I was going to call this recipe an Easy Buddha Bowl with Sauteed Kale. But I discovered a Buddha Bowl is meant to be made with a vegetarian protein source. Now, I’m not against a hearty, vegetarian dish, but there were no beans in my pantry when I first this recipe. Instead, I used leftover turkey from Christmas and chicken from my meal prep to build my bowl. So a lean protein source with some hearty root veggies and sauteed kale, brings me to this easy chicken sweet potato bowl with sauteed kale.
After indulging in sweets and not-so-good-for-you foods during the holidays, I was craving something simple and healthy. I left the grocery store the week after Christmas with a cart of bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, celery, lettuce, and kale. Was I making a statement? Maybe just a small one. My body was craving vegetables. To put this bowl together, I grabbed a bit of everything that was in the fridge and threw it together. I loved it! It’s quick and part of the ingredients can even be prepped in advance.
Kale is a new food I’m incorporating into my diet. I’m not a fan of it raw, but found some recipes on Pinterest to cook and add flavor to it. A little olive oil, garlic and heat and you’ve got yourself a simple side dish and building block to almost any recipe.
If you’re planning on having this meal during the week, I recommend making the protein, sweet potatoes and riced cauliflower in advance. Hence the “easy” in the name of the recipe. Then when it comes time to assemble the bowls, simply take you prepped ingredients from the fridge and reheat in the same pan you sauteed to the kale in.
I roasted the sweet potatoes with garlic powder, salt and pepper until they were nearly cooked through. For the cauliflower, feel free to use frozen riced cauliflower or run florets through a food processor. The riced cauliflower can also be cooked in advance and seasoned to your liking. I like it pan fried with a bit of oil to make it crispy. If you prefer jasmine or brown rice to cauliflower, feel free to sub it into the recipe.
Easy Chicken Sweet Potato Bowl + Sauteed Kale
ingredients
- 50 grams kale (spinach can be used as substitute)
- 2 ounces chicken, turkey or other lean protein
- 85 grams riced cauliflower
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 T. olive oil
- non-stick spray
- garlic powder
- crushed red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper
- sriracha
steps
- Heat a medium saucepan and the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add in the kale, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir continuously until the kale is cooked through to your liking. Place the kale into a serving bowl as the base.
- Return the saucepan to the stove and spray with non-stick spray (or olive oil). Add in the riced cauliflower to pan fry (or reheat if already prepped). Cook through.
- Next, add in the prepped protein source and sweet potatoes to reheat thoroughly. Place the cooked mixture on top of the kale.
- Add the pan to stove again to cook the egg over easy, or to your preferred liking. Place on top of the bowl mixture.
- Top with sriracha, if desired. Enjoy immediately.
Let me know if you’ll be giving this recipe a try in the new year!
