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Mediterranean Vegan Buddha Bowl
Print Recipe
5 from 9 votes

Mediterranean Vegan Buddha Bowl with Falafels and hummus dressing (Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

Mediterranean Buddha bowl is a bowl packed with a combination of whole grains, pulses, loads of vegetables (and fruits), topped off with a delicious creamy sauce/dressing. Each bite will be an explosion of flavors and texture in your mouth. It’s all vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free packed lunch/dinner bowls for your guys!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 2 people
Calories:

Ingredients

Falafel

  • 1 cup chickpeas or 15 oz can chickpeas
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil adjust as required

Smoked red pepper hummus sauce

  • ½ cup chickpeas
  • 2 cloves garlic cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
  • Salt to taste
  • Juice of 1lemon
  • 2 tablespoon tahini
  • 1 red bell peppers
  • 5-6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Whole grains

  • 1 cup quinoa corn bulgur mix or plain red quinoa or couscous
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper powder

The rest of the bowl

  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes
  • 2 ripe avocadoes
  • 1 cup tightly packed baby spinach or Romania lettuce leaf
  • 10 -12 olives

Instructions

For the falafel –

  • Cook soaked chickpeas until just done. No over cooking.
    To the food processor add cooked chickpeas (that is drained well), garlic cloves, lemon juice, salt, cumin powder, smoked paprika, red chili flakes and process until a sort of meal is formed. DO not over process it. You want to see small chunks of chickpeas in the falafel mix.
    Scoop out the falafel , form little patties with your hands. Place it on to baking tray lined with parchment paper.
    Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes.
    When done, remove from oven and let cool completely. Falafel will be very fragile when out of oven.
    For crispier falafel, saute baked falafel in a pan with little olive oil over medium heat until falafel browns on all sides. This step is optional!

For smoky red pepper hummus sauce -

  • Roast red bell peppers on a grill on stove fire until it gets nice charred all sides. Remove from fire, and carefully peel off the skin. Remove the seeds and chop the flesh of red bell peppers into small pieces.
    To cooked chickpeas add garlic cloves, pepper powder, cumin powder, salt lemon juice, tahini, smoked roasted red bell peppers and slowly pour in olive oil as you process until you get smooth and creamy hummus.
    You can keep the dressing as thick or think you like. To think it down add little water or olive oil so it’s right pouring consistency.

Whole grains –

  • Cook quinoa corn bulgur as per packet instructions about 12 minutes. You can flavor the quinoa mix with little salt pepper powder and lime juice.
    In place of quinoa + corn bulgur mix you can used just quinoa or couscous. Which ever is your favorite. 

Putting it all together –

  • Into 2 bowls(deep rimmed bowls) divide baby spinach at the base of the bowls. Portion out half of quinoa+corn bulgur mix. Add as much falafel as you like and other ingredients arranged side by side. Mix everything together, getting the dressing on everything, and enjoy!

Notes

To make crispier falafel -
after baking the falafels, I put them in a pan with little olive oil and cooked until it turned crispier on both steps. You can skip this step if you don't mind crispier falafels.

Nutrition

Serving: 0g | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 0mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg