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Gut-Healthy Buddha Bowl with Pickled Onions (Built to Protect the Good Bacteria)

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A fiber-packed buddha bowl with quick pickled red onions and a live-culture tahini-yogurt dressing, layered in an order that protects the good bacteria.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
  • 1/2 cup dry farro or brown rice
  • 1 medium sweet potato, cubed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for roasting
  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, salt and pepper
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tsp salt, few black peppercorns
  • 2 cups baby spinach or arugula
  • 1 cup shredded red cabbage
  • 1/2 cup kimchi or sauerkraut (optional, for extra ferment)
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (live active cultures)
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated
  • 2–4 tbsp water, to thin

Instructions

  1. Make the pickled onions first: combine vinegar, water, honey, salt, and peppercorns in a jar, add the sliced onion, and let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes only — don"t go longer or they lose their crunch.
  2. Cook quinoa and farro separately according to package directions; set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Toss sweet potato cubes and chickpeas with olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Roast at 425°F for 20-25 minutes, until the sweet potato is caramelized and the chickpeas are lightly crisped.
  4. Whisk together yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and enough water to make a pourable dressing.
  5. Let the roasted vegetables and grains cool for about 5 minutes so they"re warm, not hot.
  6. Build the bowls: base of quinoa and farro, then spinach and cabbage, then roasted sweet potato and chickpeas.
  7. Top with avocado, pickled onions, kimchi if using, and pumpkin seeds.
  8. Drizzle with the tahini-yogurt dressing last, right before serving, so the live cultures stay intact.

Notes

The order matters more than any single ingredient: always let hot components cool to warm before adding yogurt dressing or pickled onions, or you"ll kill the live cultures you"re building this bowl around. Swap farro for brown rice or barley to keep it gluten-free. Leftover components keep separately in the fridge for up to 4 days — assemble just before eating and add the dressing last.

Find it online: https://www.rapidrecipes.blog/gut-healthy-buddha-bowl-with-pickled-onions-built-to-protect-the-good-bacteria/