Crunchy turmeric chickpea Buddha bowl

I love a good Buddha bowl and you’ll probably see many of my recipes will feature these yummy dishes. A Buddha bowl is a collection of complimentary ingredients all layered together to provide a satisfying healthy meal.

This is a bit of a cooler weather meal and with cauliflower it could be considered a more autumn or winter dish.

To make the this dish extra nutritious, I’ve added a sprinkling of healing spices. The ginger coating the carrot sticks has anti-inflammatory properties that aid digestion, it’s great at relieving nausea (especially morning sickness) and can even reduce muscle pain and soreness, making this bowl a great post-gym power-up.

The turmeric, which flavours the chickpeas is another ingredient with fantastic super powers. As well as being anti-inflammatory, it also increases your body’s antioxidant capacity to stave off disease, boosts brainpower, which lowers your risk of Alzheimer’s, and can even create Prozac-like effects to combat depression.

I’ve saved the best beneficial ingredient until last – chia seeds! These tiny seeds deliver a huge amount of nutrients in very few calories, are absolutely bursting with antioxidants and contain loads of fibre to improve digestion and keep you full throughout the day.

Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup cauliflower florets

• 1/3 cup broccoli florets

• 1 medium carrot, peeled

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVO)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/4 cup chickpeas, cooked, rinsed and drained

• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed

• 1/2 cup vegetable stock

• 2 tablespoons tahini mixed with 1 tablespoon of water

• 1/2 teaspoon chia seeds

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/395°F and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Chop the cauliflower and broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces and chop the carrot into small sticks.

3. Place the cauliflower and broccoli into a medium-sized bowl and toss with 1/2 the EVO. Lie the veggies in a single layer on the lined baking tray.

4. Add the carrots into the bowl. Sprinkle over the ginger and 1/2 of the remaining EVO. Toss to combine and lie the carrots out into a single layer on the lined baking tray. Rinse out the bowl.

5. Put the chickpeas into the bowl with the turmeric and what’s left of the EVO. Toss to combine then lie the chickpeas in a single layer onto the lined baking tray. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are just beginning to char and the chickpeas are crunchy.

6. While the vegetables are cooking, place the quinoa and stock into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce to a low simmer. Pop a lid on the saucepan and leave to cook for 15 minutes, until all the stock has been absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.

7. To assemble the Buddha bowl, add the quinoa first then go around in a clock-wise direction adding the carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and chickpeas.

8. Just before eating, mix the tahini, chia seeds and lemon juice together and drizzle over the bowl.

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