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5 from 6 votes

Ancient Grains Buddha Bowl Recipe

This buddha bowl starts with a base of ancient grains and gets topped with tofu, sweet potatoes, miso sauce and cilantro pesto for a healthy vegetarian meal!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Keyword: ancient grains, vegetarian bowls
Servings: 2 bowls

Ingredients

For the bowl: 

  • 6 ounces extra-firm tofu
  • 4 ounces baby bella mushrooms stems removed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 ½ cups peeled and cubed sweet potato
  • ¼ of an onion cut into vertical slices
  • ½ cup pearled farro
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
  • half an avocado sliced

For the cilantro pesto: 

  • 1 cup cilantro leaves stems removed
  • ¼ cup toasted pepitas
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • ¼ cup olive oil

For the miso sauce: 

  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 ½ tablespoons white miso
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil

For the Turmeric-Tahini sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ½ teaspoon maple syrup

Instructions

  • Heat the oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
  • Drain the tofu. Place the tofu on a plate and cover with a paper towel.  Gently press down to help drain the excess water from the tofu. Let sit and repeat after 10 minutes.
  • Roast the mushrooms. Toss the mushrooms with 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, garlic salt and balsamic. Place them stem side down on one half of a baking sheet.
  • Roast the sweet potatoes and onions. Toss the sweet potatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place on the other half of baking sheet. Add the onions to the baking sheet with the sweet potatoes. Bake for 25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.
  • Cook the farro. While the mushrooms & sweet potatoes are baking add the farro and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.  Keep warm.
  • Bake the tofu. Once the veggies are done baking, remove from oven and keep warm.  Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Slice the tofu into 1" thick slices and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes to drain any remaining water.
  • Make the pesto. While the tofu is cooking add the cilantro leaves, pepitas and garlic to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a standard blade. Pulse 4 times.  Add the lime juice and parmesan and pulse again.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the motor running slowly pour in the olive oil and continue to process until fully combined.
  • Make the miso sauce. To make the miso sauce combine vinegar, honey, lime juice and miso in a small bowl and whisk together. Whisk in the sesame oil until a smooth sauce forms.
  • Make the tahini sauce. To make the tahini sauce combine all of the ingredients in small bowl and mix together until a smooth sauce forms.
  • Sear the tofu. After the tofu has finished baking remove it from the oven and cut into 1" cubes. Heat the remaining oil in a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  Add the tofu and cook for 4-5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove the tofu from the pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
  • Assemble the bowls. Divide the farro between two bowls. Top with tofu, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, onions and avocado. Add half the cilantro pesto to each bowl. Drizzle each both with the desired amount of miso sauce and tahini sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. If you are saving part of this for leftovers leave the miso and tahini sauces off until just before serving.
  2. If you have them on hand, you can replace the roasted onions with caramelized onions.