Rainbow Buddha Bowl With Quinoa (Print Version)

A vibrant grain bowl with quinoa, colorful vegetables, chickpeas, and tahini dressing for a wholesome meal.

# What You Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
02 - 2 cups water
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Protein

04 - 1 cup cooked chickpeas or drained canned chickpeas

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
06 - 1 cup carrots, julienned
07 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
08 - 1 cup yellow bell pepper, sliced
09 - 1 cup cucumber, sliced
10 - 1 cup fresh baby spinach

→ Healthy Fats and Toppings

11 - 1 ripe avocado, sliced
12 - 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
13 - 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

→ Dressing

14 - 3 tablespoons tahini
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
17 - 2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
18 - 1 clove garlic, minced
19 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add rinsed quinoa and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
02 - While quinoa is cooking, prepare all vegetables by slicing red cabbage, julienning carrots, halving cherry tomatoes, slicing bell pepper and cucumber, and slicing avocado.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup or honey, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons water, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Add additional water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
04 - Divide cooked quinoa evenly among 4 bowls. Arrange chickpeas, red cabbage, carrots, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, spinach, and avocado in colorful sections on top of the quinoa base.
05 - Drizzle each bowl generously with tahini dressing. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It comes together in less than an hour and tastes like you spent way more effort than you actually did.
  • You can prep everything ahead and assemble in minutes, which feels like cheating in the best way.
  • The tahini dressing is so good you'll find yourself drizzling it on everything else in your kitchen.
02 -
  • Don't add the avocado and dressing until you're ready to eat—this is the secret to leftovers that don't turn into mush.
  • The tahini dressing gets thicker as it cools, so make it slightly thinner than you think you want it.
03 -
  • Toast your seeds in a dry pan for just two minutes—they go from forgettable to absolutely essential.
  • Prep your vegetables the night before and store them separately so you can assemble in minutes when hunger strikes.
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