Vegan Lunch Prep Tempeh and Squash Buddha Bowls with Turmeric Tahini Sauce

Look no further than these tempeh and roasted squash buddha bowls to get you through almost a full week of work lunches! These bowls are packed with maple-balsamic baked tempeh, roasted delicata squash, quinoa, steamed broccoli, raw shredded cabbage, herbs, and an addictive turmeric tahini sauce that you’ll want to pour over everything.

Perhaps your goal for 2020 is to pack healthier lunches, but you haven’t the slightest idea where to begin, or what to make. Never fear: the vegan lunch prep series is here! Over the next few weeks/months, I’ll be posting several healthy plant-based lunch recipes, starting with these mouthwatering tempeh, roasted squash, broccoli, and quinoa buddha bowls with turmeric tahini sauce. Prepare them on the Sunday, portion them out into four containers, and you have lunch from Monday to Thursday. Or make a batch for your whole family to enjoy one day of the week.

Though I marvel at folks who dedicate an entire weekend day to meal prep, not everybody has the wherewithal or motivation to do so! I love to cook, but I enjoy preparing something every day or every couple of days rather than doing everything at once.

That being said, I struggle to come up with innovative workday lunches, so I can certainly get behind the idea of prepping one big batch dish on the weekend, such as these buddha bowls, to provide lunches during the week. They take only an hour to whip up, and you’ll have enough food for four meals. So if you’re single, it’ll get you through four weekday lunches; if you have a significant other, it’ll get you through two weekday lunches, and so on.

how to make these tempeh and roasted squash buddha bowls:

These buddha bowls have a few components: maple-balsamic baked tempeh, roasted squash, quinoa, steamed broccoli, shredded cabbage, fresh herbs, and turmeric tahini sauce. It sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t that bad. As you move through this recipe, you’ll find that once you have the tempeh and delicata squash in the oven, you have enough time to cook the quinoa, steam the broccoli, slice the cabbage, and whip up the turmeric tahini sauce.

Once the components have cooled, simply divide everything but the turmeric tahini sauce between four glass or stainless steel lunch containers (I recommend avoiding plastic containers for health and environmental reasons), and divide the sauce between four miniature glass jars. And voila, four lunches are prepped. Of course, you can also prepare these bowls fresh for lunch or dinner at home.

I hope that you find this recipe to be a helpful and tasty resource as you ease your way into a new year.

P.S. If you want to learn more about tempeh, check out this fabulous post by my food blogger pal, Marina, of Yummy Mummy Kitchen: What is Tempeh + Best Tempeh Recipes!

Lastly, if you make these vegan tempeh and squash buddha bowls, let us know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below this post, and tag a photo @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen on Instagram, too! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love seeing your delicious creations.

Vegan Lunch Prep Tempeh and Squash Buddha Bowls with Turmeric Tahini Sauce

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• Author: Allison
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

These buddha bowls are packed with protein and antioxidants. Nutritious tempeh is baked with a maple, tamari, and balsamic marinade, and served alongside sweet roasted delicata squash, steamed broccoli, cabbage, herbs, quinoa, and turmeric tahini sauce in this fun, delicious make-ahead lunch recipe. 

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Ingredients

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MAPLE BALSAMIC TEMPEH: 

• 1 block (250 g) organic tempeh, diced into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil  
• 1 ½ tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup

ROASTED DELICATA SQUASH:

• 1 medium delicata squash, seeds scooped out and sliced into ½-inch semi circles
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

TURMERIC TAHINI SAUCE: 

• ½ cup tahini 
• ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 ½ to 2 lemons)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp mellow white or chickpea miso
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ⅓ cup filtered water, plus more as needed 

For assembling the bowls: 

• 4 cups cooked quinoa (see note below)
• 4 cups broccoli florets, steamed
• 2 cups finely shredded purple cabbage
• ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, mint, or cilantro)

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Instructions

1. Start by preparing the tempeh: Place the cubed tempeh in a 9×9-inch baking dish. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, tamari, balsamic, and maple syrup in a small dish and pour over the tempeh. Toss to coat and set the tempeh aside for at least 30 minutes to marinate. 
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, toss the sliced squash with the olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until fork tender and beginning to brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside. 
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake the tempeh for 25 minutes, or until most of the liquid from the marinade has evaporated. 
4. While the squash and tempeh are in the oven, prepare the turmeric tahini sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, turmeric, miso, maple syrup, pepper, and water. Depending on your your preference, you may wish to add more water. You can also blend the sauce in a blender if you prefer a totally smooth sauce. Pour the sauce into 1 container to begin with; you can portion it out into smaller containers later. 
5. Prepare the rest of the bowl ingredients if you have not already done so: Cook the quinoa (see note), steam the broccoli, and shred the cabbage and herbs. 
6. To assemble the bowls, place ½ cup of the cabbage at the bottom of a lunch container, followed by ¼ of the steamed broccoli, ¼ of the cooked quinoa, ¼ of the tempeh, ¼ of the roasted squash. Top with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and cover with the lid. Repeat with 3 more lunch containers. (If you are not taking the make-ahead route, ignore this step and simply portion everything out between 4 serving bowls.)
7. Portion your desired amount of sauce out between 4 or more jars. 

Notes

• This recipe calls for 4 cups of cooked quinoa, which can be obtained by cooking 1 cup of dry quinoa. To cook quinoa, rinse 1 cup of dry quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and drain well. Bring 1 ¾ cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the quinoa and a pinch of sea salt, turn down heat, and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, or until water has been absorbed. 
• If delicata squash is not available where you live, acorn squash and butternut squash also work in this recipe. You can leave the peel on delicata and acorn squash, but you will need to peel butternut squash. 

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Lunch, High Protein
• Method: Bake, Steam
• Cuisine: Vegan