September is the month of birthdays in my family–there are at least four. As evidenced here, here, here, and here, I have a very soft and tender spot for cake. And so, more than anything this month, I’ve been craving foods that I could feel good about eating. I’m talking nutritionally dense foods that are also filling and easy to source, as the bountiful summer produce disappears from the market. A beautiful, colorful Autumn Harvest Buddha Bowl filled with hearty quinoa, bright orange butternut squash, earthy roasted mushrooms, deep green wilted spinach, and protein-rich tofu make me feel good about the meal, while the richly satisfying peanut sauce keeps me eating to the very last bite. I told my 5-year-old that it was “peanut butter sauce”, which made him grin from ear to ear and eagerly eat the entire buddha bowl. (Because who doesn’t love peanut butter?)
Notes: Buddha Bowls are highly customizable. The quinoa can be replaced with quick-cooking farro, barley, or brown rice. The roasted vegetables could be pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, and/or kale. The tofu could be chickpeas, beans, or lentils. If you’re feeling more like having a Dalai Lama bowl, shredded or chopped rotisserie chicken would be a great substitute for the tofu. The optional fish sauce will also deepen the flavor or the peanut sauce.
The chiles in the peanut sauce are there for flavor and can easily be modified for your heat preferences. Smaller red or green Thai chiles provide the most heat, especially if you leave the ribs and seeds intact. Jalapeños with the seeds and ribs removed will be super mild–I used one and no one noticed any spiciness at all.
Peanut sauce adapted from Bon Appetit.
Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
For the vegetables and tofu:1 14-ounce block Firm or Extra-Firm Tofu2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1″ pieces (about 1 large butternut squash)8 ounces crimini (brown) mushrooms, quartered5 ounces baby spinach3 tablespoons grape seed or olive oil, divided useKosher salt
Freshly ground pepper