Rainbow Buddha Bowl With Quinoa (Printable Version)

A colorful nourishing bowl with quinoa, crisp vegetables, protein-rich chickpeas, and tangy tahini dressing.

# 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 fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
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 and let rest for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
02 - While quinoa is cooking, slice red cabbage thinly, julienne carrots, halve cherry tomatoes, slice bell pepper and cucumber, and slice avocado.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup or honey, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons water, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Add more water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
04 - Divide cooked quinoa evenly among 4 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 toasted pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes far better than it has any right to, like you're eating at a trendy spot but you made it in your own kitchen.
  • You can prepare it in under 45 minutes total, and most of that is just quinoa doing its thing while you slice vegetables.
  • Leftovers actually stay good, which means meal prep suddenly feels less like a chore and more like a smart move.
02 -
  • Don't add the avocado or dressing until you're actually ready to eat, because avocado oxidizes and dressing makes everything soggy after just an hour or two.
  • Tahini dressing that sits overnight thickens up almost into a paste, but whisking in a little water brings it back to life perfectly.
03 -
  • Cook a big batch of quinoa at the beginning of the week and store it in the fridge—having it ready means assembling a bowl takes five minutes instead of forty.
  • Toast your own pumpkin seeds if you have time, because the smell alone is worth it and they taste exponentially better than raw ones.
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