These vegan wild rice and tofu buddha bowls feature roasted beets, sweet potatoes, braised cabbage, and a tantalizing rose-hued cranberry sunflower seed sauce.

an overhead shot of a buddha bowl containing crispy tofu, wild rice, roasted beets and sweet potatoes, braised purple cabbage, and cranberry sunflower seed sauce.

Most nights of the week, dinner looks something like this! I love throwing together bowls with whatever plant protein, vegetable, and grain I have on hand. Add an inventive sauce/dressing, and you have a healthy and delicious meal on the table that doesn’t break the bank or take too much time to make.

This vegan wild rice and tofu buddha bowl is a celebration of all that winter vegetables have to offer. Sweet potatoes, beets, and cabbage are all packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and when prepared well, they are also delicious. In this bowl, the sweet potatoes and beets are roasted, while the purple cabbage is braised with some balsamic vinegar until tender.

a straight-on shot of the winter buddha bowl showing detail on the beets, sweet potato, sunflower seed sauce, and cabbage.

The cranberry sunflower seed sauce is unique, to be sure, but really tasty! It has a bit of freshly squeezed orange juice to balance out the tartness of the cranberries. If you’ve only ever made stovetop cranberry sauce for the holidays, here is your chance to diversify your cranberry recipe repertoire. 🙂 And, of course, the anchors of this bowl are wild rice and my crispy tofu. I love wild rice for its grassy flavour and aroma and toothsome texture. While it does take about an hour to cook, it is absolutely worth the time in this recipe.

how to make vegan wild rice and tofu buddha bowls

Start by cooking the wild rice. It will need to cook for about an hour.

Next, prepare the crispy tofu.

Chop the beets and drizzle some olive oil, salt, and pepper over them. Place them on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes. Chop the sweet potatoes and drizzle some olive oil, salt, and pepper over them. Place them on another baking sheet and roast them for the same amount of time.

While the vegetables are in the oven, make the braised red cabbage in a skillet. Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil, and add salt, pepper, and shredded purple cabbage. Cook for 10 minutes, add balsamic vinegar, and cook 10 minutes more.

Finally, make the cranberry sunflower seed sauce by blending together soaked sunflower seeds, fresh cranberries, freshly squeezed orange juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and water in an upright blender. Blend until smooth.

Once all the components are ready, you can assemble your vegan wild rice and tofu buddha bowls!

an overhead shot of the cooked wild rice in a pot.

the prepared crispy baked tofu shown on a baking sheet

an overhead shot of roasted beets in one glass container and roasted sweet potatoes in another glass container.

an overhead shot of the braised purple cabbage in a cast iron skillet.

an overhead shot of the sunflower seed cranberry sauce on a wooden board with half an orange, cranberries, and sunflower seeds surrounding for decoration.

These bowls are wonderful for dinner, but they are just as fabulous for weekday lunches! Just pack the sauce in a separate small glass jar and add it right before eating.

These bowls are so healthy! They’re bursting with protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fat. I debated about calling them “Winter Glow Bowls,” but opted to go for something more descriptive. You are welcome to think of them as such, though–I know I do!

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I hope that you love this recipe. If you make it, leave a comment and rating below, and if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and hashtag it #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing your tasty recreations.

Enjoy!

Vegan Wild Rice and Tofu Buddha Bowls with Cranberry Sunflower Seed Sauce

Author: Allison
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

These vegan wild rice and tofu buddha bowls feature roasted beets, sweet potatoes, braised cabbage, and a tantalizing rose-hued cranberry sunflower seed sauce. They’re simple, healthy, and nourishing. Get your late winter glow on with this delicious meal.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup wild rice
1 ¾ cups water
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 batch Crispy Tofu

Roasted Beets and Sweet Potatoes

3 medium beets, peeled
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Braised Purple Cabbage

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red or yellow onion, diced
3 medium cloves of garlic, minced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
5 cups shredded purple cabbage
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Cranberry Sunflower Seed Sauce

½ cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
1 cup fresh cranberries (or thawed from frozen)
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 medium cloves of garlic
½ tsp fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
⅓ cup – ½ cup water (start with ⅓ cup and add more as needed)

Instructions

To cook the wild rice, rinse the wild rice through a fine mesh sieve and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the wild rice and salt. Turn down heat to low, stir, and cover with the pot lid. Cook for 60 minutes, or until no water remains in the pot and the rice is tender.
Prepare the crispy tofu using this recipe and instructions. Leave the oven on.
Chop the beets into ½-inch cubes. Place in a bowl and drizzle with ¾ tablespoon of olive oil plus a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the beets to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 40-45 minutes, or until tender.
Follow the directions from step 3 for the sweet potatoes, too.
While the beets and sweet potato are in the oven, make the braised purple cabbage. Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a small pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Then add the cabbage and additional salt and pepper. (I used about ½ teaspoon of salt and about 20 twists of pepper.) Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the balsamic vinegar and cook 10 minutes more. The cabbage should be nice and tender at this point.
Make the sauce: Place the sunflower seeds, cranberries, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and water in an upright blender and blend until smooth. If you have a Vitamix or Blendtec, it won’t take long for it to get smooth; if not, it will take a bit more time.

Notes

Quinoa, brown rice, and buckwheat are good alternatives to the wild rice.

You can make the crispy tofu and sauce a day ahead to cut down on the number of components to prepare at one time!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes

Keywords: vegan tofu buddha bowl, wild rice tofu buddha bowl, winter buddha bowl, vegan bowl recipe with tofu,

Vegan Wild Rice and Tofu Buddha Bowls with Cranberry Sunflower Seed Sauce

how to make vegan wild rice and tofu buddha bowls

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