For something substantial, nutritious and hearty, you can’t go wrong with this Buddha bowl.

A Buddha bowl is typically a vegan meal, served in a single bowl filled with small selections of several foods, mostly served cold. These may include whole grains such as quinoa or brown rice, plant proteins such as chickpeas or tofu, and fresh vegetables. Oh, and theories as to why it’s called as such vary from the story of Buddha carrying his bowl to fill with vegetarian food given to him by villagers, through to the stuffed bowl resembling the belly of Budai, the 10th-century monk often confused with Buddha.

Hanna Sillitoe, author of Radiant – Recipes to Heal Skin from Within, swears by this recipe’s health benefits. “The Buddha Bowl is genius in that you can use what you’ve got in,” she says. “You must try this dressing. So easy and so good.”

Ingredients:

MAKES TWO BOWLS
– 150g kale
– 4 carrots
– 200g tofu, firm
– 1 tin chickpeas, drained
– Handful pomegranate seeds (frozen works, too)
– Handful fresh coriander
– 2 tbsp olive oil
– 2 tbsp tamari
– 2 tbsp maple syrup
– Salt & pepper to season

(For the dressing)
– 2 tbsp tahini
– 2 tbsp olive oil
– Juice of half a lemon
– 2 tsp tamari
– 2 tsp maple syrup
– 1 tsp horseradish (optional – it gives a fiery kick)
– 2 pinches of turmeric

Method:

1. Massage 2 tsp olive oil into the kale along with a pinch of salt and a tsp of fresh lemon juice. Massage the leaves to soften them.
2. Warm a pan over a medium heat. Flash fry the kale to wilt it a little more. It might crisp the edges too. Set to one side
3. In the same pan, add a little more oil and fry the chickpeas with a drizzle of maple syrup and a drizzle of tamari sauce. I like to add lemon juice too. The chickpeas will turn sticky and golden within minutes. Set to one side
4. Add a little more oil to get the pan really hot, then add the tofu. Shake the pan as it fries. It should sear on all sides and absorb the tamari / maple flavour
5. Finally add the carrot ribbons to the pan for a couple of minutes
6. Spoon everything into two bowls
7. To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together, then slowly add spoonfuls of water until you get the consistency right. The dressing should be thick but you should be able to drizzle it
8. To finish your bowls, drizzle the dressing, and add pomegranate seeds, sesame seeds and fresh coriander

For more skin-friendly recipes like this Buddha Bowl, head to Hanna’s website.

Skin Healing Expert: Your 5 pillar plan for calm, clear skin by Hanna Sillitoe is available on Amazon.

Hanna Sillitoe began sharing her personal battle with skin health through an online food blog, which eventually led to her best-selling book Radiant –Recipes to Heal Skin from Within. Hanna’s book has sold over 25,000 copies around the world and it’s the 28-day plan within this book that many of her online followers credit as having cured their skin complaints.