Tofu Buddha Bowl with Black Bean Dip

A Buddha bowl is interchangeably known as Nourish Bowls, or Macronutrient Bowls. Ideally, you'd combine a mix of greens, healthy fats, protein, fiber, and healthy carbs, into one MACRO nutrient meal. Options are endless in macro bowls, but if you need some inspiration, here's a list of some of my common go-to's, followed by a super easy week night bowl PLUS a really delicious Black Bean Dip with a secret ingredient! This recipe uses steamed veggies, which I sometimes prefer as this cooking method retains the most amount of vitamins and minerals that can be depleted through boiling and roasting. You'll want to season your veggies after steaming, as they can be pretty bland :)

Greens - Spinach, Kale, Collard Greens, Swiss Charge, Cabbage, Lettuce (steamed, sautéd, or raw)
Veggies - Celery, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Green Beans, Asparagus, Artichokes, Summer Squash, Mushrooms, Carrots, Beets, Bok Choy, Endives, Eggplant (steamed, roasted, or sautéd)
Carb - Sweet Potatoes, Winter Squash, Quinoa, Bulger Wheat, Brown Rice, Whole Wheat or Quinoa-based Pasta, Farro, Wheatberries
Protein - Tofu, Tempeh, Sprouted Lentils, Legumes, Homemade Veggie/Lentil burgers, (Eggs, Chicken, Fish if consumed in your diet)
Healthy Fats - Avocado, Coconut Oil, Tahini, Olive Oil, Nuts/Seeds

Servings: Enough for a few bowls

Total Time: 20-30 minutes

• 2 medium - large sweet potato, sliced into rounds

• 1 bunch of celery - sliced

• 3-4 Handfuls Green Beans (or asparagus if you prefer)

• 3/4 block of firm tofu (I use the firm tofu from Trader Joe's) - cubed

• 3 cups small portobello mushrooms

• 1/2 red onion - diced

• Cooking Oil (I use @chosenfoods Avocado Oil)

• Sea Salt (I use pink himalayan sea salt)

• 1 tsp Turmeric

• OPTIONAL: Nutritional Yeast (flavoring)

Black Bean Dip

• Remaining 1/4 block of tofu - cubed - this SECRET ingredient makes the dip SO creamy!!

• 3/4 cup canned, drained, organic black beans

• 1 garlic clove - minced

• 3 TBSP olive or avocado oil

• Sea Salt to taste

• Red Pepper to taste

1) In a LARGE steaming pot, steam your green beans, celery, and sweet potatoes. If you have more than one steaming pot, you can separate your veggies. Steam until each are tender (15-20 minutes).

2) While veggies are steaming, roast the mushrooms in the oven (I do not pre-oil them as I prefer the texture from the fresh mushrooms that naturally release water/moisture as they cook) at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until they start to shrink in size and brown.

3) In a large bowl, toss your cubed tofu with a bit of oil, sea salt, and turmeric. Heat a large grill pan with cooking oil, and grill your tofu until the sides start to turn brown (10-12  minutes).

4) BLACK BEAN DIP - add all ingredients into a food processor or high power blender and blend until creamy, taste test to determine the amount of sea salt and pepper to add.

5) Combine all into a large bowl and enjoy!