Winter Buddha Bowl

Winter months call for hearty recipes that will fill you up and keep you warm but sometimes you want something that’s healthier. Enter the Winter Buddha Bowl with it’s delicious falafel, leafy greens, and delicious tahini dressing.

Whip this together in under 30 minutes and now you’ve got meals for the week (which fit perfectly in the Ello 3.4 cup food storage containers).

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ready in: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For vegetables:

• 1 pound carrots, sliced

• 1 head cauliflower, broken into bite-size florets

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 2 teaspoons cumin

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For falafel:

• 1 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2 medium shallots, roughly chopped

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, plus more for serving

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and patted dry

• 2 teaspoons cumin

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

For bowl assembly:

• 3 cups baby spinach, baby kale, or a mixture of both

• 1/4 cup crushed roasted, salted pistachios

• 1/4 cup crushed toasted walnuts or pecans

• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

• 1/4 cup tahini

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Method

1. Combine parsley, garlic, shallots and sesame seeds in bowl of food processor and pulse until ingredients are finely chopped. Add chickpeas, cumin, salt and pepper and pulse until chickpeas are finely chopped, and ingredients start to come together. Add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until combined, until mixture easily molds into disks. Transfer mixture to resealable container and freeze for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 4 hours.

1. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. Toss carrots and cauliflower with oil, chili powder and cumin on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until vegetables are tender and starting to caramelize.

2. Remove falafel mixture from freezer or refrigerator and form 1-2 tablespoon-sized disks. Heat oil in large, heavy skillet. Once oil is shimmering, add falafel disks, working in batches, if necessary, so as to not crowd pan. Cook 2-3 minutes, until bottom starts to brown. Carefully flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

3. Whisk together tahini and lemon juice, adding room temperature water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture comes together into pourable dressing. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. To assemble bowls, layer spinach and/or kale in bottom and top with roasted vegetables, and crisped falafel. Drizzle with tahini dressing and garnish with pistachios, walnuts, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.

Bon appetite!