A delicious vegan dinner of buckwheat, roasted sweet potato and chickpeas, kale, and a vegan avocado cream sauce. Gluten free, healthy, and easy to make with lots of flavor and texture!
Optional garnish: fresh parsley leaves and Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel seasoning
Instructions
Roast the Vegetables
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray or brush with olive oil.Clean the sweet potato (you can leave the skin on) and dice into ½ inch pieces.In a large bowl, combine the diced sweet potato and rinsed chickpeas with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin, and about ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste).
Roast at 400F for 15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
Cook the Buckwheat Groats
While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, cook the buckwheat according to the package instructions. Typically, 1.5 cups of uncooked buckwheat groats will need to be added to 3 cups of salted boiling water. Bring back up to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the buckwheat is soft, but before it starts falling apart. If extra water is remaining, drain the buckwheat in a colander. If the water is absorbed before the buckwheat is cooked, add about ¼ cup water extra.
Saute the Kale
Thoroughly rinse the kale and tear it into pieces (up to you whether to discard the stalks).
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the kale, garlic powder, onion, powder, and salt (¼ teaspoon each). Stir, cover with a lid, and allow to cook for about 3 minutes, or until it reduces in size by about half.
Uncover, add ¼ cup water, and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the kale is soft and the water evaporates.
Make the Avocado Cream
Combine all the ingredients (½ avocado, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ cup water, ⅛ teaspoon salt) in a personal blender or a small food processor. Process until smooth.
Assemble the Buckwheat Bowls
Toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet for about 3 minutes, or until they start to brown. Remove from heat so they don't burn.
Divide the cooked buckwheat between four bowls. Top each bowl with ¼ of the sweet potatoes, chickpeas, sauteed kale, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, sliced avocado. Add a generous dollop of avocado cream to each bowl. Season with fresh parsley leaves and/or Everything but the Bagel seasoning.
Notes
Cook the buckwheat according to the package instructions. Typically, it is a 2:1 water:buckwheat ratio
If saving some of these for leftovers, store the sliced almonds, cranberries, and avocado cream separate from the buckwheat, sweet potato, chickpeas, and kale. Reheat the buckwheat, sweet potato, chickpeas, and kale, then top with all the toppings.