By Joe Yonan
You've probably seen plenty of "Buddha bowls" on Instagram, especially if you follow healthy-eating accounts: As far as I can tell, the term most frequently refers to a grain bowl topped with vegetables. There's plenty of debate about where the name originated.
I've come across hundreds of grain bowl recipes in plant-based cookbooks over the past few years, some called Buddha bowls and some not.
This so-called Buddha bowl - offering a balance of nutrition, flavour and texture - was designed by a classically trained chef who is also a practising Buddhist, Jean-Philippe Cyr. Grain bowls are the ultimate in flexibility; this one combines sweet potatoes, dried figs, tahini and pumpkin seeds.
Grain Bowls With Sweet Potatoes and Edamame (Serves 4-6)
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about 450g), peeled and cut into 2,5cm dice
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 1/2 cup well-stirred tahini
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups cooked quinoa or other grain of your choice, warmed
- 8 dried figs, sliced
- 1/2 cup roasted unsalted pumpkin seeds, for garnish
- 1/4 cup assorted microgreens or sprouts, for garnish
Method
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180 degrees.
In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake 20 to 30 minutes, until tender.
While the sweet potatoes are baking, cook the edamame: In a small bowl, microwave it on HIGH for 2 to 3 minutes until hot. (Alternatively, you can cook it in salted boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes.)
in a small bowl whisk together the remaining 4 tablespoons oil, the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, soy sauce or tamari, ginger, garlic and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Divide the quinoa among serving bowls and top with the sweet potatoes, figs and edamame. Drizzle with the dressing. (You may need only about half of the dressing; refrigerate the rest in an airtight container for up to 5 days.) Garnish with the pumpkin seeds and microgreens, and serve.