Winter Buddha Bowl

 

Sunday is my favorite day of the week to do a little meal prep for the week and roast a big tray of all types of veggies. I may also cook a pot of beans and/ or some type of grain, rice, or pasta. This type of meal prep makes deciding what I’m taking for lunch at work easy and I can switch up the ingredients depending on how I’m feeling and is perfect for a Winter Buddha Bowl.

During the colder months, I love to prepare meals like this. They are satisfying and filling and are full of various health benefits. For the sweet potatoes, I’ve provided a spice blend that I enjoy adding onto them. It reminds me of a mild Caribbean or Jerk spice blend, but mild and not spicy. If you’d like to add a pinch of cayenne pepper to it for a little heat, feel free to do so.

I am also guilty of loving a little sauce to go with those veggies. This one is a Sweet Chili Aioli sauce. A friend of the family told me that his favorite way to enjoy Brussel Sprouts was in a dish called Bang Bang Brussel Sprouts. I had actually never heard of them, up until that point. But this sauce kind of reminds me of that dish. 🙂

Lastly, I’ve topped my veggies on a small bed of Quinoa, but feel free to use brown rice or omit it all together. And also feel free to switch up the vegetables depending on what you have on hand or what is in season. Your Winter Buddha Bowl is totally up to you! Have fun!

 

 

Recipe: Serves 2 – 3

Ingredients:

1 small Broccoli Crown (cut into florets)

1/2 of small head of Cauliflower (cut into florets)

8 – 12 Brussel Sprouts (hard ends cut off/cut in halves)

1 small or medium Sweet Potato (quartered)

1 small Avocado (halved)

1/2 cup of Quinoa (cooked according to package = 1 cup | can sub with brown rice)

Olive oil for drizzling

Sea Salt

Optional Toppings:

Watermelon Radishes (thinly sliced)

Microgreens

Spice Blend Ingredients:

1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice

1/4 teaspoon Brown Sugar (or Coconut Sugar)

1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

1/8 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/8 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

Sweet Chili Aioli Sauce Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of Vegan Mayonnaise or Mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons of Sweet Chili Sauce

1/2 teaspoon of Sriracha

1/4 teaspoon Sesame Oil

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix all of your ingredients for your spice blend. In another small bowl mix the ingredients for your sauce and put in fridge until the vegetables are ready.

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. For the sweet potatoes, I like to make a little foil packet or boat by bending each of the sides upward and inward, but leaving an opening. This tends to keep the potatoes moist. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and generously sprinkle the spice blend on all sides. Put that packet on a small pie pan and place in oven. The potatoes are a little thick and take a bit longer to cook so you’re going to start baking them first for 15 – 20 minutes.

Then line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place your cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli  a section of the sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Place in the oven as well.

Take a fork and gently flip the potatoes over. Now cook all vegetables for 15 -20 minutes. Checking on the vegetables as they cook. The Broccoli will most likely finish first, so you may want to use some tongs and carefully remove them onto a plate. Then the Brussel Sprouts and lastly the Cauliflower. I like a little char or browning, but cook them all to your liking and until the sweet potatoes are soft to the fork.

Get two bowls and arrange your quinoa and vegetables the way you like and top with your avocado/microgreens/radishes and serve with your sauce. Enjoy!

 

 

If you enjoy bowls like this, then you may also like my Fiesta Veggie Bowl. 🙂