This was Wednesday’s Buddha Bowl. It is a bit more looked after, and takes a bit longer to put together than my other bowls, but believe me the taste will compensate for your time & effort. Plus, there are times when I feel the need to make a weekday feel a bit more special by carving the time out from my schedule to look after myself by treating my body into more nourishing lunch. I had kept the butternut squash sliced in the freezer from when I made the Ottolenghi recipe a couple of weeks ago, so I just had to put in the oven with this super tasty za’atar marinade. Za’atar is middle eastern blend of spices, which makes this squash super delicious. You can buy ready made or prepare you own mix by blending ¼ tsp of sesame seeds, dried oregano, dried thyme, cumin and sumac. The protein of this bowl comes from the chickpeas, served in two delicious ways: sautéed with cumin, onion and pepper and also in hummus. You can skip the hummus if you can be fussed to prepare any, but trust me it’s a great addition to the dish. The grain of my choice was black venus rice but you could replace with brown rice or quinoa too. Recipe Creds: Hippie Lane, Taline Gabriel
Ingredients (for 2 people)
For the sautéed chickpeas:
- ½ tin (200grs) pre cooked chickpeas – you will need the other half of the tin for the hummus
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 2 tbs olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
for the Za’atar roasted butternut squash
- 1 tbs Za’atar spices blend
- 2-3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5 slices of butternut squash
For the hummus:
- ½ tin (200grs) pre cooked chickpeas – you will need the other half of the tin for the hummus
- 2tbs tahini
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1tsp cumin
- 1 garlic clove
- 2tbs extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Mix the za’atar with the olive oil in a cup to prepare the marinade and brush over the squash slices
- Place the marinated squashes on a tray with parchment paper and bake for 25-35 mins
- Boil the rice in almost 3 times its quantity in water (or according to pack instructions)
- Prepare the sauteed chickpeas: sautee the onion and pepper in a pan for 2-3 mins until the onion becomes translucent.
- Prepare the sauce by mixing the tomato paste, cumin, salt & pepper in a cup and thin with 3 tbs of water.
- Add the chickpeas in the pan with the onions and peppers, and cook for 10mins by covering up with the tomato sauce.
- To make the hummus add all the ingredients in a food processor. Thin with a couple of tbs of water if needed to reach to the preferred consistency.
- Assemble the bowl by layerring the rice at the base and then add the chickpeas and butternut squash with a dollop of hummus (you can refrigerate the rest of the hummus in an airtight container in the fridge)