Rainbow Buddha Bowl With Quinoa (Printable)

Vibrant grain bowl packed with colorful vegetables, protein, and healthy fats for a nourishing meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Grains

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

→ Protein

04 - 1 cup cooked chickpeas or canned chickpeas, drained

→ 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

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rinsed quinoa and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat, let rest for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
02 - While quinoa cooks, prepare all vegetables. Thinly slice red cabbage, julienne carrots, halve cherry tomatoes, slice bell pepper and cucumber, and slice avocado just before assembly.
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 with tahini dressing. Sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds over each serving.
06 - Serve immediately while vegetables are fresh and crisp.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in 40 minutes flat, with most of that time spent just watching quinoa do its thing.
  • Every vegetable you add makes the bowl more beautiful, so you actually want to eat something this good for you.
  • The tahini dressing is so creamy and rich that you won't miss anything unhealthy.
02 -
  • Rinsing your quinoa is not optional—it removes a bitter coating and makes the difference between a bowl you love and one that tastes slightly off.
  • Don't add avocado until you're ready to eat, or arrange it on top at the very end—it oxidizes faster than you'd think and nobody wants brown avocado.
03 -
  • Toast your pumpkin and sesame seeds in a dry skillet for two minutes before sprinkling—the difference in flavor is worth those two minutes, and your bowl goes from good to memorable.
  • Make extra tahini dressing and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator; it becomes thinner as it sits, so you can use it all week for salads, roasted vegetables, or even as a sandwich spread.
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