I love buddha bowls!!! And, it is also one of the things I love to make at home. I organize it by making all the individual parts and then lay each item out like a buffet. Each person adds exactly what they want, in the portions they want, so everyone is happy.
In this recipe, I will suggest lots of great alternatives so that you can make this how you like it, and also you won’t be restricted to having the exact ingredients on hand if you have a suitable substitution.
Some health benefits are:
Kale – kale gets a bad rap for being “healthy” and tasting like cardboard. But if it’s prepared properly, and combined with other yummy foods, it is delicious. I love that it is a good anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and has important benefits for cardiovascular and vitamin K for bone health.
Butternut squash – this is a favourite fall starchy vegetable around here and we often make a delicious curried butternut squash soup. For this recipe, the squash is simply roasted in the oven, which can also be a great side dish in another meal. While the starch component means you will want to watch your portions if you’re watching your weight, it still is a great source of fiber and antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that can provide health benefits.
Sautéed Kale Buddha Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 8 turkey sausage**
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 yellow pepper diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper optional
- 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 28 fl oz can diced tomatoes or equivalent freshly chopped
- 1 410mL can black beans drained and rinsed
- 8 cups kale (about 1 bunch) washed, trimmed and thinly chopped
- coconut oil, sea salt and pepper to taste
- optional toppings such as: green onion or avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss butternut squash in a little coconut oil, sea salt and black pepper and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in oven 30 minutes or until soft.
- Meanwhile, take out 2 pans and place on stove. In one, cook the turkey sausage.
- In the other, place a little coconut oil with onion, garlic, peppers and spices. Once soft, add the diced tomatoes and cook until thickened.
- Open canned beans. Rinse, drain and set aside.
- Finally, when sausage is done, transfer to plate and sauté kale in the used pan with the leftover juices.
- Place kale, black beans, tomato mixture, sausage and squash out on counter and have everyone build their own buddha bowl. You can add optional toppings as desired.
Suggested substitutions
- In place of the kale you can use: Swiss chard
- In place of the turkey sausage you can use: chicken thighs – either cooked stovetop or placed in oven at the same time as the squash (with a little salt and pepper)
- In place of the butternut squash you can use: sweet potato or a different variety of winter squash, or you can cook some quinoa or brown rice on the stove.
- In place of the black beans you can use: another legume
Notes
