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Today I am going back to basics and will share with you the Buddha Bowl With Roasted Broccoli and Chickpeas recipe. This is 100% my kind of dish. It is vegan, plant-based, delicious, and is super easy to make. For me, it ticks all the boxes.
Just look at this beautifully roasted broccoli!! Slightly "chared-kissed"... When roasted quickly and at a high temperature, broccoli releases a lot of flavours. And if you think that you are not the biggest broccoli fan, PLEASE give this recipe a go! Even if you only make the roasted broccoli with the dressing.
I wonder if there are still some people out there who haven't tried roasted chickpeas. Crunchy, slightly salty, smoky, absolutely delicious. I could eat them all day long!
You can roast chickpeas with any kind of spices, like ground cumin, or ground coriander, cayenne pepper or even just with a pinch of salt. However, my favorite is smoked paprika. There is something special about this combination of smokiness from the pepper and the nuttiness from the chickpeas. You can use them as a snack or as a topping for a nice light salad. You can also add them to creamy soups, like my cauliflower and potato soup for example, which by the way is your favorite recipe on A Is For Apple Au to date.
Recipe
Buddha bowl with roasted broccoli and chickpeas
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 medium-size heads of broccoli cut into small florets
- 1 can of organic chickpeas drained
- 2 handfuls of baby spinach or any of your favourite greens
- 4 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
- pinch of salt
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- water if required
Instructions
- Start by cooking the quinoa. It is very important to properly wash quinoa before cooking. I use a fine-mesh strainer to wash it under running water. If you don't rinse it well your will end up with quinoa that tastes bitter.
- To cook quinoa you need one part quinoa to two parts of water. After you have rinsed the quinoa, add it to the pan with water and a pinch of salt. Bring it to the boil and once boiling turn the heat down so the water is just simmering. Cook uncovered for about 10-15 minutes. The time will vary depending on the size of your quinoa. Once all water has evaporated, take the saucepan from the heat, cover the pan with the lid, and leave the quinoa for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, open the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Once it has cooled down, it is ready to be added to the buddha bowl.
- While the quinoa is cooking, put the broccoli on a roasting tray and sprinkle 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and some salt over the florets. Give it a good toss and roast for about 15 minutes on 220'C.
- Put the chickpeas on another tray, add 2 tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Mix well to combine. Roast for around 15 minutes on 220'C.
- I found that it works well to put two trays in the oven at the same time. Just make sure to put the broccoli on top of the chickpeas.
- Take the broccoli and chickpeas out of the oven. Give the chickpeas a good stir and put them back in the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes on the grill/bake setting to crispen them up.
Dressing
- Combine all the ingredients in a glass jar or salad dressing mixer if you are lucky enough to have one. The dressing is done.
- Assemble the quinoa, broccoli, chickpeas and spinach on a plate, drizzle a lot of dressing on top and enjoy!
Laura
Absolutely wonderful salad with lots of great flavors and colors! This sounds absolutely perfect right now.
Elena Elliott
Thank you Laura! 🙂