Rainbow Buddha Bowl With Quinoa (Printable)

Vibrant quinoa bowl with colorful vegetables, chickpeas, and creamy tahini dressing for a wholesome 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 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 & 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 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

# Directions:

01 - In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add quinoa and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or 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: slice red cabbage, carrots, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, and avocado.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup or honey, minced garlic, water, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Add more water as needed to reach desired consistency.
04 - Divide 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.
05 - Drizzle each bowl with tahini dressing. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.
06 - Serve immediately and enjoy.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, which means weeknight dinners suddenly feel like an accomplishment instead of a chore.
  • Every bite delivers different textures and flavors because you're eating an actual spectrum of ingredients rather than reheated monotony.
  • The tahini dressing is so creamy and satisfying that you won't miss heavy cream-based sauces, and it keeps for days in the fridge.
02 -
  • Rinsing your quinoa before cooking removes the natural bitter coating called saponin, and skipping this step will make your entire bowl taste slightly off in a way you can't quite identify until you rinse a batch and taste the difference.
  • The tahini dressing thickens as it sits, so if you make it ahead, keep it in a separate container and whisk in a splash of water right before drizzling, otherwise it'll be too thick to distribute evenly.
  • Don't add avocado until you're about to eat because it oxidizes and turns brown within a few hours, but everything else (except the dressing) can be assembled and refrigerated overnight.
03 -
  • Toast your pumpkin and sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2 minutes before adding them to the bowl, because this releases their oils and makes them taste exponentially more interesting than raw seeds ever could.
  • Make a double batch of tahini dressing and keep it in a glass jar in your fridge, because it becomes your secret weapon for dressing salads, drizzling over roasted vegetables, or thinning out for a dipping sauce all week long.
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