Vegan

Basic Buddha Burrito Bowl from Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook

https://www.chicvegan.com/buddha-burrito-bowl-from-fast-and-easy-vegan-cookbook/

This Basic Buddha Burrito Bowl from Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook by JL Fields will spice up your meal rotation. It’s perfect for either lunch or dinner (or both!). This easy recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook

One of the complaints I often hear from people is that they don’t have time to cook meals. Dinner is especially a problem, as they want something fast and easy after a long day at the office. JL Fields has come to their rescue with her new Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook.

Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook is full of — you guessed it — fast and easy vegan recipes! Some recipes are fast, others are easy, and some are both! None of them require a lot of ingredients, and preparation for each one is pretty simple. A lot of the recipes include substitution tips, making it easy to use what you have on hand. And some include oil-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free options, too, making it easy for those with dietary restrictions.

JL includes information on how to balance meals as a vegan, versatile ways to use vegetables, and even how to store veggies. She’s also included useful meal-prep tips and a list of equipment that’s handy to have on hand in your plant-based kitchen.

Rather than group recipes by meal, they’re divided by level of ease, which makes using the book super handy. Some recipes don’t require any cooking at all, some can be made with just five ingredients, and others take 30 minutes or less from start to finish. There’s even a chapter devoted to pressure cooking!

Chapters Include:

Vegan Meals Made Fast and Easy
No Cooking Required
Thirty-Minute Meals (or Less)
Five Ingredients
One-Pot Wonders
No-Pressure Pressure Cooking
Kitchen Staples

If you’re a vegan in need of fast and easy recipes, if you’re a new vegan and aren’t sure of what to cook, or if you’re just looking for new recipes to add to your collection, Fast and Easy Vegan Cookbook is the book for you!

Basic Buddha Burrito Bowl

Buddha bowls, also known as “hippie” bowls, used to be a way to sort of poke fun at vegan eating: “All you eat is beans, greens, and grains!” But, hey, what’s wrong with that? There are so many choices! And, for the lazy (or just plain tired) cook, it simply means assembling the plant-based elements—a cooked grain, vegetables (raw, cooked, or both), protein, sauce or dressing, and a colorful garnish such as nuts or seeds—all together in one bowl. This bowl is burrito-style, just one of so many ways you can create a bowl based on your favorite flavor profiles.

Ingredients

1
cup
quinoa
2
cups
water
1/2
teaspoon
salt
optional
2
teaspoons
olive oil
1
15-ounce can
black beans
drained and rinsed
16
ounces
(about 8 cups) fresh spinach
trimmed and chopped
1/2
cup
salsa
fresh or jarred
1/4
cup
vegan sour cream

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa, water, and salt (if using), and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, still covered, for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
While the quinoa cooks, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil for 1 minute. Add the beans and spinach and toss gently until the spinach turns dark green and begins to wilt, 3 to 4 minutes.
To serve, portion the quinoa into four bowls, then portion out the sautéed beans and spinach. Top each bowl with 2 tablespoons salsa and 1 tablespoon sour cream.
Make It Ahead: Batch cooking is your best friend for Buddha bowls. Any legume partnered with vegetables and grains (or starches, like sweet potatoes or parsnips) qualifies. That’s why every weekend I prepare a batch of beans and a batch of grains or starch vegetables; during the week I can reheat and quickly assemble a tasty bowl with a steamed, roasted, or sautéed veggie and a little sauce or dressing.

Vegan

Tofu Kondattam (South Indian Spicy Crispy Tofu)

Tofu Kondattam, a South Indian crispy spicy tofu is a fantastic side or appetizer! Tofu is crisped with spices then tossed in a thick sauce of aromatics, four types of chilies – Kashmiri chili powder, pepper, red and green chilies, curry leaves and Garam masala! Try this regional Indian recipe.

tofu kondattam in the pan after cooking and adding garnishes

I love this spicy crispy kondattam. This southern Indian spicy dish usually has chicken is marinated and then fried. I’ve made a version before, see my crispy Soy Curls Kondattam. For this version, I make it saucier and use tofu that is marinated and baked to get it nice and crisp without. Then, we make the sauce and toss all of that together for this amazingly flavorful dish that you can serve as a starter, side or as an entree.

Chicken kondattam is a spicy dish from the southern Indian state of Kerala. Traditionally, for this dish, chicken is marinated in a fiery red marinade and then fried to crisp. Then it is tossed with thick sauce of dried chilies, curry leaves, ground spices, and Kashmiri chili powder.

Tofu kondattam is really hot with four types of chilis bringing the heat: Kashmiri chili powder, black pepper, dried red chilis and green chilies! If you want it to be less hot, you can reduce the amount of dried red and the green chilies or choose milder versions. You can cut down on the black pepper and Kashmiri chili powder, as well. The color will change a bit, because the Kashmiri chili powder adds a lot of color to the dish, but there’ll still be plenty of flavor, even if you need to cut it a little bit.

This dish definitely tastes the best if you use real Kashmiri chili powder, because the chilies have a specific flavor profile. It will work with paprika instead, but for the real deal, get some Kashmiri chili powder.