl is loaded with tons of good for you ingredients that are part of a clean, healthy and balanced lifestyle. Buddhism is about balance!

So what exactly is a Buddha Bowl you ask? Well they’re meals in bowls and can also be called grain bowls, power bowls, macro bowls… anything you want really! Who knows where the term really comes from, but I did find out that Buddha would carry a bowl down the paths of wherever he was staying at the time and people would fill it up with foods as a donation. Sooo that was the original Budhha Bowl! Making your own Buddha Bowl is very simple. Step one: start with greens or grains. This could be spinach, kale, arugula, brown rice or quinoa – you get the idea. For this bowl I use rice (normally brown or wild rice, but I forgot to stock up so I had to use white this time.. ugh).

Next choose a protein to include in your bowl. More often than not, I make my Buddha Bowls vegetarian (#meatlessmonday anyone?) and I love the roasted garbanzo beans I use in this bowl. The garbanzo beans are tossed with olive oil, chili powder, cayenne and lime juice and then roasted until they’re slightly crispy – if you have any leftover, they make a delicious little snack to bring to work with you too! Some other proteins you could add are tofu, chicken or shrimp. Next comes the veg – I loooove roasted veggies and used a few of my favorites in this bowl; sweet potato, acorn squash, portobello mushrooms and beets – roasted beets are my current favorite veg.

In addition to some veggies, you can add more ‘toppings’ to your bowl. I like beet hummus (you can find this at almost any grocery store these days), pumpkin seeds, coconut chips and avocado slices. Anything goes here… as long as it’s healthy, clean and unprocessed! Now one of the most important ingredients is the tahini sauce! Tahini is a great staple that I always have in my fridge. Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds and although it may look a little bit like your favorite nut butter, it really doesn’t taste like it at all. On its own, it has a slightly bitter taste, but when combined with lemon juice, cilantro and garlic it makes the best sauce that brings together all the different ingredients in your bowl. Once your bowls have been assembled, you probably should take a picture of the masterpiece you have created (tag #thesisterskitch of course) and enjoy!!