Vegan Buddha Bowl with Forbidden Rice
There’s nothing like a vegan Buddha bowl to make you feel good about eating delicious food. Nutty, slightly chewy forbidden rice takes this meal to a higher plane.
Calories: 406kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup (180 grams) forbidden rice
- 1 ¾ cups (415 ml) water
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 batch sautéed chickpeas
- 1 batch sautéed zucchini and onions
- 1 batch creamy lemon vinaigrette
- 4 big handfuls leafy greens of your choice
- ½ pound (227 grams) snap peas
- 1 ripe Hass avocado sliced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- ½ cup (60 grams) pepitas
Instructions
- Combine rice, water and salt in a medium pot.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until tender but still nice and chewy, about 35 minutes. (Check package instructions for timing, since brands may vary.)
- Let rice sit, covered, for 10 minutes to continue steaming a bit and absorb any excess moisture.
- Meanwhile, prepare chickpeas, zucchini, and dressing, if including.
- To assemble each bowl, place some greens at the bottom.
- Spoon in some rice, chickpeas, and zucchini.
- Layer on some snap peas, bell pepper, and avocado.
- Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with pepitas.
- Serve right away.
Notes
- Forbidden rice is also sometimes called black rice. This gorgeous, deep purple whole grain packs a huge nutritional punch and has a wonderful, satisfyingly nutty taste and gently chewy texture. While it's grown in long-, medium-, and short-grain varieties, most of what you'll find commercially available in the U.S. is medium-grain. That's perfect for this recipe. You can learn more about forbidden rice here.
- You can include chickpeas straight from the can if that's all you've got the time and energy for — no shade.
- I always like to include a leafy green. Here I've pictured some peppery baby arugula, and the alternate version photographed above includes my favorite simple kale salad. You can use whatever you like.
- A variety of raw vegetables provides crunch and lightness. Here I've chosen snow peas, diced red bell pepper, and creamy Hass avocado. They make a nice combination, but you can swap in and out to your heart's content.
- if you're feeling ambitious, you can include my favorite spicy pepitas recipe. They only take a few minutes to make, and they last a long time, so feel free to make them well in advance.
- You can make many of the elements in advance and store them in separate airtight containers in a nice, cold fridge for a week. This applies to the dressing, rice, chickpeas, and zucchini — all of the prepared components. I recommend assembling the bowls right before serving (or having diners assemble their own).
Nutrition
Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 54.9g | Fat: 17g