This vegetarian Buddha bowl is a delicious marriage of color, flavor, texture and nutrition plus it will give your immune system a boost!
Thank you to Kikkoman for sponsoring this post! As always, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.
Whether you call them grain bowls, power bowls or Buddha bowls, there’s no doubt that one-bowl meals are a hot trend! And for good reason- they are a fun and simple way to eat healthy. In one bowl, you can combine whole grains, vegetables, lean protein and tasty sauces to create nutritious, well-balanced meals.
Buddha bowls are perfect for quick weeknight dinners or even when you’re having friends over for game night. Whether playing cards, board games or charades, try creating a twist on the traditional game night by having a bowl night. You can prep all the ingredients ahead of time and allow everyone to assemble their own bowls- that way they can incorporate their own favorite ingredients. It’s so much fun!
In honor of National Nutrition Month, this March, I created this delicious Immunity-Boosting Teriyaki Buddha Bowl. A combination of whole grain sorghum, savory tempeh, tangy kimchi, and colorful vegetables like sweet potatoes, kale, and avocado, this bowl is a delicious marriage of color, flavor, texture and nutrition! The star of this bowl? Kikkoman® Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce. Made with a blend of soy sauce, wine and spices, it has a depth of flavor that makes it an ideal marinade or brush-on sauce right from the bottle. I use Kikkoman® Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce as a base to my homemade, Asian-inspired peanut sauce that I use three different ways in my Buddha bowl: I use it to marinate the tempeh, I brush it on the roasted sweet potatoes and I drizzle it on top of the final dish.
#AD This Immunity-Boosting Teriyaki Buddha Bowl made with @KikkomanKitchen Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce is the perfect way to elevate game night and pack in some vitamins! #bowlingnightClick To Tweet
Since it’s been a particularly rough cold and flu season, I decided to make a Buddha bowl full of nutrient-dense foods that will give your immune system a good boost! Did you know that about 80% of your immune system is located in your digestive tract? For this reason, I packed this bowl with gut-friendly foods like sorghum, tempeh and kimchi. Sorghum is a whole grain that’s gluten-free and provides a variety of vitamins and minerals including B vitamins, iron and phosphorus. It also provides a significant amount of protein and fiber, which feeds the good bacteria in your gut
Tempeh and kimchi are both fermented foods, which are gaining popularity as their health benefits gain greater recognition. Tempeh, which is made from fermented soybeans, is an excellent source of high quality protein, vitamins and minerals. Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made with fermented cabbage and spices. Fermented foods help create a favorable environment in your gut that help healthy bacteria to thrive, thus boosting your immune system. Tempeh absorbs marinades really well, so I marinated my tempeh overnight in a delicious peanut sauce that I made with the Kikkoman® Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce. It infused the tempeh with a delicious rich, savory flavor that’s hard to resist- yum!
To balance out the savory tempeh, I added some roasted sweet potatoes to my bowl. Sweet potatoes are packed with beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that gets converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A plays a central role in immune function and in the maintenance of epithelial surfaces, part of our body’s first line of defense against infection.
Kale, another nutritional powerhouse, contains an impressive array of vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting antioxidants. It is especially rich in vitamin A and vitamin C, which is one of the biggest immune system boosters of all. One cup of kale provides even more vitamin C than a medium sized orange!
I like to top my bowl off with slices of avocado and sesame seeds. Avocados are chock full of nutrients, including the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E. They also provide satiating healthy fats and fiber. Sesame seeds provide more immune-boosting micronutrients including copper, zinc and manganese.
Finally, keep in mind that there’s no “right” way to make a Buddha bowl. That’s actually one of the things that I love about them- you can create your own unique bowls, filling them with your favorite ingredients depending on what you have on hand. Don’t have sorghum? No worries- try using quinoa, brown rice, farro or millet instead. Not a fan of kale? Try spinach or collard greens instead. Just use this recipe as a starting point and have fun experimenting with ingredients you love!
To learn more about Kikkoman’s products, check out www.KikkomanUSA.com What are your favorite one bowl meals? Leave a comment below and share your own #bowlingnight pics on social media!
Recipe
Immunity-Boosting Teriyaki Buddha Bowl
Ingredients
Bowl:
- 1 cup sorghum or other whole grain like quinoa, millet or farro
- 8 ounces tempeh
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil divided use
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups shredded Tuscan kale
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 avocado peeled and sliced
- ½ cup kimchi
- Optional garnish: sesame seeds
Sauce:
- ⅓ cup Kikkoman® Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Kikkoman® Sesame Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- To cook the sorghum, place the sorghum and 3 cups water or vegetable broth together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until done, about 1 hour. Drain water and set aside.
- To make the sauce, whisk the Kikkoman® Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce, peanut butter, honey and Kikkoman®Sesame Oil together in a bowl.
- Steam the tempeh in a steamer for 15-20 minutes to remove any bitterness. Alternatively, heat about ½ inch of water in a medium saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Place the tempeh in the saucepan, cover and steam 15-20 minutes. Remove and cool. Cut the tempeh into small pieces (I like to cut it into triangles) and place the pieces in a shallow dish. Pour about ½ cup of the sauce on top and toss to coat. Marinate the tempeh at least a few hours or preferably overnight.
- Transfer the tempeh to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Toss the sweet potatoes and 1 teaspoon olive oil on a second sheet. Season the potatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place both pans in the oven and bake until done, about 25 minutes for the tempeh and 35-40 minutes for the sweet potatoes. Brush the sweet potatoes with a little sauce 10 minutes before done.
- Toss the kale with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil and the lemon juice in a bowl. Massage the oil and juice into the leaves to tenderize them. Season them with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- To assemble the bowls, divide the sorghum among four bowls. Top each bowl with equal portions of tempeh, sweet potatoes, kale, avocado and kimchi. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve any extra sauce on the side to drizzle on top.
Gregory Burzynski says
Hi Sonali, I found all your recipes are very tempting and delicious. I thought being vegetarian is totally boring, you created something that stand out. I started now to shift into plant based food. Good to invest something healthy and nutritious meal. Keep sharing your masterpiece meal.