Light veggie Buddha bowl

📝 Ingredients

• 70 g quinoa (white, red or mixed)
• 80 g cooked chickpeas (or canned, well rinsed)
• ½ avocado
• 1 small carrot, grated or cut into sticks
• ½ cooked beet, diced
• A handful of cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
• 1 lemon (juice)
• 1 tbsp lukewarm water
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper, sesame seeds, fresh herbs

🍴 Utensils

• Saucepan
• Baking sheet + parchment paper
• Large bowl
• Small bowl for the tahini

📖 Steps

1. Cook the quinoa: rinse under cold water (important to remove bitterness), cook in 1.5x its volume of salted water, 12 min covered, then 5 min with the heat off. Fluff with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 °C. Drain the chickpeas and dry them with paper towels — the drier they are, the crispier they'll be. Toss with oil, paprika and salt.
3. Spread the chickpeas on the baking sheet. Roast 15–18 min, shaking halfway through. They should be golden and crispy. Note: they soften as they cool, so serve quickly.
4. Make the tahini sauce: mix tahini, lemon juice, lukewarm water and a pinch of salt. It should be thick enough to coat — adjust with water. Note: tahini sauce thickens as it cools.
5. Slice the avocado, prep the carrot and beet, and halve the cherry tomatoes.
6. Build the bowl with quinoa as the base. Arrange the components in colorful sections: green (avocado + herbs), orange (carrot), red (beet + tomatoes), beige (chickpeas).
7. Drizzle the tahini sauce in a zigzag, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky sea salt. Serve immediately.