It’s only been 2016 for (almost) a week and so far, so good. Things are really looking up and I can’t complain about a thing. In the last six days I’ve started my dream internship, planned out my upcoming 21st birthday and eaten plenty of chocolatey smoothies. In case I haven’t mentioned, I re-joined ClassPass back up again last week and I’m loving every second of it. I wore myself out a bit this past weekend and took a break but low and behold, I signed myself up for a Flywheel class this morning. 8:30a.m. spin classes are no joke, friends. Especially when you’ve got an hour commute both ways.

Spinning is without a doubt my favorite cardio and one of my favorite workouts, especially in a group setting with powerful instructors guiding you through a 45 minute ride.

There’s something so invigorating about taking a group fitness class, especially when it’s spin, that I can’t get enough of. Maybe it’s the fact someone is pushing you and motivating you to work harder than you would by yourself? Probably. Because let’s be real with one another — I doubt I could spin as hard as I do at a Flywheel class if it wasn’t for my instructors urging me to increase my resistance and RPM what feels like every minute. Shouting at me helps too.

My favorite part about the rides are that by the time I get out, my body is hungry for a huge meal and ready to get some protein. I like to pack myself overnight oats to face plant into on my commute home or I’ll make a bowl of protein and veggies once I’m home. Morning workouts are my go-to so I get it out of the way but when I like to sleep in, this buddha bowl is the perfect treat to come home to for lunch.

If you have never heard of a “buddha bowl” it’s the latest trend among those who go meat-free or are just feeling the plant-based lifestyle like myself. In 2014, I lived off of these babies since I pretty much went the whole year without eating meat or dairy products. To sum it up, it’s a whole lotta veggies, grains and some sort of sauce. You could see avocado, tofu, kale and beets and brown rice to arugula, sweet potatoes, hummus, squash and eggplant. I personally love packing in as many colors as possible while incorporating my favorite produce.

Now if you want to know what’s in my buddha bowl… let’s take a peak inside, shall we? Everything in here is something I would pick up if I was at the Whole Foods hot bar or a café of similar style. I like starchy veggies best in buddha bowls for sweetness and texture. For grains and your hefty dose of complex carbs, I’m always interested in cooking quinoa over the stove while my chickpeas roast in the oven. Since it takes only about 20 minutes to roast the veggies, this bowl can be put together in about 45 minutes when you add prep time into it.

If you prep this on a Sunday and double the batch, you’ll have extras for lunch come the work week. Now isn’t that just fabulous?

5.0 from 1 reviews

A Chickpea's Buddha Bowl

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

You know when you hear "eat the rainbow"? Well now you can with this colorful buddha bowl packed with healthy carbs and tons of produce!

Author: Addie Martanovic

Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 5 large rainbow carrots
• ½ cup dry tri-color quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup organic spinach
• ⅓ bag of pre-cut butternut squash
• 1 can of chickpeas
• Coconut oil spray
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard (Sir Kensington's)
• 1 tablespoon organic tahini (Woodstock Foods)
• 2 tablespoons hummus (I like Hope Foods brand)
• 2-3 tbsp lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375º.
2. Begin my washing and draining your chickpeas. Follow by slicing your carrots in half.
3. Layer chickpeas, carrots and pre-cut butternut squash on a baking sheet and spray with coconut oil spray or 1-2 tbsp of unrefined coconut oil. Coat in turmeric, garlic powder and salt and pepper to your liking.
4. Put in oven to roast for 15 minutes, rotate vegetables and roast for an extra 15.
5. While veggies are roasting, start cooking your quinoa. Place quinoa and vegetable broth together in a small pot over high heat until boiling. When it begins to boil, place on low heat until the broth soaks into the quinoa and it "pops" open. This will take about roughly 20 minutes.
6. While quinoa is cooking, make your sauce. Blend together hummus, mustard, tahini, nutritional yeast, water and salt and paper to taste and mix well. Make sure you add less water first. You want the tahini to blend and not be thick so it has the texture of dressing rather than nut butter.
7. After quinoa and vegetables have cooked, place your spinach in a small bowl. Surround the spinach with quinoa, chickpeas, squash and your carrots. Drizzle the sauce into the center.
8. Top off with sun-dried tomatoes for an added pop of color and bite!
9. Enjoy, friends 🙂

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This sauce is a twist on one of my good friend’s Blair’s, who inspired me to combine mustard and tahini. Once I started, I think I’ll now never stop.

When it comes to the sauce in this bowl, I am a firm believer in using Sir Kensington’s spicy brown mustard. As it blends with the tahini (ground sesame seeds), hummus and nutritional yeast, it has a tangy, mildly cheesy and delicious flavor. This brand of mustard is lightly sweetened with organic sugar + maple syrup and while I’m not a huge proponent of sugars in condiments (*cough cough high fructose corn syrup cough*), I’m glad it is non-GMO. P.s. how eye-catching is that packaging? Sir Kensington is a little cutie.

And of course – what buddha bowl can be complete without tahini and hummus?! Their my lifelines after all. I think if I was stranded on an island, all I would need is some tahini and hummus. And I guess some veggies to pair ’em with… or I could just have this whole buddha bowl and I’d be set.

Now that you know the basics of building up your own buddha bowl, you’ll have to try one and tell me whatcha think! These are a nice swap for a meatless Monday dish, easy to make with friends and always nice to bring with you if you’re headed out to class or work and don’t have a fridge nearby. You can drizzle on the sauce with the bowl or take it on the side for later. I always start out with half of the sauce and then end up wanting it alll. It’s that good.

Happy buddha bowl eating, chickpeas!

-Addie

*This post was not sponsored but these brands are ones I love and care to share with you. They did provide me mustard + tahini for sampling. Thank you for making Chickpea in the City posts possible!*