Protein-Rich Sprout Buddha Bowl

Buddha bowls to me are the perfect comfort food.  In essence, you take the things you love, put them together and admire them. And then you eat them.  How perfect is that?  You take a spoon and put some beauty in your belly.

I love that they can be dessert driven, or savory, grain based, bean based, or even just simply salad based - a little of everything.  

Here, this is a protein rich buddha bowl, and it's my usual lunch staple although the exact ingredients always change.  Whatever I have on hand, and whatever I feel like, I go with it.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

1/2 cup Spicy chickpeas (recipe here)

1/2 cup Pumpkin Seed & Raisin Quinoa Salad (recipe here)

Generous Handful of Sunflower sprouts

1/2 cup Shredded red cabbage, massaged with flax seed oil, raw apple cider vinegar and sea salt

1/3 avocado, cubed

Mix the cabbage with avocado until combined, but not mushy.  Then just layer the chickpeas, quinoa and sprouts. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Seed & Raisin Quinoa Salad

This has become one of my stand-by's.  It's so easy to make, delicious cold, and its the quintessential "whole food" - everything is in its real and perfect form.  I love adding this to any buddha bowl with cabbage, avocado, or just simply by itself.  You can even hide some of it in some steaming veggie broth and call it a soup. 

I also love that it fulfills many different tastes - sweet raisins, earthy pumpkin seeds, a pinch of sea salt, and a nice kick from the spices.  My Ayurveda gurus would be proud. 

1 cups quinoa

1.5 cups water

small piece of kombu

In a pot, heat the quinoa, water and kombu until boiling.  Lower the heat and cover, cooking until all the water has absorbed, about 20 minutes or so.  Let it sit on the stove until cool.

Fluff with a fork.  Add in:

Small handful organic raisins

Small handful raw or toasted pumpkin seeds

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

Couple shakes of chipotle powder (optional)

About ½ cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Sea salt, to taste

Mix well and enjoy. 

Spicy Chick Peas

In our house, we call these "Spicy Balls" but I thought it might seem awkward in the title. 

They are probably the easiest thing to make, and honestly, in the 5-10 minutes prior to teaching, I can whip these up and they basically make themselves. I don't really measure the seasonings but rather shake them on, but for you, I've estimated the general amounts. 

You can mix up the spices as you wish, and if you see some spices you don't like - omit them. Some additional ones you love?  Add them in. It can't get more simple.

Two tips...

Tip#1: To save on cash (and a healthier option), soak your dry chickpeas overnight in water and a 2-inch piece of kombu. In the morning, rinse the beans, discard the kombu and add them with enough water (and a fresh piece of kombu) to cover by 1 inch in a pressure cooker and cook according to manufacturer's advice (for ours, I overcook them a bit, on high pressure but low flame, about 25 minutes, then lower the pressure naturally). Let cool.  Otherwise, feel free to use canned beans, but Eden is best since they don't have BPA in their lining.

Tip #2:  If you want the chickpeas super crispy, make sure they're in a single layer.  We don't really mind if they're a bit on the soft and meaty side, so I just put them in a caserole dish, as they fit.

4 cups cooked chickpeas

1 teaspoon each of:  

cumin

smoked paprika

chipotle pepper

sea salt

salt-free pizza seasoning

oregano

dried parsley

poultry seasoning (powdered)

powdered garlic

Toss well, and bake at 350 degrees for about 35-45 minutes.  If you're doing them in a single layer, check in on them in about 25 minutes to make sure they're not burning. 

Enjoy!