Vegan Lebanese Buddha Bowl with Tahini Drizzle
This vegan Lebanese Buddha Bowl is vibrant and healthy, choc-a-bloc full of nutrients and flavour, and finished off with a lovely drizzle of tahini.
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This vibrant Buddha bowl is healthy and fresh, combining lots of different vegetables with a filling chickpea-based falafel and topped with a nutty tahini dressing. This dish is full of nutrients so it’s perfect for a hearty but healthy vegan recipe.
What is tahini?
Tahini is a condiment made from grinding toasted sesame seeds into a paste.
It is often a main ingredient in hummus and dressings, like the Buddha bowl dressing in the recipe below.
It has a nutty, savoury taste and is what is used to give hummus that creamy texture.
What is a Buddha bowl?
A Buddha bowl is a simple fresh meal that typically consists of a grain, lots of vegetables and a plant protein.
In the recipe below we use a sweet beetroot couscous with vegetables including kale, avocado and shredded carrot, and falafel as the protein component.
This Lebanese Buddha bowl is the perfect balanced meal, giving you all the essential food groups; healthy vegetables, protein and carbohydrates.
What is falafel?
Falafel is traditionally a Middle Eastern dish often made from chickpeas, or sometimes fava beans or broad beans.
It’s a ball-shaped fritter that is baked or fried and has a rich, herby flavour courtesy of all the spices that are used to make falafel.
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Calories: 260
Servings: 4
Rating:
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Calories: 260
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- For the falafel
- 0.25 0.25 tin chickpeas
- 0.25 0.25 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 0.25 0.25 tbsp tahini
- 0.25 0.25 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 0.25 0.25 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 0.25 0.25 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 1 tbsp wholemeal gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 0.25 0.25 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp aquafaba
- sesame seeds
- black pepper, to taste
- For the beetroot couscous
- 25 25 g giant wholewheat couscous
- 0.5 0.5 small cooked beetroot, cubed
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 60 60 ml water
- 0.25 0.25 tsp bouillon powder
- black pepper, to taste
- For the tahini dressing
- 1 1 tbsp tahini
- 0.25 0.25 lemon, juice only
- 0.25 0.25 clove garlic, peeled and grated
- a little water, if necessary
- black pepper, to taste
- To assemble the bowls
- 2 2 handfuls of your favourite salad greens, we used baby kale
- shredded carrot
- sliced avocado
- fresh coriander and parsley
- sesame seeds
- sliced red onion
Method
- For the couscous, place the giant grains, water, beetroot and bouillon into a pan and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 8 minutes, before taking off the heat and leaving to steam for 10 minutes. Then, season with lemon and black pepper and set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Place all the ingredients for the falafel, except the sesame seeds, into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and combined, but not puréed.
- Take golf ball-sized pieces of the falafel mixture and shape them into balls or patties, with wet hands.
- Arrange the falafel on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle them with the sesame seeds. Transfer to the oven to bake for 30 minutes.
- Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing, adding water to thin it out, as necessary. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Assemble the bowls with plenty of greens, carrots and avocado. Spoon over some of the couscous and add a few pieces of falafel.
- Finish with a drizzle of the dressing, some red onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Each 364g serving provides:
6.9g Fat, 0.8g Saturates, 8.7g Sugars, 1.4g Salt.
Hungry for more? Try making this easy vegan Bibimbap bowl recipe!
