A ginormous meal in a bowl, this Chickpea Broccoli Buddha Bowl is topped with a fat-free Peanut Sauce! The best nutty combo of grain, veggies and chickpeas.
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Make yourself one and you’ll see. All it takes is 20 minutes for this nutty and nourishing bowl that’s also rich in plant-based protein.
For some reason I am now obsessed with chickpeas and want to take advantage of the phase to use up the pound of dry beans that I have in my pantry.
Let me just tell you this was one good combination!
What goes in this Vegan and Vegetarian Buddha Bowl?
I didn’t have too many ingredients at home, so its just the basics:
- Chickpeas
- Grain (Brown or long grain rice in this case)
- Veggies (Broccoli, Baby Carrots, Onions)
- Spices (Cumin, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder)
- Veggie Broth
I actually used Banza rice made from chickpeas here since I’d just been waiting for an opportunity to use it. Their pastas are not to hard to create recipes with, but I wanted to make the best of this rice!
Just realized that it means I didn’t have any grain in this meal and just 2x chickpeas. Oh well. It had the rice-feel though, so I guess its fine.
Buddha Bowl and Peanut Sauce
Now the roasted veggies and chickpeas with the grain would be just so-so, but its that beautiful peanut sauce that made all the difference!
I used powdered peanut butter for this sauce to keep it fat free, and combined it with water, almond milk, soy sauce, ginger and garlic pastes a bit of maple syrup and some crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat.
This slightly spicy Thai peanut sauce is made with no sugar (just stevia-sweetened maple syrup), no coconut milk, no oil and no peanut butter so its actually healthy!
This sauce was so good, I ended up just doubling the portion size of the sauce and having some of it just plain!
How to make this Buddha Bowl?
- Spread the ingredients for the buddha bowl – Chopped broccoli, halved baby carrots and sliced onions – evenly on a baking sheet, drizzle on some olive oil, season with garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for about 12 minutes at 400°F.
- Cook the chickpeas in vegetable broth and spices (cumin, garlic powder and chili powder) over a stove in a non-stick skillet to infuse the flavors in, but still keep them tender.
- Stir together the ingredients for the sauce.
- Combine everything in LARGE bowl and dig in!
Can you make this ahead of time?
Yes, meal prep this chickpea and roasted broccoli buddha bowl for a vegan protein-packed lunch that’s low in fat, and keep it for up to 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Keep the spicy peanut sauce separate from the chickpea and broccoli component though, and add the sauce as a dressing over the buddha bowl when it’s time to serve.
The combination of that sauce with the very slightly roasted veggies was so good, I’m now in love. PB sauce on top of anything is going to be a thing for me now. That’s all I have to say.
More Buddha Bowls?
- Thai Peanut Sweet Potato & Chicken Buddha Bowl
- Roasted Sweet Potato & Broccoli Buddha Bowl with Maple Tahini Dressing
Chickpea-Broccoli Buddha Bowl with Fat-Free Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup Long Grain Rice or Chickpea Rice, Cooked (158g, or ⅓ cup uncooked)
Vegetables:
- 2 cups Broccoli, Chopped, 180g
- ½ cup Baby Carrots, 56g
- ⅓ medium Onion, 35g
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp Pepper
- ¼ tsp Cumin
- ¼ tsp Chili Powder
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
Chickpeas:
- ¼ cup Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
- ½ cup Chickpeas, Canned (130g) or Cooked from dry (37g)
- ⅛ tsp Cumin
- ⅛ tsp Chili Powder
- ⅛ tsp Garlic Powder
Peanut Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter Powder, see notes for sub
- 1½ Tbsp Water
- 1½ Tbsp Almond Milk
- 1 tsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- ½ tsp Maple Syrup, Stevia Sweetened
- ¼ tsp Ginger Paste
- ¼ tsp Garlic Paste
- ⅛ tsp Crushed Red Chili Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- If using uncoooked rice, cook according to instructions in notes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Chop broccoli into small florets, halve carrots lengthwise, and thinly slice onion.
- Transfer vegetables to baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Drizzle on oil, sprinkle with seasonings and stir to coat.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until crisp tender.
- Heat a skillet over medium and pour in broth. Reduce to simmer, add seasonings and chickpeas.
- Stir, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until flavors develop, chickpeas are softened, and liquid is evaporated.
- In a small bowl, stir together ingredients for sauce.
- Transfer cooked rice to a bowl, add roasted veggies and chickpeas, and drizzle on peanut sauce and toss.
Notes
- I used Banza Rice made from Chickpeas for this recipe, but any long grain rice would work well.
- To cook regular rice, bring ⅔ cup water to boil in a pot, add rice and stir to remove clumps. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 17 minutes. Remove from heat, and let rest for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- If using regular creamy peanut butter use:
- 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
- 2 tsp Almond Milk
- 2 tsp Water
- Nutritional value is calculated using products recommended below.
- In the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Store the sauce in a separate container and combine the bowl and sauce when serving.
- Banza Rice made from Chickpeas
- SweetLeaf Stevia Sugar-Free Syrup in Maple
- PbFit Original Powdered Peanut Butter
- Servings: 4 cups | Serving size: 2 cups
- Calories: 285kcal
- Fat: 6.8g | Saturated fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 45.2g | Fiber: 10.9g | Sugar: 8.1g
- Protein: 17.2g
