First things first, what is a Buddha bowl? Buddha bowls are complete and balanced, vegetarian or vegan meals that fit in a large bowl. In addition to helping you eat well, they can be a real time-saver since all the elements can be prepared in advance for several meals. And you can’t get tired of them because you can invent lots and lots of variations.
Today, we offer you :
- to learn how to make a Buddha bowl,
- several ideas for fall and winter Buddha bowls,
- a Buddha bowl recipe that we like very much.
What’s a Buddha bowl made of?
Generally, half of the bowl is composed of raw and cooked vegetables (which can then be eaten lukewarm), a quarter of starchy foods, a quarter of foods that are sources of protein and some nuts or seeds that provide “good fat” and which can also be found in the sauce as with a peanut butter sauce for example.
Some ideas of Buddha bowls for fall or winter:
Here are some ideas for variations for each category that you can mix together:
- Raw vegetables: shredded marinated carrots (see recipe below), red or white cabbage, kale marinated in lemon juice, avocado, spinach shoots, thin slices of beetroot that have been soaked in salt for a few hours, radishes, cauliflower, etc.
- Cooked vegetables: roasted or pan-fried kumaras (see recipe below), roasted squash, caramelized carrots, steamed leek whites, steamed or roasted broccoli or cauliflower, spinach, sautéed Brussels sprouts, etc.
- Cereals: quinoa, bulgur, rice, spelt, semolina, noodles, pasta, bread, etc.
- Protein sources: pan-roasted chickpeas, hummus, chickpea patty (see recipe below), falafels, beans (red, black, white, etc.), lentils (green, blonde, coral, etc.), marinated and sautéed tofu, scrambled tofu, caramelized tempeh, seitan, vegetable steak, etc.
- Oilseeds: pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, chia, hemp, hemp, peanuts, walnut kernels, almonds, peanut butter sauce (recipe here) or tahini, etc.
- Bonus: seaweed flakes, nutritional yeast, sprouted seeds, etc.
Our recipe for Buddha bowl with marinated carrots, sautéed kumaras and a chickpea galette:
Here’s an idea of composition for a Buddha bowl that we love in winter. It can be a bit long if we do it all at once, but we encourage you to prepare the elements in advance for several meals.
TIME
Total: 1 h 15
Preparation: 30 min
Cooking: 45 min
DIFFICULTY
Easy
PRICE
Economical
NUMBER OF PORTIONS
4
DIET
Vegan
OPTIONS
For vanlife / Gluten-free
INGREDIENTS:
Cereals:
- 2 mugs of rice (here black rice)
Sautéed kumaras:
- 4 medium sized kumaras (New Zealand sweet potatoes)
- 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, paprika
Marinated carrots:
- 2 carrots
- 1 tablespoon of fresh or candied ginger
- 5 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
Chickpea galette:
- 1 mug of chickpea flour
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt, cumin, turmeric
Seeds and condiment:
- roasted sesame, sunflower and squash seeds
- nutritional yeast
EQUIPMENT:
- 1 stove
- 1 mug (for dosing)
- 2 large bowls
- 1 saucepan
- 1 pan
- 1 cutting board
- 1 strainer
- 1 peeler
- 1 knife
- 1 whisk
- 1 spatula
- 1 tablespoon
STEPS:
- Cut the carrots into thin slices using the peeler.
- Marinate in a bowl with the ginger, lemon juice and olive oil.
- Soak the rice (to shorten its cooking time a little).
- In the second bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour with a mug of water, olive oil and spices and set aside the time to cook the kumaras.
- Peel and cut the kumaras (sweet potatoes) into small cubes, then fry them in a pan over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil and spices for about 15 minutes (they should be toasted on the outside and melted on the inside). Then set aside to reuse the pan.
- Cook the chickpea patty for about 10 minutes on each side over medium heat. It’s difficult to turn it into one piece, so it can be cut into quarters to turn it over.
- Drain the soaking rice and cook it in 3 mugs of boiling salted water until the water is completely absorbed.
- Compose the Buddha bowls by arranging all the elements with the few seeds on top.
