Rainbow Buddha Bowl With Quinoa (Printable)

A 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, 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 lemon juice
16 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup
17 - 2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
18 - 1 clove garlic, minced
19 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# How To Make It:

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 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.
03 - Whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons water, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Add additional water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
04 - Divide cooked quinoa evenly among 4 serving bowls. Arrange chickpeas, red cabbage, carrots, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, spinach, and avocado in colorful sections on top of quinoa.
05 - Drizzle each bowl with tahini dressing. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd think, leaving you time to actually sit down and enjoy what you've made.
  • Every bite tastes different because the colors aren't just pretty, they're packed with different nutrients and flavors that make your palate stay interested.
  • The tahini dressing hits that creamy-savory-bright note that makes even the simplest vegetables taste like something special.
  • Leftovers (minus the avocado) actually stay delicious for a couple days, which means less cooking tomorrow.
02 -
  • Don't assemble everything and then dress it if you're making multiple bowls, dress them one at a time right before serving or the vegetables start to weep and everything gets soggy and sad.
  • If you're meal prepping these, leave out the avocado and dressing and store them separately, the components keep for two days and taste so much better when you dress them fresh.
03 -
  • Toast your seeds in a dry pan for two minutes right before serving, it's a small step that brings out flavors you didn't even know were there.
  • Make extra tahini dressing and keep it in a jar in the fridge, it lasts a week and makes any grain or salad taste instantly more interesting.
Go Back