This vegan winter buddha bowl is filled with seasonal goodness - roasted broccoli, sweet potato, lentils, and dates - with a lemony roasted garlic dressing.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 35 minutesminutes
Total Time 45 minutesminutes
Servings 2people
Ingredients
1large sweet potato~2 cups chopped
2teaspoonsoil*
1teaspoonground sumac*
½teaspoonsaltor to taste
½teaspoonpepper
½teaspoonhot pepper flakes
1head of broccoli~2 cups
1small onion1/2 cup
1teaspoonoil
½teaspoonground coriander*
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonpepper
½teaspoonhot pepper flakes
1 ½cupscooked french lentils*
Roasted Garlic Dressing
1full head of garlic*
¼cupolive oil
Juice of two lemons
½teaspoonmaple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat the oven to 400F/200C and prepare two baking sheets with oil or parchment paper.
Cut the top part off a head of garlic, leaving the root base intact. Wrap it in tin foil and pop it in the oven now. Leave it in the whole time you're cooking so it can roast up properly.
If you're cooking the lentils now, start them before you begin preparing the vegetables. They'll take about 30 minutes and won't suffer if they're put aside for a few minutes while everything else finishes. Just bring the lentils to a boil with 3 cups of water, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until tender. I don't salt my cooking water for lentils as it increases cooking time.
Wash (or peel) and chop the sweet potato into pieces about 1cm thick and 3cm in width. Add the chopped sweet potato to a large bowl and toss with the oil, sumac, salt, pepper, and hot pepper. Place on a prepared baking sheet in one layer. Put this in the oven now while you prepare the broccoli. The sweet potatoes will take 35-40 minutes to cook.
Wash the broccoli and cut medium-sized florets. I always peel and chop the stem and eat it, too. Slice the onion thinly. Add both to a large bowl (use the same one you used for the potatoes) and mix with the oil, coriander, salt, pepper, and hot pepper. Place this onto the other baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges of the florets are starting to brown.
To make the dressing, squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin. It might be a little hot, but you can let it sit for a few minutes or use the flat side of a knife. It's pretty fun. Mash the garlic with a fork and combine it with the olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Make sure you give it a good stir before pouring it on your bowl.
Assemble the bowl with half of everything for each person, and top with the dressing, a couple dates each, and a scattering of pistachios. Serve warm.
Notes
1. I used avocado oil. Try to find a good healthy oil that can stand up to high heat (avoid olive). 2. You can substitute cumin for the sumac and coriander if you don't have any or don't want to use them. 3. A head of garlic probably seems like a whole hell of a lot, but roasting it makes it very mellow and sweet. You won't get stinky breath and heartburn from roasted garlic. 4. Try to find puy or beluga lentils for this, as they keep their shape better than other varieties. 5. You could use carrots or winter squash in place of the sweet potato, and other green vegetables like asparagus or brussels sprouts. The cooking time will change slightly depending on what you use.