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The Vegan Power Bowl

The Vegan Power Bowl | Well and Full | #healthy #vegan #recipe

Tasty, healthy Vegan Power Bowl recipe, with an herby green tahini sauce!

Can I just say that I love posting day!? As much as I love cooking and photographing, my favorite thing to do is get to my website and write a post to share with you all. I’m always just super happy to be here!! :)

Today’s recipe is coming a day late because I had an unexpected trip to the ER on Tuesday night, and I didn’t get home until 5:00 AM on Wednesday. For a few days I was having these extreme cramps in my lower abdomen, and they migrated to the lower right side. I tried to push through, but when I had a low-grade fever and nausea on Tuesday night, I called my mom (who is a nurse) and she recommended that I go to the ER.

The doctor said it sounded enough like appendicitis to run a full blood test and CT scan. But weirdly enough, everything came up negative – no inflamed appendix, no ovarian cysts. They said it was menstrual cramps, told me to follow up with my OBGYN, and sent me home with painkillers. I’m a little flustered because I’ve been lucky enough to only have mild cramps throughout my entire adult life, and I’ve never experienced this type of acute, localized pain in my abdomen. And I am NOT one to go to the ER… I’m a very “push through it” type of person. Oh well! I’ll have to see what my OBGYN says.

But all in all, just a little bump in the road! Let’s talk food.

For today’s recipe I went to my culinary strengths – that is to say, vegan bowls. My vegan buddha bowl and winter buddha bowl are two of my most popular recipes, and I wanted to create something with a similar idea, that my readers love!

This vegan power bowl has a ton of flavor in every bite – with spiced chickpeas (a Well and Full classic), garlicky broccoli, lemon quinoa, and a pretty dang fantastic green tahini sauce. Out of all the components in this recipe, the tahini sauce is definitely my favorite. The recipe makes extra, so you could use this as a salad dressing (it’ll keep in the fridge up to a week), as a dip for fries, or even swirled into a creamy soup! The possibilities are endless!!

The Vegan Power Bowl | Well and Full | #healthy #vegan #recipeThe Vegan Power Bowl | Well and Full | #healthy #vegan #recipe

The Vegan Power Bowl

This delicious vegan power bowl is packed with plant-based protein and nutrients, to fuel your day! 
4.67 from 12 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

Lemon Quinoa

  • 1 1/2 Cups Quinoa rinsed
  • Water check the package
  • Juice + Zest of 1/2 Lemon
  • Generous Pinch Sea Salt

Garlicky Broccoli

  • 5-6 Cups Broccoli Florets
  • 2 Cloves Garlic minced
  • Drizzle Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Salt and Pepper Chickpeas

  • 1 15 oz Can Chickpeas
  • Drizzle Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 1/2 Tsp Paprika
  • Lots of Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Green Tahini Sauce

  • 1/3 Cup Tahini
  • 1/3 Cup Water
  • 1 Clove Garlic sliced
  • 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Juice from 2 Limes
  • 1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley
  • 1/4 Jalapeño ribs and seeds removed
  • 1/4 Tsp Salt
  • Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Optional Toppings

  • Hemp or Sesame Seeds
  • Sliced Avocado
  • Chili Flakes

Instructions
 

Lemony Quinoa

  • I've found that different brands of quinoa call for different amounts of water. Just use the amount it says on your box of quinoa!
  • Add the quinoa, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt to a pot. Stir, and then bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce to low heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until quinoa is cooked. When done, fluff with a fork. 

Broccoli and Chickpeas

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Wash and dry your broccoli florets. In a bowl, mix the broccoli, olive oil, minced garlic, and salt and pepper until all florets are evenly coated.
  • Rinse and dry your chickpeas. In a bowl, mix chickpeas, oil, salt, pepper, and paprika until they're all evenly coated. 
  • On a sheet pan lined with parchment paper (or a silpat), bake your broccoli and chickpeas for 25 minutes, or until broccoli is tender but still firm.

Green Tahini Sauce

  • In a blender, add all sauce ingredients and blend on high until everything is smooth and creamy. Taste, and adjust seasoning to your preference. For extra heat, add in a pinch of cayenne. For extra tang, add in more lime juice. 

Putting It All Together

  • Assemble your bowls - add in the layer of quinoa first. Top with broccoli and chickpeas, then drizzle with the tahini sauce. Add on hemp or sesame seeds (or both!) and any other toppings you like.
  • Serve warm and enjoy! 

Notes

  • This recipe is easy doubled for a family meal! Just keep in mind that you may have to increase the baking time to accommodate the extra veggies! :)
  • The dressing calls for two limes, which can easily be halved if you don't like a tangy flavor. Add in the juice of the first lime, taste the dressing, then add more if desired.

The Vegan Power Bowl | Well and Full | #healthy #vegan #recipe

P.S.

If you make this recipe and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me @wellandfull and #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your takes on my recipes :)

55 Comments

  • Reply
    Meredith Youngson | Earth & Oven
    January 11, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    This is perfection in a bowl. Love your attention to detail and seasoning all of the parts to this dish. The spicy tahini sauce looks like liquid green gold!!!!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 11, 2018 at 4:51 pm

      Aww thank you Meredith!! :)

  • Reply
    Kylee
    January 12, 2018 at 2:08 am

    5 stars
    I’ve been looking for easy, vegan Buddha / Power Bowl recipes to make and this is a perfect one! Recently just finding your blog, very glad I have! Thank you so much for these awesome recipes ( I’ve been stalking all the vegan ones ), excited to try them out!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 12, 2018 at 1:27 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind note, Kylee!! I hope you like the recipes :)

  • Reply
    B. Juliane Leo
    January 12, 2018 at 9:49 am

    5 stars
    I’m actually more concerned about YOUR health, and the pain you encountered? I hope you are better? and painkillers – that always sends out a warning message to me! After all they are the experts and have the Equipment. Could it have been a pulled muscle??? I DID that one time, in my lower groan area. I could barely walk…was crawling on the floor. Turns out, I had pulled a bag of dirt out of my car earlier that day…and several hours later – Pain like you wouldn’t believe. Except it was on the left side.

    So… hope you are better… keep us posted!
    Juliana

  • Reply
    B. Juliane Leo
    January 12, 2018 at 9:50 am

    5 stars
    GROIN – not groan…but you can add a lot of Groaning to the Mix!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 12, 2018 at 1:29 pm

      Haha I guessed what you meant ;) I’m definitely feeling better, it was really nice of you to ask :) I don’t think it was a pulled muscle though, the pain was more *in* my stomach, and not in my abdominal muscles. I’ll definitely post an update when I have more information!!

      • Reply
        Anita
        May 9, 2019 at 1:31 pm

        I’m a holistic health practitioner who uses Medical Medium information to help my clients heal. After suffering all of my life with mystery symptoms and finally just three years ago finding the Medical Medium and healing myself beautifully, I’d like you to seriously consider getting his first book (Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Mystery and Chronic Illness and How to Finally Heal by Anthony William). He has a WEALTH of information (the first chapter tells you why) that is healing hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Follow him on fb or Instagram, too! Happy healing!

        • Reply
          Sarah
          May 10, 2019 at 10:13 am

          Hi Anita, thank you for this recommendation! I really appreciate it :)

  • Reply
    Jill
    January 12, 2018 at 12:55 pm

    5 stars
    Just made this! Thank you for the great recipe it’s delicious and super easy will definitely be making this again .

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 12, 2018 at 1:30 pm

      I’m so glad you liked the recipe, Jill!! Thanks for leaving a note :)

  • Reply
    Traci | Vanilla And Bean
    January 12, 2018 at 4:28 pm

    So glad you’re okay Sarah… bumps in the road, right? I’m lovin this bowl and double duty veggie and chickpea roast. My mouth totally watered at that jalapeno sauce! Well done! xo

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 13, 2018 at 2:12 am

      Bumps in the road, but nothing insurmountable ;) Thank you Traci :)

  • Reply
    Ruby
    January 15, 2018 at 6:01 am

    Sorry to hear about your trip to the ER- hope you feel all better and get that figured out!
    Meanwhile, this bowl is absolutely stunning. It’s basically all of the foods my body has been craving lately, so I can’t wait to try it out!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 15, 2018 at 3:46 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind words, Ruby! I hope you like this bowl :)

      • Reply
        Liz
        April 15, 2019 at 5:02 pm

        Thanks for the awesome recipe!! As for your pain, my gut instinct says acute diverticulitis and underlying diverticulosis. Best of luck!!

        • Reply
          Sarah
          April 15, 2019 at 6:37 pm

          Thanks so much for your kind words :) I still haven’t been able to figure out what caused it but hopefully I’ll be able to figure it out soon!

  • Reply
    Maeve
    January 16, 2018 at 10:01 am

    Those chickpeas look amazing! I’ll definitely be trying this out, thanks for the recipe :)

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 16, 2018 at 12:25 pm

      Thanks Maeve! I hope you like the chickpeas :)

  • Reply
    Maya | Spice & Sprout
    January 23, 2018 at 11:37 pm

    I am so glad to hear you’re okay/ hope everything ends up alright! I get really bad cramps on my period :( I never used to but they flared up a couple years ago and I need to spend a good few hours in bed on the first day of my period. Anyways, this is totally gorgeous! So into this fooooood! xx

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 24, 2018 at 11:04 am

      Thank you so much Maya <3 I'm really hoping this is the end of the cramps, but only time will tell.

  • Reply
    Kerry
    February 22, 2018 at 2:51 am

    1 star
    I’m sorry to hear about your ER stint and hope all is well with you. Forgive me, but I tried this recipe and sadly did not like it one little bit. I’m only commenting in case this happens to be the first recipe a person embarking on a vegan or vegetarian pathway tries – I’d hate to think that they may think this represents all vegan food and they head straight back to eating animals. Anyhow, the quinoa was nice but not very lemony at all. I’m also not sure how this recipe is for 2 people because the 1 and a 1/2 cups of quinoa alone cooked up enough for 4-6 people (maybe we are small eaters). The garlicky broccoli was nice and so were the chickpeas but I think it all went south when combined with the green tahini sauce – everything together just tasted very weird and bitter. Kudos to my 18 year old son for giving it a good try and incredibly grateful that I had left over lentil soup on hand to feed my 13 year old son. I’m not picky with food normally but wow, this made me gag. My poor 18 year old also said he was doing his best not to gag. I was going to have the leftovers for lunch at work tomorrow but I dread waking up tomorrow knowing what awaits me in the fridge for lunch, so I’m just going to have to bin it. The rest of the mountain of quinoa I will make something else with, so not all is lost. Hats off to everyone who liked this recipe and thanks Sarah for your time in sharing the recipe, even though my family and I did not like it.

    • Reply
      Sarah
      February 22, 2018 at 11:22 am

      Hi Kerry, I’m so sorry to hear that you didn’t like the recipe. I wish I could pinpoint the reason the recipe went wrong for you… some brands of tahini are more bitter than others, so maybe that could’ve caused it? Especially if you liked the broccoli and chickpeas, I’m wondering if the tahini was the issue. As to the quinoa… in my home we eat our lunches/dinners in large bowls, and I’d always rather underestimate the recipe serving size than see people have less food than they expected. Anyways, I’m really sorry that you didn’t like it :(

      • Reply
        Kerry
        February 23, 2018 at 10:36 pm

        Thanks for your reply Sarah – it is quite possible it was the tahini. The sauce tasted ok on it’s own, but just didn’t work when combined with everything else. Not to worry. You have a nice looking blog – I’ll have a look around at some of your other recipes.

        • Reply
          Sarah
          February 23, 2018 at 11:34 pm

          I really appreciate your kind reply, Kerry. Again, I’m terribly sorry the bowl didn’t work out for you :(

    • Reply
      Dale Kaufman
      July 28, 2018 at 2:00 pm

      Look at my note about adding a bit of balsamic to it. It was yummy that way.

      • Reply
        Sarah
        July 29, 2018 at 10:28 am

        That’s a great tip!! I’ll have to try out this recipe with balsamic, I know I’d love that extra tang :) Thanks so much for leaving this note!

    • Reply
      Carly
      November 25, 2019 at 8:58 am

      Wow Kerry, this review is unnecessarily harsh. A couple respectful sentences about how this recipe just isn’t for you or your family would have been fine, but no need to make Sarah feel bad about it. She’s doing an awesome job putting herself and her hard work out there for others to enjoy. Keep it up Sarah, don’t listen to negativity :)

      • Reply
        Sarah
        November 25, 2019 at 9:05 am

        Thank you for your words of encouragement Carly :)

  • Reply
    Amanda
    March 6, 2018 at 2:04 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is so delicious and I love that it’s made from pantry and fridge staples. My sauce didn’t turn out very green so I was nervous that I did it wrong but all of the flavors complimented one another very well!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      March 6, 2018 at 2:16 pm

      I’m so glad that you liked the recipe, Amanda!! Thank you so much for leaving a note :)

  • Reply
    Karen
    March 8, 2018 at 8:17 am

    5 stars
    I was nervous about trying this recipe after reading the negative comment, but I love tahini so I wanted to try it. Everything turned out delicious, especially the broccoli. My family loved it!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      March 8, 2018 at 8:24 am

      Hi Karen, I’m so glad you liked the recipe!! Thank you for leaving a note :)

  • Reply
    Aericka
    March 17, 2018 at 8:30 pm

    Hi ! I made this tonight and it was amazing ! The roasted chickpeas and broccoli were perfection! My 10 yr old son wanted the broccoli “ for dessert too”. Only thing is my sauce wasn’t green , but still tasted great!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      March 18, 2018 at 8:19 pm

      Hi Aerika, thank you so much for leaving a note!! I’m so glad to hear you liked the recipe :) I just realized that I forgot to include parsley in the recipe, which doesn’t change the flavor very much but explains the color!! I’ll add that in now :)

  • Reply
    Shadytree
    March 18, 2018 at 8:42 pm

    5 stars
    Every time I try out your recipes I always end up satisfied with a belly that feels all warm and fuzzy inside.
    Thank you for everything you do. My life would surely not be the same had I not found your website.

    Keep up the awesome work!
    <3 Love from Humboldt Co. CA

    • Reply
      Sarah
      March 19, 2018 at 11:42 am

      Thank you so much for you sweet note!! I’m so glad to hear that you like the recipes here :) I hope that you always eat them in good health :)

  • Reply
    Dale Kaufman
    July 28, 2018 at 1:58 pm

    I have made this a couple of times….in fact, I made it today! I have found that the tahini gets a bit bitter sometimes so I reduce it a bit and add in balsamic vinegar. It adds just the right touch of sweet. Yummy.

    • Reply
      Sarah
      August 12, 2018 at 10:43 pm

      Balsamic vinegar sounds like a great addition in here! Thanks so much for leaving this tip :)

  • Reply
    SJ Cory
    October 20, 2018 at 5:08 pm

    Does anyone have any ideas for a broccoli substitute? My husband is allergic to broccoli.

    • Reply
      Sarah
      October 20, 2018 at 5:26 pm

      Hmm is he allergic to all cruciferous vegetables, or just broccoli? If not, I would recommend cauliflower. But some other delish ideas could be sweet potatoes + red onions (both roasted), carrots + parsnips, or even fresh pumpkin! Just be sure to adjust the cooking time for a different vegetable :)

      • Reply
        SJ Cory
        October 21, 2018 at 2:18 pm

        Thank you for your reply. I will try it with cauliflower. Fortunately, he’s allergic to only broccoli and eggplant.

        • Reply
          Sarah
          October 21, 2018 at 4:59 pm

          Please let me know how it turns out with cauliflower! :)

  • Reply
    Alexis
    March 3, 2019 at 11:02 pm

    5 stars
    I think your recipe card was broken because I couldn’t see serving size. But I made it anyway and there was a perfect amount of quinoa for two bowls. I also loved the flavor of the jalapeño sauce, it was spicy but still really flavorful. Will definitely make this again!!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      March 4, 2019 at 12:27 pm

      Hi Alexis, I’m so sorry about that, I have been having issues with my recipe plugin and hopefully it will be resolved soon! But I’m so glad to hear you liked the recipe, thank you for leaving a review!!

  • Reply
    F. Johnson
    May 13, 2019 at 8:53 am

    5 stars
    So excited to make this! Think I could substitute brown rice for quinoa and still use lemon? It’s just what I have on hand this week!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      May 13, 2019 at 8:56 am

      Hi, you could definitely use brown rice instead of quinoa! :) Hope you like it!

  • Reply
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  • Reply
    Tiffany
    November 17, 2020 at 7:31 pm

    I love this recipe although it was a little dry even with the dressing. Any tips on increasing the moisture other than just adding a little water to each bowl?

    • Reply
      Sarah
      November 19, 2020 at 3:50 pm

      Hi Tiffany! I don’t recommend adding water to the bowl because it will cause everything to get soggy! My tip would be to try cooking the quinoa with a bit more water, and adding on more dressing in the end. Hope this helps!

  • Reply
    Wendy
    March 21, 2021 at 8:13 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! I added brussel sprouts, carrots, eggplant, mushrooms, and onion and used less broccoli. I love trying new recipes and this one is great!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      April 1, 2021 at 9:59 am

      These additions sound delicious! I’m so glad you were able to experiment and find a combination that suits your palate; I love seeing readers do that! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review :)

  • Reply
    Dani
    March 22, 2021 at 11:10 pm

    5 stars
    This was super tasty! Easy to meal prep. Thank you for sharing!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      April 1, 2021 at 10:00 am

      I’m so glad you liked the recipe, Dani! Thanks for leaving a review :)

  • Reply
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