A super flavorful and seriously satisfying vegan Thai Tempeh Nourish Bowl, packed full with nutrient dense vegetables, and drizzled with a simple cashew curry sauce. If you’re looking for an easy recipe, this healthy meal comes together in just 30 minutes, plus it has 20 grams of plant-based protein and 16 grams of fiber!
What is a Nourish Bowl?
Essentially it’s an amazing dish loaded with nutrients coming from lots of vegetables and grains, paired with a delicious dressing or sauce.
You may be familiar with other names it goes by:
- power bowls
- macro bowls
- grain bowls
- superfood bowls
- buddha bowls
Whatever you want to call it, it’s a great way to pack a lot of punch into one delicious meal. Some of my go-to meals are nourish bowls because you can combine your favorite veggies with grains, greens and some raw veggies too. Oh and top it off with a flavorful sauce – truly the best thing.
Not to mention, nourish bowls are one of the easiest ways to meal prep for the week.
Customizable Ingredients
You can use a variety of ingredients to create your very own nourish bowl. I like a mix of fresh vegetables with roasted veggies, Here’s a general breakdown of what we’re using here for this recipe.
- greens – I used spring salad
- choice of grain – I used freekeh for this recipe but brown rice, farro, quinoa, or another grain works as well.
- red bell pepper – or choose another sweet bell pepper
- purple cabbage – to round out the colors in this bowl. Shredded brussels sprouts would be another option.
- roasted sweet potatoes – for sweet flavor
- tempeh – for plant based protein
- avocado – who doesn’t love avocado on a big macro bowl?
- cashew curry sauce – the Red Thai curry paste mixed with cashew butter and some other ingredients really adds so much flavor to this bowl
This is one of those recipes that is really easy to change out ingredients for your favorite items. For example, if you don’t love red bell peppers, try replacing with shredded carrots. Or if tempeh isn’t your thing, maybe do chickpeas instead.
The choice of greens and grains is yours too. I used freekeh because I love the taste and texture.
What is Freekeh?
Have you ever had freekeh before? Pronounced “freek-ah”. Freekeh is considered an ancient grain, low in fat and high in protein as well as fiber. In comparison to quinoa, freekeh has more protein and twice as much fiber (serving for serving). Freekeh is also lower on the GI index, meaning it’s great for keeping blood sugar levels stable. AND get this: Freekeh is high in iron, calcium and zinc, with prebiotic contents, which can help promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut.¹
So basically it’s a powerhouse grain that you need in your life! Personally, I love it. It reminds me of a cross between rice and farro. I love the chewy texture and slightly nutty taste it has.
How to prepare Freekeh
I’ve more recently been preparing freekeh in my Instant Pot, using Bob’s Red Mill cooking instructions.
But you can also boil it in a pot of water with a 1:2 ratio. So you need 1/2 cup freekeh with 1 cup water to make two servings for this recipe. Allow the pot to boil and simmer until the water has disappeared, typically about 15 minutes or so depending on how much you’re preparing.
This is something that can be meal prepped ahead of time making this power bowl recipe super easy to throw together.
How to Cook Tempeh
I always find I enjoy tempeh most when it has been marinated for at least 30 minutes, or a day ahead if you remember and have time.
For this bowl recipe using tempeh, you just need to chop the tempeh into cubes and place in a shallow bowl with coconut aminos (or soy sauce), sesame oil and rice vinegar. Flip over after about 15 minutes if not fully covered. Or marinate in a reusable bag placed in fridge overnight.
Simple Cashew Curry Sauce
Oh my, this delicious cashew curry sauce… where have you been all of my life?! This is probably my personal favorite dressing to throw on salads and power bowl recipes like this. Flavorful, filling and kind of addicting. It could probably even double as a fry dipping sauce…
And just made with 4 ingredients!
- cashew butter
- Red Thai curry paste
- coconut aminosThe main idea behind the nourish bowl is that you’re loading up a bowl with nutritious foods, and getting a good mix of carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein. Experiment and play around with your favorites.
- rice vinegar
Not a fan of cashew or red curry paste? Try my tahini sauce or my peanut sauce.
Assembling the Bowls
Divide everything into two bowls, starting with a base of leafy greens. Then add on the cooked freekeh, tempeh, then the veggies in a single layer. Drizzle with the cashew curry dressing and you’ve got yourself a delicious nourish bowl!
If you want a little extra sprinkling of healthy omega-3’s and added texture, toss on some hemp hearts, sesame seeds, pepitas or even sunflower seeds would be great too.
This hearty meal is best eaten fresh, but leftovers will keep in fridge for a couple days.
Meal Prep Tip
These bowls don’t take much time at all and they’re great for meal prepping. If making this nourish bowl at the beginning of the week, double the batch and divide everything into 4 glass storage containers, putting the dressing in its own container to serve when you’re ready to enjoy.
More Nourish Bowl Recipes
- Roasted Acorn Squash Nourish Bowls
- Peanut Nourish Bowl with Tempeh
- Southwest Quinoa Power Bowl
- Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl
And if you’re looking for more homemade salad dressings to try for nourish bowls, check out my favorites here.
Leave a comment and star rating review here on the blog if you make this healthy nourish bowl! I love hearing from you and it helps others find the recipe too.Xx Ashley
PrintThai Tempeh Nourish Bowl
A super flavorful and seriously satisfying Thai Tempeh Nourish Bowl, packed with nutritious foods and drizzled with a simple cashew curry sauce. Great for meal prep, vegan and gluten-free friendly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai-American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Tempeh
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 8 ounce package tempeh
For the Bowl
- 1/2 cup uncooked freekeh (or quinoa, wild rice)
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1 small sweet potato, chopped and roasted
- 1 small avocado, pitted, fleshed and chopped
Cashew Curry Sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons cashew butter
- 1.5 tablespoons coconut milk, canned or carton for best consistency
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos, or soy sauce, tamari
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon red curry paste
Instructions
Prepare the tempeh
- Chop tempeh into cubes and let marinate in mixture of 2 tablespoons coconut aminos, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar for about 10 minutes. Cook tempeh in medium frying pan on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until golden and crispy; set aside.
Cook the freekeh (or choice of grain)
- While tempeh is marinating, start the freekeh by placing 1/2 cup freekeh and 1.5 cups of water in medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until water has evaporated.
Make the curry sauce
- To make the sauce, add cashew butter, coconut milk, coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce), rice vinegar, and red curry paste in a small bowl and whisk vigorously until combined.
Assemble the Bowls
- In a medium serving bowl, add mixed greens, cooked tempeh and freekeh, layer in veggies, and top with curry sauce. This bowl is best eaten fresh, but leftovers will keep in fridge for a couple days.
Notes
Nutrition does not include cashew curry sauce
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 4
- Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 16
- Protein: 20
Keywords: macro bowl, buddha bowl, ways to use tempeh
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Valerie says
Sounds delicious! Do you think I could use green curry paste for the sauce?
Ashley says
I haven’t tried that myself but I don’t see why not? As long as you enjoy green curry!
Tim C. says
This dish is amazing. It is our new favorite. The combination of the fresh flavors and the sauce is incredible. Your tastebuds will be dancing. Can’t wait to make it again. Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Ashley says
So glad you enjoyed it, Tim! I appreciate you taking the time to share your review 😀 Helps so much!
James Pascua says
probably the best buddha bowl recipe i’ve used yet. that cashew nut butter red curry sauce is so delicious.
★★★★★
Ashley says
So glad you like it, James! I am pretty obsessed myself 😀 Thanks for taking the time to comment and leave a review!!
Ali says
This recipe is SO yummy!! I love how easily customizable it is too! My grocery store was out of tempeh so I used tofu and added some edamame! And the sauce is to die for!! This just might be my go to for the spring! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
may says
Recipe seems great ! But the calories for a portion don’t add up right.
★★★★
Amber R Johnson says
Delicious recipe for Tempeh! I’ve made this several times and it’s consistently a hit. I’ve served it to friends who’ve never had Tempeh or didn’t like it when they had it in the past and they loved this one!
I double the sauce and use almond butter instead of cashew butter and orange juice instead of coconut milk because I always have those on hand. I’ve also subbed whole wheat noodles and brown rice for the grain depending on what I have on hand.
All in all a wonderful, versitile recipe!
★★★★★
Lindsay says
This recipe was so good! I was skeptical about the cashew butter but it all came together perfectly. Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Thanks for sharing!
Sasha says
I like this recipe, but the 30 minute time estimate seems a little misleading, since it doesn’t account for time-consuming tasks such as chopping and roasting sweet potatoes (not many people have roasted vegetables sitting around ready for inclusion in a recipe…). Even without those tasks, the 10-minute prep time estimate seems wildly optimistic.
★★★★
Ashley says
Hi Sasha, thanks for the feedback. The sweet potatoes could be roasting at the same time as the freekeh is cooking/tempeh is also cooking. But I understand everyone works differently in the kitchen 🙂