Healthy Weight Gain Recipe: Vegan Protein Bowl
Image Credit: pinterest.com

A combination of various vegetables such as smoky tofu, black bean and corn salsa, juicy tomatoes, and crisp greens; Mexican Buddha Bowl is a healthy dish which is perfect to gain weight. It is high in calories and carbs. It is 100% plant-based and is a high-energy meal. There's nothing light about this tempting dish but at the same time it is a meatless and gluten-free recipe.

It is a flavourful recipe in which you can always put the sauces of your choice. Here are the steps for preparing this Mexican Buddha bowl.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. flavoured Tofu 454 grams (store-bought or smoked)
  • 12 ounces grape Tomatoes, halved 
  • 1 medium Avocado, sliced
  • ½ head romaine Lettuce, cut into thin shreds 
  • ¾ cup sliced Black Olives
  • Cilantro, chopped finely

For the rice:

  • 1 cup Rice, dry
  • 2 cups Vegetable Broth or Water
  • 12 ounces frozen Riced Cauliflower, cooked

For the black bean and corn salsa:

  • 15½ ounces canned Black Beans, drained 
  • 1 cup frozen roasted Corn, thawed
  • 4 ounces canned mild Green Chilis 
  • 3½ ounces roasted Red Peppers, chopped 
  • 4 small Scallions, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

For the Buddha bowl dressing:

  • 3 tsp Avacado Oil
  • 2 tsp Chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped 
  • 4 tsp Orange Juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 tsp Lime Juice, fresh squeezed
  • 1 Clove of Garlic, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp Cumin
  • ½ tsp Orange Zest
  • ¼ tsp Dried Oregano
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Method:

  1. Take a medium-sized saucepan and put rice and vegetable broth in it. Heat it on a medium flame. Once done, let it come to a simmer. Then heat it on a low flame and cover the pot with a lid
  2. Now, cook the rice until the water is absorbed and the rice gets soft. You can cook brown or white rice for this recipe as per your choice. Brown rice takes a bit more time approximately 45 minutes to cook whereas white rice takes only 15 minutes
  3. Once the rice is cooked, add cauliflower to it. Now, put this mixture aside for a while and let’s prepare the rest of the dish
  4. Take a large bowl, add black bean and corn salsa ingredients to it and mix them. Now, put this mixture in a fridge for a while so that all the ingredients blend in and bring a delicious flavour
  5. Now let’s prepare the dressing ingredients for this Buddha bowl. Put all the ingredients in a mini chopper and grind it until you receive a smooth mixture
  6. In this step, let’s prepare the veggies for the bowl. Slice the avocado and cube the tofu and put them in a bowl. Now halve the grape tomatoes and slice the lettuce and olives as well. Once done, put all of these vegetables in a bowl
  7. Now let’s assemble all the ingredients for this mouth-watering Buddha Bowl. Put ¼ of the cooked rice mixture in the bottom of a bowl. Top it with ¼ each of the black bean, corn salsa, tofu, lettuce, tomatoes, olives as well as avocado. Now, drizzle ¼ of the dressing on top of this bowl
  8. Finally, garnish the dish with cilantro and enjoy it