Almond Miso Chickpea Nourish Bowl (2024)

This almond miso chickpea nourish bowl provides a delicious pop of flavor thanks to a creamy sauce made out of almond butter and miso paste. The perfect lunch or dinner bowl that comes together quickly with simple ingredients.

When I first went vegan, I was instantly drawn to what I originally knew as buddha bowls. I loved that they came with so many interchangeable parts. It meant that there was more opportunity to mix and match, play up flavors, and increase the complexity of flavors. Who am I kidding, probably my favorite part of any buddha bowl is the sauce. Sauce I always feel makes a meal, and this almond butter miso dressing is super simple to make, but tastes rich and luxurious. Just pour it over your favorite combo of grains, beans and greens and you will feel nourished and satisfied. Having the right ingredients truly makes a big difference when it comes to enjoying simple bowls like this. It also means that you often need to use less ingredients, which I am always all about.

Why you should get excited about this nourish bowl

• The almond miso dressing comes together in seconds, literally pour ingredients in a bowl and whisk to desired consistency.
• You can interchange the base ingredients of your bowl. You can also save time by opting for pre-chopped, pre-washed, canned or frozen ingredients to help build a bowl like this up fast.
• It’s all vegan and can easily be made gluten free with one swap. If you’d like to make this nut free, you can also opt for a seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter.

Key Ingredients

• Chickpeas: Our main protein source
• Natural Almond Butter: Make sure its natural and runny; should just include almonds and/or salt in the ingredients
• Miso Paste: Gives a lovely salty and umami taste
• Soy Sauce: More umami; make it gluten free by opting for gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos
• Agave Syrup: Helps to balance the salty flavors; can be swapped for maple syrup
• Garlic: We are using both garlic cloves and garlic powder between the chickpeas and sauce
• Scallions: They are not just a pretty garnish, they can also add some good flavor; in this case they are adding flavor to the chickpeas

How to build a nourish bowl

• Include and some grains/starches.I used rice for this bowl, but feel free to opt for quinoa, millet or anything else you may prefer. Also, mix and match.
• Plant protein for satisfaction. Any beans, tofu or seitan can work here. Again, this is something you can also mix and match too.
• Vegetables of your choice.I used a mix of what I had on hand in my fridge with my chickpeas and then had some steamed squash that I used as another side.
• Some healthy fats. This can be in the form of either avocado, hummus, nut/seed butters, dressings, or a combo of nuts/seeds sprinkled over top.
• More toppings. I personally really like garnishes for a little extra flavor and will rely on a lot of herbs in this category, but you can also season with sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, fresh squeezed citrus, etc.

How to make this almond miso chickpea nourish bowl

1. Cook your onions and mushrooms with a pinch of salt and sauté until softened.
2. Next, cook your zucchini and scallions until zucchini starts to brown on the edges.
3. To the pan, add garlic, ginger and a splash of soy sauce and stir around in the pan to cook and become fragrant. Stir in the chickpeas and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to prepare dressing.
4. In a separate bowl, combine dressing ingredients and stir well until completely smooth. You can change the consistency of the dressing to your liking by adding more water and stirring well.
5. To assemble your bowl, start with a layer of your favorite greens, I chose spinach. Top that with some cooked short grain brown rice and a few slices of steamed kabocha squash, and your chickpea mixture.
6. Drizzle on your dressing, and top with some scallions to garnish.

Tips for making this nourish bowl

• This bowl makes 3 servings, which is perfect for meal prepping. To prep for lunches throughout the week, pack your grains, squash and sautéed chickpeas together. Store in the fridge and reheat throughout the week, then serve with your greens and the dressing. I like to keep a small jar of the dressing or to store it in individual dressing containers to portion out ahead of time.This meal can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• To make assembling and prepping this bowl super easy, I used canned chickpeas, pre-washed spinach for my greens, pre-cooked or frozen rice, and used some leftover kabocha squash I had steamed earlier in the week. You are more than welcome to use other convenient alternatives to make a nourishing bowl like this. Honestly, convenience can often times be a major life savor and can guarantee you have an amazingly tasty and nutritious meal without having to make everything from scratch.
• Make your dressing as thick or thin as you’d like by adding water in slowly. Remember that once you add too much water, you can’t take it away. I often times like to adjust mine by adding one tablespoon of water at a time, mixing and then adding more if needed.

More Bowl Ideas

• Tahini Ranch Tofu Sheet Pan
• 15 Minute Teriyaki Tofu
• Maple Ginger Beet Stir Fry
• Peanut Crunch Salad

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★Catherine