Recipe Thursday: Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl

I needed to switch it up to something lighter this recipe Thursday! In two weeks I am headed to the Hard Rock in Punta Cana with a shit ton of Beachbody coaches to celebrate a year of hard work. Every year coaches are able to earn a free all inclusive trip for themselves and a guest, and I have yet to miss a trip. There was one tiny issue this year though...recipe Thursdays paired with some bad habits creeping back in have caused me to gain a few pounds. Usually, that wouldn't be a huge deal, but I like to feel confident in a bathing suit. No biggie, I just need to stick to my portion containers and go light on recipe Thursday for the next couple weeks. 

Every week you guys vote on my socials to decide which recipe I will make and this Thursday you did NOT fail me! It was a close one, but the Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl from Minimalist Baker came out the winner and I'm happy it did! It was a really light and healthy dish. I almost felt enlightened after eating it ;) 

I had decided to leave off the tahini sauce that the recipe called for and I feel like that was a mistake. I will definitely be giving it another try with the sauce. Overall this was a really tasty dish! I loved how the chickpeas were seasoned and felt like it was the perfect portions. Give this one a try and head over to the Minimalist Baker website for more awesome recipes. 

Prep Time: 5 minutes    Cook Time: 25 minutes     Total Time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients:

Vegetables 

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, coconut oil, or grape seed oil
• 1/2 red onion, sliced in wedges 
• 2 large sweet potatoes, halved 
• 1 bundle broccolini, stems removed and chopped 
• 2 big handfuls of kale, stems removed 
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt & pepper

Chickpeas 

• 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 3/4 tsp. chili powder 
• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder 
• 1/4 tsp. each salt & pepper
• 1 tsp. oregano (optional)
• 1 tsp. turmeric (optional)

Tahini Sauce (optional)

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 lemon, juiced 
• 2-4 Tablespoons of hot water to thin

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F and arrange the sweet potatoes and onions on a bare baking sheet. Drizzle both with a little bit of olive oil making sure that the sweet potatoes are coated on both sides and place them skin side down on the sheet. 
2. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, flip the sweet potatoes and add the broccolini. Drizzle the broccolini with a bit of oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. 
3. Bake for another 8-10 minutes then remove from the oven and add the kale. Add a bit more oil, salt & pepper, and cook for 4-5 more minutes. Set aside. 
4. While the vegetables are roasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add chickpeas to a mixing bowl and toss with the seasonings. 
5. Once hot, add 1Tablespoon of oil as well as the chickpeas and saute, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. If they are browning too quickly turn down the heat. 
6. Once the chickpeas are brown and fragrant, remove from the heat and set aside. 
7. Prepare sauce by adding tahini, maple syrup, and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add hot water until a pourable sauce is formed. Set aside. 
8. To serve: Slice the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Divide vegetables between 3 serving bowls and top with chickpeas and tahini sauce
9. Enjoy!