I think I’m in love ………………………….

My friends laugh at me as I enthuse about food so much, but I cannot say enough about my enjoyment and excitement at finding recipes for Buddha Bowls.

Nothing religious or political about them, just a bowl which is packed so full of goodness that it has a rounded ‘belly’ appearance on the top much like the belly of a buddha.

Buddha Bowls can be made with raw vegetables or roasted vegetables. Often called “Glory Bowls,” these grain-, protein- and vegetable-rich dishes can be assembled in minutes and customized to your taste. I have to thank Dana – Minimalist Baker – for showing me my first Buddha Bowl and I adapted her recipe slightly for Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl  to accommodate the ingredients I had to hand.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil, or oil of choice
1 or 2 red onions, sliced in wedges
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 pack purple-sprouting broccoli, large stems spliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
2 big handfuls kale, large stems removed
1 pack of baby sweetcorn, halved length-ways
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
~~~~~~~~~
1 x 15-ounce (425 g) chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon chilli powder
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon each Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon turmeric (optional)
~~~~~~~~~~
250g natural live yoghurt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Juice of 1 lemon
Large handful of either fresh mint leaves, or dill

METHOD:

Place the sweet potato chunks in a bowl; drizzle with olive oil, toss and then tip on to a baking sheet. Do the same with the onion wedges, carrots and parsnips (if using).

Bake for about 15 minutes in the oven at 170°C. Turn the sweet potato and onion then add the purple-sprouting broccoli and sweetcorn, drizzle with oil and bake for another ten minutes.

Finally, put the kale in a bowl and massage with a little olive oil. Tip the kale on to a baking sheet and bake for five minutes until just crispy.

Meanwhile, finely chop the mint or dill. Add the yoghurt, syrup and lemon juice and mix well.

Put the dry chickpeas in a bowl with the spices and toss  to make sure they are well coated. Heat a fry pan and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chickpeas/spice mixture and cook over a medium heat for ten minutes stirring continuously so they don’t ‘catch’.

To serve – either divide vegetables between individual bowls, or place in one large bowl.

Top with spicy chickpeas and drizzle with the yoghurt sauce, serving extra sauce as a side.

My Buddha Bowl

My Buddha bowl didn’t have a very rounded belly as my bowl was quite large but it was delicious just the same.   Serve warm although left-overs could be eaten cold – if there are any which doesn’t happen very often in our house!

NB: All the photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared myself.