Sweet Potato, Kale, and Chickpea Buddha Bowl
This vegan Sweet Potato, Chickpea, and Kale Buddha Bowl is packed full of goodness - its fresh ingredients topped with a perfect garlic tahini sauce make for a perfect lunch that feels light, but keeps you full all day. This recipe makes loads, so you’ll have lots leftover for whenever you crave it next.
Jump on past the introduction by clicking on the links below and they’ll take you to any part of the recipe, but I’ve put some helpful tips inside the introduction that take it to the next level.
Skip to any part of the recipe:
Introduction
I’ve tried many buddha bowls, made up of a variety of different grains, legumes, vegetables, sauces, and cooking methods. Some of them were good, some of them not so much. This is my favourite one.
When the sweet potato is tossed in spices and roasted, it becomes so soft. The kale and broccoli become crisp, and the red onion mellow and tender. I fry up my chickpeas in a pan with salt, pepper, and cumin. By cooking them in a pan, the spices are toasted and the chickpeas take on a wonderful golden colour as the outside becomes crisp but the inside is soft. This dish takes some effort and a little coordination, but I guarantee by the time you put this bowl together and take your first bite, you’ll be kicking yourself for not making more.
The key is in the spices. Roasting vegetables does wonders for a vegetable’s texture, but the secret is to toss them in a variety of spices before throwing them in the oven to truly bring out their flavour. Another thing to take into consideration is the time in which you begin roasting different vegetables - they cook at different speeds, and some will be done faster than others. The order I add mine is listed in the recipe below.
The Garlic Tahini sauce is a winner. It takes seconds to throw together, it’s so tasty, and the consistency is perfect for a buddha bowl - it coats the vegetables, chickpeas, and grains just right. Not to mention, it makes more than enough for this recipe, so try adding it to some salads, drizzle it over some avocado toast, or dip some carrots of bell peppers in it for a quick snack.
Check out the Spruce it Up section for ideas on how to take this already amazing vegan Sweet Potato, Chickpea, and Kale Buddha Bowl to the next level.
Before we Get Started
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: ~3 Bowls
Ingredients
Buddha Bowl
1 cup Bulgur
Or Grain of choice (Quinoa, Farro, Barley)
1 can Chickpeas
1 large Sweet Potato
1 medium Red Onion
3 or 4 stems of Kale
1/2 head of Broccoli
1 Green Onion
1/2 Bell Pepper
1 tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 tbsp. Curry Powder
1 1/2 tbsp. Cumin
Pinch of Cayenne
Garlic Tahini
1 cup Tahini
2 cloves Garlic
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tbsp. Maple Syrup
1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
Salt to taste
Method
Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook the bulgur (or grain of choice).
Read the instructions on the bulgur, and coordinate when you begin cooking it based on how long it will take to finish. Mine took ~12 minutes, so I started it about halfway through roasting the vegetables.
Preheat your oven to 400º fahrenheit.
Take the sweet potato, and dice into 1 inch cubes. Put in a metal bowl with olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, cayenne, and a three-finger pinch of salt (approx. 1 tbsp). Toss thoroughly to coat the sweet potato.
When the oven is preheated, place the sweet potato cubes on a baking tray and place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes. At the 10 minute mark, the red onion and broccoli will be added, and at the 15 minute mark, the kale will be added.
While the sweet potato is roasting, combine tahini, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, cumin, maple syrup, and two finger pinch of salt into a blender, and blend until smooth. Add a 1/3 cup of water to loosen the consistency. Add more if you’d like it to be thinner.
Take your red onion, and slice in half from top to bottom, as well as the stem and the root. Take off the outer skin, and lay flat side down on the cutting board. Cut into wedges by picking a point on the outside and slicing diagonally through the onion towards the centre. Continue to do this with the remainder of the onion.
Cut your broccoli into florets. Drizzle both the broccoli and the wedges of onion with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. At the 10 minute mark of roasting the sweet potato, add the florets and the onion to the baking tray.
Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Heat up a pan with oil, and add the chickpeas. Season generously with salt and pepper, as well as 1 tbsp. cumin. Fry the chickpeas in the pan over medium heat until they turn a warm, golden colour, and become crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Despine your kale by tearing the leaves from the stem. Tear into bite-sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil, and add salt. Add to the roasting tray at the 15 minute mark (5 minutes remaining).
Slice up half a bell pepper into strips.
When the roasting is done, remove the veggies from the oven. Spoon the some of the cooked bulgur into the bowl, and evenly disperse it across the bottom of the bowl. Add some of each of the ingredients, and pour some of the garlic tahini dressing over top.
Enjoy.
Spruce it Up
A bit of cilantro goes a long way, as well as a splash of lime juice.
Salt each ingredient. A little salt each step of the way makes a huge difference by the end.
Pickled onions, sauerkraut, or pickled beets add a great variation in flavour to the dish. If you have some laying about, give it a go.
Slice up an avocado and add it to the bowl. It becomes so creamy, and an avocado and a buddha bowl are a match made in heaven.