Buddha Bowls Recipe (Guest Post)

Another great guest post in our week of Spring Fever recipes!  This one comes from Willy B Mum, a great resource blog that focuses on vegetarian and vegan foods, health, fitness, our environment, spiritual vibes, little boys and natural parenting!

Popular with yogis and health foodies alike, “Buddha Bowls” are basically a 3-part one plate meal, which is also known as a “Scrap Bowl”. The description Scrap Bowl originates from it being a perfect quick & easy dish to make up from scraps of food that are going to go off and need to be used. The 3 parts being a grain, vegetables and a sauce of sorts. Personally, I also like to add sliced fresh avocado and sesame seeds to add a creamy-crunchy finish.

One of the reasons I love buddha bowls is because they are so adaptable. Once you have the formula right you can create to suit your tastes, and what you have readily available. Other ingredients you can use but not limited too – a hard boiled egg, brown rice, pasta, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, nuts, beans, baked tofu, boiled edamame, sliced plantain, sauteed onions, grilled mushrooms, raw arugula, pumpkin seeds, pesto sauce, chilli flakes, fresh ramps or fresh tomatoes.

The most important thing is to keep it as healthy as possible. Do not add processed foods to the mix. Keep the heat to a minimum; the less cooked food the higher the nutritional content. Try to keep it as plant-based as possible; adding dairy and meat kind of goes against the cleansing vibe of this dish. What do you think about when you think of the great Buddha. I think of peace love and harmony, and that means a clean meal where no harm was done.

To get you started on a creation of your very own, here is one of my favorite Buddha Bowl recipes.

Enjoy!

• Cook a cup of Quinoa and place to the side

• Pre Heat over to 350F
• Roughly chop 1 broccoli, 1 cauliflower, 1 whole onion, half a cup of peas, 2 cups of mini carrots and 3 cups of shiitake mushrooms
• Place in a baking tray lined with olive oil and a small amount of sea salt to season
• Roast for approximately 45 minutes or until desired consistency

• In a blender, drain one tin of cannelloni beans, reserving the liquid
• Add 2 tablespoons of sesame tahini, a juice of one big lemon, 2 tablespoon of brewers yeast, 2 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 gloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste
• Hit Blend until completely smooth, adding the reserved water as needed to make sure that it is a thin sauce. You do not want it to be to thick as otherwise it is hard to dress the meal with

• Slice half an avocado for each dish
• Sesame Seeds on side

• Layer the bottom of serving dishes with the Quinoa
• Add a generous serving of the vegetables
• Add 1/2 cup of the sauce on top, spreading evenly
• Top with Avocado and Sesame Seeds

Willy B Mum is written by Australian Mother, Libby, who resides in Brooklyn NY with her 3.5 year old Son, 2 dogs and husband. Willy B Mum focuses on vegetarian and vegan foods, health, fitness, our environment and natural parenting. Keeping it Green! (Photo from today attached of Miles Storm and I).