Roasted Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl with a Thai Peanut Dressing

Buddha Bowls have been taking over Instagram and Pinterest feeds left and right but I'm sure you're all wondering- what is it?!? Basically, a Buddha bowl is a vegetarian dish that is packed with roasted veggies, grains, greens, and it usually has dressing to go along with it. I had my vegetarian friend over last night for dinner so I decided to take a go at creating a Buddha bowl and it was delicious! I was also craving peanut butter for some reason, so I decided to make a Thai peanut dressing to top it off. This bowl is packed with red quinoa, kale, roasted sweet potatoes, and carrots for an earthy, delicious, and filling meal. Here's what you'll need: 

You will need:

• 1 medium sweet potato, cubed
• 1 cup red quinoa
• 1/4 cup carrots, shredded or sliced
• 1/4 cup kale leaves
• 1/4 cup lite coconut miilk
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• juice of 1 fresh lime
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tbsp. honey
• red curry paste/ hot sauce to taste
• salt and pepper
• rosemary 
• garlic powder
• cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Serves 2

Begin with preheating the oven to 425°F.

Cut the sweet potato into small cubes around the same size (this helps them to cook evenly), and spread them out onto a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes, and season with salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic powder, and cinnamon to taste.
Combining the rosemary and cinnamon may sound weird at first but it really brings out the flavors of the sweet potato!

Bake the sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes, until they are tender.

While the potatoes are roasting, make the quinoa according to the directions on the bag.

To make the dressing, combine the peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and honey in a blender, and blend until mixed and smooth. You can also add in as much spice as you'd like. I opted for some hot sauce but you could also add in red pepper flakes or chili powder, or take a more authentic route with Thai red curry paste.
Depending on how you like your dressing, you can add in more peanut butter to make it creamier or more coconut milk to make it thinner.

Once all of the ingredients are prepared, assemble the Buddha bowl with the Quinoa as the base, then add in the sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, and dressing. 

Tip: If you aren't a fan of the course texture of kale, use baby kale leaves or massage the kale for 3 minutes-or-so in a mixture of lemon juice, salt, and olive oil until it softens up. 

Optional: If you'd like an additional crunch, feel free to add in chopped peanuts.