Want to put a southern spin on your Buddha bowl? A few simple ingredients turns this Asian-inspired dish into a southern BBQ Buddha Bowl. Hearty whole grains provide the base. Roasted BBQ tempeh delivers a tangy punch of protein. Chili-spiced butternut squash is not only tender-sweet, but adds a splash of color. Black eyed peas, an oft-forgotten bean, is delicate and earthy. And collard greens sautéed with garlic and lemon are a tasty way to get a whopping dose of vitamins A, C and K, as well as iron, fiber and calcium.
To make this dish a dinnertime breeze, you can do some or all of these steps in advance; cook the beans (or buy them frozen and thaw), simmer the tempeh in tamari broth and store with the broth in a covered container, peel and cut squash and store in a plastic bag or container, wash and chop the greens, and store dry in a plastic bag. And feel free to substitute ingredients; use tofu instead of tempeh or sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash.
Making Buddha or grain bowls does call for a number of different elements, but none are particularly difficult to prepare. It's more about the timing than anything, so if you can do a little prep work in advance, you can enjoy a BBQ Buddha Bowl, or any other one-dish bowl for dinner, with little stress and lots of taste.
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. To prepare the tempeh, add water and tamari to a small pot. Place tempeh in pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, allowing tamari to infuse flavor into the tempeh. Remove tempeh from pot with a slotted spoon and place in a medium sized bowl, reserving liquid. Pour 1 cup of the BBQ sauce over tempeh and toss to coat. Empty bowl of tempeh onto half of the baking tray, spreading tempeh in a single layer.
To prepare squash, place pieces in a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. Add paprika, chili powder, and salt. Toss to coat, then empty onto the other half of the baking tray, spreading in a single layer. Place tray with tempeh and squash in oven and roast for about 20 minutes. Squash should be fork-tender when done. Tempeh will be dark brown.
While the tempeh and squash are roasting, cook the grains. Rinse grains and add to a pot. Prepare according to package directions (in general, use a ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup of grain, cooking time will vary depending on grain). When grains are tender, remove from heat and keep covered. After about 5 minutes, fluff grains with a fork and keep covered to keep warm.
Heat a pan over medium heat. Drizzle in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add collards to pan and stir. After about several minutes, add garlic. Cook greens for another 8 to 10 minutes or so. Greens should be wilted and bright green. Collards are generally tougher than other greens so the more they cook, the more tender they will be. Remove pan from heat. Sprinkle collards with a little salt and toss with lemon juice.
Add cooked black eyed peas to hot pan and drizzle with a little olive oil and salt. Heat beans and remove from heat.
To assemble bowls, portion grains into bowls. Arrange other ingredients around the perimeter. Serve immediately.
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. To prepare the tempeh, add water and tamari to a small pot. Place tempeh in pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, allowing tamari to infuse flavor into the tempeh. Remove tempeh from pot with a slotted spoon and place in a medium sized bowl, reserving liquid. Pour 1 cup of the BBQ sauce over tempeh and toss to coat. Empty bowl of tempeh onto half of the baking tray, spreading tempeh in a single layer.
To prepare squash, place pieces in a bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. Add paprika, chili powder, and salt. Toss to coat, then empty onto the other half of the baking tray, spreading in a single layer. Place tray with tempeh and squash in oven and roast for about 20 minutes. Squash should be fork-tender when done. Tempeh will be dark brown.
While the tempeh and squash are roasting, cook the grains. Rinse grains and add to a pot. Prepare according to package directions (in general, use a ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup of grain, cooking time will vary depending on grain). When grains are tender, remove from heat and keep covered. After about 5 minutes, fluff grains with a fork and keep covered to keep warm.
Heat a pan over medium heat. Drizzle in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Add collards to pan and stir. After about several minutes, add garlic. Cook greens for another 8 to 10 minutes or so. Greens should be wilted and bright green. Collards are generally tougher than other greens so the more they cook, the more tender they will be. Remove pan from heat. Sprinkle collards with a little salt and toss with lemon juice.
Add cooked black eyed peas to hot pan and drizzle with a little olive oil and salt. Heat beans and remove from heat.
To assemble bowls, portion grains into bowls. Arrange other ingredients around the perimeter. Serve immediately.
