Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl With Creamy Cilantro Dressing
This Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl is the best of all worlds! Sweetness from the sweet potatoes, savory seasoned black beans, and a bright cilantro flavor from the sauce. It all goes together beautifully. The ingredients list for this one may look long, but a lot of the ingredients are just our seasonings, so don't let it scare you away!*Note that From Start to Finish is an estimate that assumes 45 minutes of prep time (including cooking the brown rice and soaking the cashews), and 35 minutes to complete the recipe directions.
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes - diced (around 4 cups diced)
- 4 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1.5 teaspoon cumin
- 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- a few sprinkles of salt and pepper
Seasoned Black Beans:
- 1 can black beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- sprinkle of salt
Creamy Cilantro Dressing:
- ¼ cup raw cashews - soaked in very hot water for 20-30 minutes
- ⅓ cup cilantro - roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 3 tablespoon water
Buddha Bowl:
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- 6 cups spinach
- 2 cups cooked brown rice* (or other grain of choice)
- 1 avocado - diced
- Optional: 1-2 limes - cut into wedges
Instructions
Prepare the Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
- Preheat oven to 425
- Toss your diced sweet potatoes with your lime juice. Add in your paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat all potatoes evenly.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread diced potatoes evenly on the baking sheet.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the potatoes. Return potatoes to the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. (While the potatoes are cooking, feel free to prepare the seasoned black beans and the creamy cilantro dressing!)
- Remove from oven and set aside.
Prepare the Seasoned Black Beans:
- Heat a medium pan over medium heat. Toss your black beans and lime juice in the pan. Add a bit more lime juice, or water, to prevent sticking if needed. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add your cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Adjust seasonings if needed, and remove from pan once everything is thoroughly warmed.
Prepare the Creamy Cilantro Dressing:
- Drain your soaked cashews
- Add all dressing ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until very smooth. Add more lime juice or water if you'd like, to reach desired consistency.
Assemble your Buddha Bowls:
- Toast your pumpkin seeds by heating a medium pan over medium heat. Add pumpkin seeds and stir occasionally as you allow them to toast for about 4 minutes, or until they start to get golden and/or start to pop. Remove pumpkin seeds from the pan and set aside. Keep pan on the stove top (you'll use it in the next step).
- Sautee your spinach by tossing about half of it into your heated pan. Using tongs (or another large utensil), continue tossing it as it cooks down. This shouldn't take long. As it cooks down and there is more room in the pan, add in the rest of your spinach. Once all of your spinach is bright green, remove from heat immediately. This entire process should take 1-2 minutes.
- Assemble your bowls! To each bowl add your roasted sweet potatoes, seasoned black beans, brown rice, and sauteed spinach. Top each bowl with pumpkin seeds, avocado, creamy cilantro dressing, and an optional lime wedge. Enjoy!
Notes
*cooked brown rice: You can of course cook your brown rice on the stove top according to package directions, but I like to cook my brown rice in the instant pot! I do 1 cup of dry brown rice to 1.25 cups of water, set my instant pot to 15 minutes at high pressure, and let it naturally release.
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