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Tasty Healthy Vegan Chipotle Buddha Bowl Meal Prep
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Chipotle Buddha Bowl Meal Prep

Create restaurant-quality vegan Tex-Mex at home for a week. Includes smoky, spicy tempeh sofritas, cilantro lime rice, roasted corn salsa, and fajita veggies and mushrooms.
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex
Servings: 5 meals
Author: Thomas

Ingredients

Rice

  • 1 cup dry rice of your choice (I used brown basmat(means 1 US cup or 240 milliliters)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons cilantro chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons lime juice

Tempeh Sofritas

  • 1 pound tempeh (500 grams) sliced 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) thick
  • 1-2 Tablespoons peanut oil or other cooking oil

Sofritas Marinade

  • 1 medium tomato chopped
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne ground
  • 2 chipotle peppers
  • 2 Tablespoons adobo sauce
  • 1/2 poblano pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar or other vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Seasoning at end
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Roasted Corn Salsa

  • 8 ounces frozen corn kernels (250 grams)
  • 1/4 cup red onion finely diced
  • 1/2 fresh jalapeno seed removed and finely diced
  • 1/2 poblano pepper seeds removed and finely diced
  • 2 Tablespoons cilantro chopped
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • Salt to taste

Black Beans

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 onion diced finely
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
  • 2 cans black beans liquid drained and reserved
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
  • 1 chipotle pepper minced
  • 2 Tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 Tablespoons cilantro chopped

Fajita Veggies

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 bell peppers cut into strips
  • 1 red onion sliced
  • 3 portobello mushroom caps sliced 1/4 inch (1/2 centimeter) thick
  • 1/2 Tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

Cook the Rice

  • Use a rice cooker or follow the instructions on your specific rice package to cook the rice. Stir in the bay leaf and salt with the rice and water before you start the cooking.
  • When the rice has finished cooking, remove the bay leaf and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.

Fry the Tempeh for the Sofritas

  • Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tempeh slices. Flip the tempeh periodically until golden brown on both sides. Remove the pan from the heat and turn the heat down if the oil starts to smoke at any point. Cook the tempeh in batches if needed. Add more oil if the pan runs dry.
  • Place the cooked tempeh slices on a paper-towel-lined plate to cool.

Blend the Sofritas Marinade Ingredients

  • Combine all the ingredients for the Sofritas Marinade in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until the mixture is of uniform consistency.

Marinate and Cook the Sofritas

  • Chop the tempeh into small cubes. Place the tempeh in a large bowl or dish and add the blended marinade and stir to mix well.
  • (Optional) If you have time to marinate the tempeh, you can marinate it anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight in the fridge.
  • Pour the tempeh into a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of water. When the marinade begins to boil, reduce to low heat and cover. Simmer until the tempeh is heated through and saturated, 10-15 minutes. If the sauce is too watery, uncover and simmer until reduced to the desired consistency.
  • Stir in the nutritional yeast just before serving.

Roast the Corn and Mix the Salsa

  • (Optional) Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the corn. Cook until well browned, 8-12 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Combine the corn with the rest of the Corn Salsa ingredients in a bowl. Stir to mix well.

Cook the Black Beans

  • Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion. Stir for 2-4 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic. Stir for 1 minute. Add the oregano and cumin. Stir for 1 minute.
  • Add the beans, bay leaf, adobo, and chipotle pepper. Stir well. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro before serving.

Cook the Fajitas

  • Before starting, check the size of your largest and heaviest skillet to see if it can fit all the ingredients (roughly) in a single layer. If not, you’ll need to cook in batches.
  • Heat the oil in the large, heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat until hot. Add the vegetables and mushrooms. Cook until nicely caramelized on the exterior, but still crisp, 6-8 minutes. If the oil starts to smoke, remove the skillet from the stove and reduce the heat before returning it.

Assemble the meal-prep containers

  • Serve equal amounts of each component into each container.

Notes

The prepared meals will stay good for 5-6 days in the fridge.