Roasted Yam Buddha Bowls with Coconut Cashew Sauce

Oh my, oh my, oh my. If you have not yet jumped aboard the Buddha Bowl Bandwagon, well there is no time like the present! This here is an easy weeknight meal with some kinda fantastical Thai-style coconut cashew sauce that’ll knock your socks (or in my case, slippers) right off!

This bowl is composed of roasted yams, baby spinach, purple cabbage, quinoa, shredded carrot, and toasted cashews, but you can make this bowl of goodness your own by adding in whatever your heart desires (or your fridge seems to be done with!). Or, better yet, just make up a batch of this sauce and eat it on everything, every day, all day! Yessss! 🤣

I absolutely LOVE a versatile weeknight recipe like this one on the weekly rotation. While my family loves roasted yams, yours may not, so feel free to go right ahead and make this bowl suit the needs of your crew. Some Yam Substitution Ideas: Roasted Squash, Roasted Cauliflower, Shredded Chicken, or Baked Tofu.

Roasted Yam Buddha Bowls with Coconut Cashew Sauce

Total Time: 30 - 40 minutes
Serves 4

Roasted Yams - 1 very large
Cooked Quinoa or Brown Rice (soaked 4hrs and rinsed)
Shredded Carrots
Thinly sliced Purple Cabbage
Chopped Baby Spinach or Steamed Swiss Chard/Kale
Thinly sliced Red Pepper
Toasted Cashews Pieces (I just use a dry fry pan for this)
Fresh Lime
Fresh Cilantro
Optional: Hot Sauce
Any other Veggie Add Ins Such as: steamed broccoli, roasted cauliflower, steamed green beans, pea sprouts

Coconut Cashew Sauce:
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup cashew butter
1 Tbsp red Thai curry paste
2 Tbsp tamari
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of salt

• To roast your yams: Chop yam into half or quarter moon slices about 1/4 inch thick. Lay them in a large glass baking dish or on a parchment lined cookie sheet and drizzle with a little melted coconut oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 375-400F for about 20 mins.

• For the sauce: Add all ingredients to your blender and combine until smooth. Adjust seasonings as desired.

• Prepare all your Buddha bowl ingredients and layer them into your serving bowls.

• Serve bowls warm and drizzled with cashew sauce.

Sesame Soba Noodles

Looking for a quick, easy, & delish noodle dish for your upcoming week?
This noodle bowl makes a great weekday meal and can double as a satisfying lunch as well! Creamy Tahini Sauce is subtle & flavourful and the bowl lends itself to be adaptable to whatever veggies you have lying about.

Sesame Soba Noodles

For the Sauce:
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 nob of ginger, minced (1”)
3 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp cashew butter
1 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
I tsp chili paste
1/4 cup water
For the Bowl:
3-4 Servings of Soba, Buckwheat, or Rice NoodlesA medley of sauteed and/or shredded veggies

• Blend or whisk all sauce ingredients until smooth.

  Serve with soba/buckwheat/rice noodles and some favourite sautéed veggies (I used onions, garlic, broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, & purple cabbage). Veggies you might try: peppers, grated carrots, snap peas, or steamed kale.

• Top with toasted sesame seeds or cashews.

Weeknight Lentil & Spinach Masala

We love this recipe at my house. It’s perfect for that night you forgot to plan for, when the fridge is mostly empty, but you really don’t want to run out to the store. I have often added more veggies to this recipe, when I just have a few things lying about that need using up, but the simplicity of this meal, just the way it is, really does the trick, is flavourful and nourishing, high in plant protein, fiber, and low glycemic-index carbohydrates.

Pro Tips: Red lentils do not need the overnight soaking time like the others, so you can easily get away with soaking them for just a 2-4 hour period. I always recommend soaking your brown rice for a minimum of 6 hours to help breakdown the antinutrients and hard-to-digest components of the grain, while also increasing digestibility and the release of beneficial nutrients. After soaking, always rinse your beans/pulses and grains well, to wash away antinutrients. I also like to add a little piece of kombu seaweed to my rice when cooking, which will increase the mineral content of the rice.

Weeknight Lentil & Spinach Masala

1 large red onion
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp salt
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1.5” fresh ginger, minced/grated
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 - 28oz can diced tomatoes with juices
1 - 14oz can of full fat coconut milk
1 cup red lentils (soaked 2-4 hours & rinsed)
4-5 cups baby spinach, packed
Juice of 1 lime
Cashew Sour Cream (optional)
Fresh Cilantro (optional)
Slices of Avocado
Cooked Brown Rice for Serving (soaked 6 - 12hrs)

• In a large wok, heat coconut oil and red onion over medium heat. Cook a few minutes until onions begin to soften and add salt. Stir and cook onions a few more minutes, until softened, then add chopped garlic and ginger, and all other spices.

• Add your canned tomatoes, coconut milk, and lentils, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a medium heat and cook for about 20-30 minutes until lentils are cooked through.

• Add spinach and stir gently until wilted and incorporated. Season with fresh lime juice and remove from heat.

• To serve: serve lentil masala over cooked brown rice with 1-2 Tbsp of cashew sour cream (see below) and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Quick Cashew Sour Cream

1/2 cup cashew pieces (soaked overnight OR in boiling water for 30 mins)
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder

• Place all ingredients in your blender and combine until smooth.
  
  
  

Easy Mushroom Bean Burgers

We LOVE veggie burgers in our house. It is a great, reliable meal that can be as complicated as you make it, or as easy as this one: cook mushrooms & onions, blend it with your other ingredients, form into patties, heat & eat. Throughout my years of recipe creating, I have truly learned that less is more. I know that my readers don’t want recipes with a mile long ingredients list, half of which they’ve never heard of, and that the recipe shouldn’t take them more than an hour to throw together or I’ll lose them. Am I right?

So here you have my simplest burger recipe yet. It really has all the taste you’re looking for in a veggie patty, with a shorter list of ingredients, but yet, misses nothing. This burger is lovely in a bun with all the fixings, but because it has such a dense nutrient profile, it’s very filling, so feel free to experiment with some serving options: on a bed of lettuce, in a lettuce wrap, make mini meat patties instead of larger ones and serve them in a tortilla or in a taco. Be creative. Above all else, make these patties with pride and love, because they are nothing but goodness and are designed to make your body feel good, satisfied, joyful 💛

A few Nutrient Powerhouse Notes:

Health Benefits of Black Beans:

• High in protein & fiber, satiating, AND low glycemic level

• May help to lower blood pressure and prevent or manage diabetes

• Supportive of strong & healthy digestion

• May help to prevent Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, & other degenerative diseases

• High in selenium, a potent antioxidant that can help lower free radical formation & prevent Cancer cells from proliferation. Selenium is also beneficial in preventing mental decline & neurological symptoms

• Are beneficial to help maintain stable weight and may promote weight-loss

Health Benefits of Ground Flax:

• High in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, beneficial for brain health, proper cell function, hormone health, paramount to heart health and disease prevention

• High in minerals: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, all beneficial for bone health, nervous system support, hormonal and immune function

• Rich source of lignans, key component in lowering Cancer risk

• Rich in dietary fiber, may improve Cholesterol levels & lower blood pressure

• Contain quality protein, may help to stability blood sugars, and may promote healthy weight

Easy Mushroom Bean Burgers

Makes 6-8 Medium Patties
Prep & Cook Time: 45 minutes

1 Large onion, diced
2 Tbsp coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
4 cups mushrooms, chopped (any mix will work)
Fresh pepper
1 14oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp brown rice flour
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds

• Preheat oven to 375F.

• In a large frying pan, heat oil and onions over medium heat until onions start to soften. Add salt, garlic, and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are cooked & a little bit browned around the edges. Season with pepper. Remove from heat.

• In your food processor, combine cooked mushroom mix with all other burger ingredients and combine until all ingredients are well mixed together, but not overly smooth.

• Form burger mix into patties (I like to use wet hands for this), and spread them out on a lined cookie sheet. Bake patties for 10 minutes, then flip and bake another 10 minutes (baking them in the oven will dry them out a bit so that they’re not too mushy). Serve right away or cool and freeze. Note: when you reheat these patties, I suggest frying them in a little oil on the stovetop, this will help them crisp up a bit.

• Serve with whatever burger toppings you enjoy on a bun, without, or in whatever creative, genius way you like! ENJOY 😋

As always, if you make these burgers, please let me know how they turned out for you and how you served them! Better yet, take a fancy pic and post & tag me on social media! 🍔