Roasted Veggie Buddha Bowl On Cauliflower Rice (vegan)

A tasty, plant-based Buddha Bowl on cauliflower rice! This easy Buddha Bowl recipe makes a tasty, nourishing, weeknight dinner. Moreover, it's made with sea salt roasted vegetables and topped with avocado and crunchy chickpeas this easy dinner recipe will soon become a staple! 

 

Within the last year, the terms “Buddha Bowl” and “cauliflower rice” have exploded in the health world. And as a Certified Nutrition Coach, it'swWith good reason!

Indeed, these tasty, healthy meals are easy to whip up and give you a burst of nutrients our bodies so desperately need (kind of like super yummy green smoothies!)

However, if you would have told me seven years ago that I’d be craving bowls of roasted veggies over top of more vegetables, I’d have laughed in your face. Really!

But it turns out, eating healthy, falling in love with quality foods, and taking in a ton of nutrients actually DOES make you feel better. Furthermore, it's what I crave now. 

 

What Is A Buddha Bowl?

Buddha bowl is a fancy way of saying "plant-based bowl of random items". Truly! Typically Buddha bowl recipes are vegan recipes. Likewise, what they have in common is that they're loaded with vegetables.

Even though there are a ton of recipes out there, creating your own Buddha bowl is really simple! In fact, all you need is:

• a base
• 2-4 vegetables
• something crunchy
• plant-based protein
• a dressing or sauce

 

Using Cauliflower Rice

This Buddha bowl recipe uses a base of cauliflower rice. Not only does this give an extra serving of vegetables but it also keeps the bowl light, gluten-free and tasty.

Similarly, if you're smart about your meal prep (learn how to make meal prep EASY) you'll already have the cauliflower rice and roasted chickpeas in the fridge. I personally keep a base (rice, cauliflower rice, etc) cooked and ready in the fridge for just this occasion!

considering this, if that's done, this roasted vegetable Buddha bowl comes together in about 20 minutes. Making it a crazy tasty, simple, weeknight dinner. Even if you do need to cook the chickeas or rice, this dish still only takes 40 minutes!

Busy Mom Hack: roast double the veggies and throw them into a pasta dish with chickpea noodles (and choice of protein) for a speedy 15-minute dinner idea!

 

This particular Buddha bowl on cauliflower rice gets its protein from plant-based sources. Further, there's not a lot in the dish. However, it depends on what you add on.

If you want more of a protein punch, add on any of the following:

• fried tofu
• maple glazed tempeh
• hemp hearts
• any other vegan protein source you enjoy!

I'm not personally vegan so know that this Buddha bowl also tastes delicious with animal-based protein. In this case, I just use whatever I have in the fridge.

 

Buddha Bowl Dressing

This Buddha bowl on cauliflower rice doesn't contain an actual dressing or sauce. Normally, I top mine with kimchi, and between that and the avocado, I find it plenty.

However, if you enjoy sauces and dressings you can top it with something like skhug, a Middle Eastern spicy sauce made from garlic and spices. Pesto without pine nuts is always delicious as well. Or you can find a few of my staples in my blog post How To Build A Buddha Bowl!

Further, if I'm in a rush, my staple is simple oil, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup.

 

Ingredients 

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

• 16 mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 large can chickpeas, rinsed (or three cups cooked)
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 avocados
• Cauliflower rice

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Mixing bowls
• Silicone spatula
• Baking sheets
• Avocado peeler

Note: With this recipe you’ll have leftover chickpeas… but they’re delicious so just throw them in the fridge and munch on them!

 

How To Make The Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the cherry tomatoes in the olive oil, sea salt, and garlic powder in one bowl.

 

In another toss the mushrooms and in another toss the chickpeas with their oils.

 

Line a baking tray with tin foil and spread out the tomatoes, mushrooms and chickpeas trying to keep the veggies separate (do not mix in with chickpeas!)

 

Place the tray in the oven and cook for fifteen minutes. By then, the mushrooms should be secreting juice and the tomatoes starting to burst.

 

Remove the mushrooms and the tomatoes from the tray and place them in a warming oven. Stir the chickpeas.

Place the tray back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and let sit

Note: if you like your chickpeas really crispy, cook for another 5-6 minutes! This leaves them cooked but not hard

While the vegetables in the oven are cooking, Make The Cauliflower Rice

Assemble the Bowls

Place cauliflower rice into three bowls (you’ll have some leftover!). divide up the mushrooms and tomatoes into the bowls and top with chickpeas and avocados.

Enjoy!

Makes three servings but you will have extra rice and chickpeas for leftovers.

Don’t forget to pin this simple Buddha Bowl on Cauliflower Rice

 

Healthy meals don’t need to be complicated, often the basics are the best. Thus, this Buddha bowl is simple, vegan, and gluten-free. Likewise, makes a delicious weeknight dinner. It’s easy to make and is so full of vegetables it’s a no-brainer that it’ll give your system a healthy boost!