Greek Buddah Bowl

I know this Buddah Bowl has a lot of ingredients and dressings in it.....but I promise you, it isn't a hard salad to put together. Let my ingredient list be your guide.....you don't have to put it all in and you can add any of your favorite veggies that I didn't include here. Just have fun with it!

I made enough for two giant dinner sized salads. I made roasted tofu and baked chicken and my husband wanted the tofu! What can I say, I make the best tofu! Haha! Honestly, though, my husband said this was one of the best salads I have ever made! I agree - it was super yum!!

I didn't do this, but thought of it after - pita bread slices would have been a great addition! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

romaine lettuce, washed, dried and chopped
cooked brown rice, seasoned with salt & pepper (you could also use quinoa instead)
cucumbers, chopped
cherry tomatoes, halved
hemp seed
roasted chickpeas (recipe below)
avocado, perfectly ripe and sliced
bell pepper (red, yellow or orange) chopped
green or black olives or capers
pita bread slices for serving

Choose one of the following for added protein:
marinated and roasted tofu (which is what is pictured above), cubed
marinated and baked chicken, cut into cubes
falafel (you can get some killer falafels in the frozen food section or make your own)

Sauces (I used a combination of ALL of these in the salad - so glad I did - YUM!)
hummus (store bought)
tzatziki sauce (I made my own, recipe below - but you can use store bought)
tahini sauce (recipe below - this took all of three minutes to put together- don't skimp. In case you don't know, tahini is made from seasame seeds)

Roasted Chickpeas Recipe:

1 can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp of any or all of these spices (I used them all! YUM!)

• cumin
• cinnamon
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• paprika
• brown sugar
• salt

Heat the oven to 400F

Place chickpeas in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with spices and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and then stir. Bake for another 10 minutes (until desired softness or crispness) and remove from oven and let cool.

Tzatziki Sauce:

Greek yogurt
lemon juice to taste
small drizzle of maple syrup
salt to taste
dill or parsley, optional
finely chopped cucumber

Mix the first four ingredients together. Fold in the chopped cucumber. Done!

Tahini Dressing:

2 Tbl tahini paste
lemon juice to taste
small drizzle of maple syrup
water - enough to make it smooth

Mix all ingredients together. Add water as needed to make it smooth.

Assemble the Salad:

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl. Make it look pretty by sorting the colors and layering each veggie and protein side by side. Don't forget they say you eat with your eyes first!! Add a dollop of hummus, tzatziki sauce and tahini sauce.  You can serve this salad with some pita bread slices if you like! Enjoy!