Curried Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl

Curry-spiced roasted sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, and onion, accompanied by roasted kale and sorghum with a creamy cilantro-lime dressing!

Have you ever had a Buddha bowl?

I love them. But I enjoyed them long before I knew what to call them. Generally, a Buddha bowl is a healthy and flavorful one-bowl dish filled with whole grains, plant proteins, vegetables, and a sauce or dressing. To ensure I’m disseminating incorrect information, I turned to Google, which never disappoints.

In a Bon Appetit article, Alexandra Lein @veggininthecity said that she prefers incorporating a portion of grain or starch, a smattering of plant protein, and an assortment of vegetables, both raw and cooked. So far so good. I immediately liked her next criteria. She explained that a Buddha bowl should look pretty and vary in color. (Bon Appetit) Yes!!

Eat the Rainbow. One of my favorite things about eating plant-based is that I get to eat a variety of colors every single day. When I make something that pops with color, my heart is happy and I can’t help but smile. I simply love eating the rainbow – eating a balanced and colorful diet provides healthful nutrients that fuel our bodies. And they taste great.

In this Curried Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl, our whole grain of choice is the naturally gluten-free sorghum. I first learned about sorghum when my daughter did a school paper on the state of Oklahoma, which produces 300,000 acres of sorghum each year. Soon after that, my daughter’s doctor recommended a gluten-free casein free diet for her to see if it improved her symptoms. I had never heard of such things previously – sorghum, gluten, or casein. It’s amazing how much information we gather when faced with a health diagnosis.

Sorghum is a small, round, ancient cereal grain, that is believed to have originated from Northeastern Africa. I was surprised to learn that sorghum is the fifth most produced cereal crop in the world. And the United States harvests the most, reporting 480 million bushels in 2016.  It’s also considered an environmentally-friendly crop due to its conversion of solar energy, water usage, and drought tolerance. (United Sorghum Checkoff Program)

Just one half cup of sorghum contains 10 grams of plant protein, 6 grams of dietary fiber, and 3 grams of healthy fat. Fiber provides satiety, stabilizes blood sugar levels, and aids in digestion. (Healthline)

Sorghum also contains a wide variety of nutrients – vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – including Vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, and zinc. According to Healthline, B vitamins improve metabolism and neural development. Magnesium improves bone and heart health, as well as over 600 biochemical reactions within our bodies. Antioxidants reduces oxidative stress and inflammation. (Healthline)

If you aren’t able to find sorghum locally, you can purchase it online. I have previously purchased great quality sorghum on Amazon. Recently though, I’ve started purchasing sprouted organic sorghum from Nuts.com. Sprouted seeds are germinated so that the seeds reach their full nutrient potential, resulting in increased fiber, protein, and nutrients. They’re also easier to digest and reduce inflammation.

The starch in this Curried Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl is the roasted sweet potato. First, it’s a great fall color; but it also tastes great. Even more importantly, sweet potatoes are super nutritious. Just one cup of baked sweet potato contains 4 grams of plant protein, 6.6 grams of fiber, and virtually zero fat.

Sweet potatoes contain a lot of nutrients and antioxidants. But the most impressive is Vitamin A – just one cup contains 769% of the recommend daily value! Our bodies convert Vitamin A into beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes also contain Vitamin C, manganese, Vitamin B6, potassium, pantothenic acid, copper, and niacin. (Heathline)

The third source of plant protein in this Curried Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl comes from garbanzo beans. Also known as chickpeas, these little beans are very versatile nutrient-dense power houses. I love using garbanzo beans in many of my dishes, including Chana Masala, Chickpea Korma, Falafel Rainbow Bowl, Chickpea Apple Walnut Salad, and hummus.

I soak my garbanzo beans in fresh water overnight, rinse them well, and cook them in an Instant Pot for 8 minutes, with a natural pressure release. There are a few reasons why I soak my own beans. First, you can control the amount of salt used. I do not use any salt when I soak and cook beans. It’s just not necessary. The second reason is because soaked beans are much easier for our bodies to digest. And third, it is typically much cheaper to buy dry beans than canned. If you don’t have time or access to dried garbanzo beans, you can use two cans of garbanzo beans.

One ounce of garbanzo beans contains 3 grams of plant protein, 2 grams of fiber, and a negligible amount of fat. They’re actually an incredible source of plant protein because garbanzo beans contain all of the essential amino acids, except for methionine. By combining them with a grain like sorghum, you get all the nutrition your body needs to sustain health and vitality. This impressive legume also contains folate, iron, phosphorous, copper, and manganese. (Healthline)

The veggies in this Curried Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl are kale and onions. Feel free to use white, yellow, or purple onions. All are delicious roasted and are excellent. Onions contain antioxidants which increase cardiovascular health and immunity and possess anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

Kale is a great colorful accompaniment and acts as the foundation for this Buddha bowl. And if you attempt to incorporate G-BOMBS (Dr. Joel Fuhrman) in your daily diet, you’re going to get four of six with this bowl. G-BOMBS stands for Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds. So, the only two you won’t find in this Curried Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl are the berries and mushrooms. Honestly, I think that’s pretty good. It’s all about eating nutrient-dense foods. According to Dr. Fuhrman, leafy greens (like kale) are nutrient-dense foods that protect blood vessels, lower risk of diabetes, great for weight loss, and contain important phytochemcials, antioxidants, and nutrients like folate.

And finally, this Curried Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl boasts an incredibly flavorful and colorful Cilantro-Lime Dressing. It’s comprised of equal parts of hemp hearts, plant milk, and fresh cilantro, with a touch of lime juice, maple syrup, garlic, and red pepper flakes. I posted it here, but have also included the recipe below for you.

To serve, I recommend adding a few marinated banana pepper rings, red pepper flakes, and a touch of chopped cilantro. The end result is a scrumptious balance of nutrition, color, and flavor – perfect for a Buddha bowl!!

I hope you enjoy this Curried Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl as much as I do.  I’m just starting out and would love to see your results. Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!   Enjoy!!   

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Curried Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp garam masala or curry powder
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp garlic
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp miso
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 3 sweet potatoes, cubed (2 pounds, 6 cups)
• 3 cups cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed (2 cans)
• 1 purple onion, sliced
• 1 cup sorghum or other grain*
• 1 ½ cups vegetable broth or water
• 8 cups kale, stemmed and coursely chopped
• Cilantro-Lime Dressing (below)
• ½ cup banana peppers (optional)

Cilantro-lime Dressing Ingredients

• ½ cup plant milk
• ½ cup hemp hearts
• ½ cup fresh cilantro
• 2 limes, juiced (2-3 Tbsp lime juice)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic or ½ tsp garlic powder 
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or cayenne)
• salt to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Combine the maple syrup, garlic, garam masala, onion powder, and miso in a large bowl. Toss in the sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, and onions until evenly coated.

1. Roast the sweet potato-bean-onion mixture on a lined baking sheet for 25-30 minutes, until tender.  Set aside.

1. Meanwhile, add the sorghum (or other grain) and water (or vegetable broth) to an Instant Pot on high pressure for 22 minutes, allow the pressure to release naturally.  Drain the excess water. Set aside.

1. Meanwhile, prepare the Cilantro-lime dressing.   Combine and blend all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth, about 1 minute.

1. To serve, add the kale to a salad bowl along with a portion of sorghum, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, and onion. 
2. Drizzle cilantro-lime dressing over top along with optional banana peppers, red pepper flakes, and chopped cilantro.

Notes

* Sorghum is awesome in this bowl, which is naturally gluten-free.  You can also use farro, rice, quinoa, millet, or bulgur.