Roasted Veggie Buddha Bowl With Golden Tahini Dressing

This meal hits all three of my recipe requirements: healthy, tasty, and filling. It is entirely plant-based (as always) with no added sugar, salt, or fat. This doesn’t limit its flavor, however, as the golden tahini dressing is rich and creamy, with a savory yet zesty flavor that pairs great with the roasted veggies. The heart-healthy fat from the tahini (which is just pureed sesame seeds), combined with the fiber-rich farro, garbanzo beans, and veggies, promotes satiation and makes this a remarkably filling meal. One bowl and you’re full!

Nutrition Highlights:

• Tahini is a great source of heart-healthy fat, protein, calcium, and iron. The vitamin C from the lemon juice boosts our absorption of plant-based iron, making the tahini/lemon combo an anemia-fighting nutrition duo.
• Turmeric is well-known for its anti-cancer properties. It’s even being studied as a potential chemotherapy drug.
• The word “farro” can be used to describe three varieties of wheat, although it usually refers to emmer wheat. It is a good source of fiber, magnesium, zinc, and protein. It has a pleasant, chewy texture that works great when mixed into bowls or salads.
• Garbanzo beans are filled with health-promoting nutrients, such as folate, potassium, iron, zinc, fiber, and plant-based protein. They are a staple food in many healthy, long-living Mediterranean populations, such as those on the island of Ikaria, Greece.
• Broccoli has been shown to boost liver function and contains a variety of nutrients that suppress cancer growth. It is a good source of potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A.
• Delicata squash, also known as peanut squash, is a great low-calorie food that also contains a fair amount of beta carotene, a pigment that may help reduce breast cancer risk.
• Depending on the color, carrots provide a variety of health-promoting pigments. Orange carrots are rich in beta carotene, while purple carrots are rich in anthocyanins (the same pigment that makes blueberries blue) which are good for our eyes and may slow cognitive decline.
• Kale is a true superfood. You can read more about it here.

Roasted Veggie Buddha Bowl With Golden Tahini Dressing

 

Save Print

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

Bowl:

• 1¼ cups dry farro
• 1 - 30oz can of "no added salt" garbanzo beans
• 2 small delicata squash (or one large one), cut in half lengthwise, de-seeded, cut in quarters lengthwise, then cut into ¾-inch slices along it's width. Leave the skin on. Sub sweet potatoes if needed, but the cook time may differ.
• 2 medium-sized heads of chopped broccoli, stalk and stems removed
• 4 medium-sized, multicolored carrots, chopped into dice-sized chunks
• 1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• 1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch thick coins (optional - I only added this because we had extra laying around)

Dressing:

• 1 cup tahini
• Juice from 3-4 lemons
• ¼ cup of water (add more to thin as needed)
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Add the farro and 4 cups of water to a small pot. Cover and heat on high until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and set aside.
3. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, assemble the squash. On another parchment-lined baking sheet, assemble the broccoli, carrots, and optional zucchini. Add both to the preheated oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes (or until tender), flipping or shaking the veggies halfway through. Once cooked, remove from oven and set aside.
4. On a parchment-lined baking sheet (you can use the same one the squash was on), add the chopped kale. Cook for roughly 5 minutes, or until the kale starts to crisp, but not burn. Remove from oven and set aside.
5. Rinse the garbanzo beans, place them in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a paper towel, and microwave for 90 seconds, or until evenly heated. Set aside.
6. In a medium-sized bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients and whisk until smooth.
7. Assemble you bowl by adding a desired amount of cooked farro, garbanzo beans, delicata squash, carrots, broccoli, kale, and optional zucchini. Drizzle with the dressing and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe is best enjoyed on a cool, rainy night while listening to The Movement's "Golden".

3.5.3228