Mexican Buddha Bowl with Garlicky Black Beans
This colorful Mexican-inspired vegan bowl with easy-to-prepare Garlicky Black Beans contains the vegan holy trinity of beans, greens, and grains, along with a rainbow of veggies. Top it with a creamy avocado lime ranch dressing and crunchy oil-free pepitas and you've got yourself a nourishing, satisfying, comforting meal.
Servings: 1 bowl
Ingredients
For the Garlicky Black Beans
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup water
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
To steam
- 1 large kale leaf stem/rib removed and leaf chopped (about 2 cups or 35g)
- ¼ cup corn kernels fresh or frozen (steam if using frozen) (40g)
To assemble your bowl
- ½ cup Garlicky Black Beans
- ½-1 cup cooked grain of choice quinoa, brown rice, barley, farro, etc.
- ½ cup shredded red cabbage
- ¼ cup diced tomato
- 1-2 radishes thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon Easy Oil-Free Roasted Pepitas
- ⅓ cup Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
Optional garnishes
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Drain the beans and place them in a fine mesh strainer that will fit on top of your saucepan. Rinse them well under cold water and shake out any excess water. Add the beans and the rest of the Garlicky Black Beans ingredients (water, garlic, cumin, and salt) to a medium-size saucepan. Stir until the flavorings are evenly mixed in.
- Before you turn the burner on, place the kale and corn (if using frozen) in the fine-mesh strainer you used to rinse your beans. Sit it on top of your saucepan and cover it with a lid.
- Heat the pan over high heat until the beans start to bubble. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until beans are heated through, corn is thawed, and kale starts to wilt and turn a beautiful bright green. Remove from heat and set aside while you chop your veggies, if you haven’t already done so.
- Assemble your bowl in any order you like. I like to start by tossing the kale and cabbage together on the bottom of the bowl before adding the beans and grain. The rest of the veggies (tomato, radishes, and corn) come next. Finally, I add the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing and sprinkle the pepitas on top, along with any other garnishes, like cilantro or a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!
- Refrigerate the unused Garlicky Black Beans in an airtight container and use within 3 days.