Harissa & Honey Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Buddha Bowl
So I have to admit that I’ve made this Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl at least four times in the last month. It is exactly what I’ve been craving lately. And whether you add the chicken or keep it vegetarian/vegan, it is such a yummy combination.
For those of you who have been with me for a while, you’ll know that I love dishes that include textures, tons of flavour, colour, crunch…. The list goes on. I think I’m always in search of the perfect bite. This Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl has spice from the harissa and little bit of chilli, but not much heat, just as I like it. Sweetness from the sweet potato, honey and roasted pickled peppers. Savoury notes from the chickpeas, chicken and harissa. Freshness from the greens, avocado and fresh lime. Crunch from the greens and the nut and seed salad sprinkles. And creaminess from the yoghurt dressing and the avocado. Do you see why I love it so much? It’s the perfect combination dish.
I roast the sweet potatoes in harissa and olive oil, then add a drizzle of honey, garlic and chickpeas towards the end. I used pre-cooked chicken that has the same delicious harissa spice. Then pop everything into a bowl with oodles of greens, nut and seed sprinkles, a squeeze of lime and any other bits you’d like to add. I love these roasted pickled peppers. They come in a jar so there’s no cooking involved. And any salad enjoys some fresh avo doesn’t it? So that’s a must add for me.
If you prefer a vegetarian or vegan version, simply omit the chicken and add a grain of your choice. You can substitute the yoghurt with a dairy free version or vegan dressing or even a drizzle of Tahini.
Most of the delicious farm fresh ingredients for this Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl were supplied by Wild Organic Foods. Please do head over to their website to see their awesome range of high quality organically farmed produce, pantry staples and so much more. They conveniently collect the items weekly from local farms and producers. Then deliver it to your door or other convenient collection points. Farm fresh to your table.
If you like the sound of this recipe, do check out my Spicy Roasted Chickpea, Carrot and Couscous Salad.
Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl
Ingredients
- 250-300 grams Sweet Potatoes approx 2 small/medium
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil divided 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
- 3 tbsp Harissa Paste divided 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
- 1 Tin of chickpeas drained
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 Clove of garlic crushed
- ½ tsp Jalapeno chilli (Optional) de-seeded / finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 200 grams Salad leaves of your choice
- 1 Lime/lemon
- 1 Avocado sliced
- 1 Chicken breast, cooked sliced
- 40 grams Roasted pickled bell pepper slices Optional
- Nut and Seed Salad Sprinkles
- Plain Yoghurt or dressing of your choice Optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan
- Wash and dry your sweet potato then cut into wedges/slices
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of harissa paste to an oven dish. Add the sweet potato and season with salt and pepper, then mix/toss until all the sweet potato is covered well with the harissa and olive oil mixture
- Roast for 15 minutes. Prepare the chickpeas while the sweet potato roasts
- If not using pre-cooked chicken, you can cook your chicken breast now. Toss in a little of the olive oil and harissa mixture and season, then cook on medium in a pan for around 5 minutes a side. I like to put a lid on the pan to keep the chicken moist. When cooked, remove from the pan and let rest before slicing
- Drain the chickpeas. You can either add the chickpeas to the sweet potato after 15 minutes or add to a separate baking dish with the additional 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon harissa paste. Season with salt and pepper
- When the sweet potatoes have roasted for 15 minutes, remove them from the oven, add the garlic if using, drizzle with a little honey, then mix through (you can add the chickpeas to the sweet potatoes now if you want to cook them together). Place the sweet potato and chickpeas in the oven and roast for 10 more minutes
- Note: Some might prefer not to have honey on their chickpeas, hence providing the option to roast them separately from the sweet potato
- When the sweet potato and chickpeas are done, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool a little while you prepare the rest of the ingredients
- Buddha bowls usually keep each element separate, but feel free to mix it all up salad style if you prefer
Assembly
- Add a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice to the salad leaves and toss. Then create a bed of leaves in a dish or bowl for serving
- Add the sweet potato, chickpeas, pepper strips if using, sliced cooked chicken and sliced avocado to the bed of leaves
- Then sprinkle generously with the nut and seed mix and drizzle over some yoghurt or dressing per your preference if using
- Serve as is or chilled
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