Sooo, what is a Buddha Bowl aka Hippy Bowl aka Rainbow Bowl? Best description is: Beans (or protein of your choice), Greens, and Veggies, heaped beautifully in a bowl and resembling a "buddha belly!"
My version kicks it up a notch with the addition of a healthy grain.
Simply put: Your green is your base, on top of that you add your cooked and raw veggies, then a protein of your choice and a grain of your choice.
Arrange it prettily in the bowl (presentation is a stimulate to appetite!) and drizzle on your dressing.
I also like to give a delicious sensory treat by having crunchy, tender, hot, cold, sweet and savoury.
If you want to enjoy a Buddha Bowl meal all week, my suggestion is prep all the ingredients on Sunday, and store in the 'fridge, building your Buddha Bowl fresh each day! It makes a great take-to-work lunch or easy supper.
I built this particular bowl with a bed of red leaf lettuce, then added crunchy watermelon radish, red pepper spears, sliced grape tomatoes, Rice Select Royal Blend (cooked according to package directions), roasted, marinated tofu, and roasted chick peas and sweet potato (recipe for tofu and roasted veggies below!) For optional garnish add sliced avocado on top.
The dressing I created is so good you can use it as the base for many different options. I chose lemon as the main flavour, but you can use fresh herbs, different citrus, tahini, nut butters etc. Your imagination is your friend here.
Creamy Lemon Dressing
- 1 can 398ml cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 large cloves of minced garlic or 1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden garlic paste
- Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Water as needed
Put everything EXCEPT the water in a blender or small food processor. Blitz everything until smooth, add a little water at a time until the sauce is the thickness you like. Drizzle over your dish.
A good thing to note is that you do not need the water if you want to use this recipe as a high fibre, protein-filled dip. Or if you want to make a really good Caesar Salad dressing add ¼ cup shredded fresh parmesan to the recipe and you have an awesome Caesar dressing. But I digress!
Roasted, Marinated Tofu
Pat one block of firm tofu dry and cut into cubes. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, turning if needed. This gives the tofu a lovely, crispy brown crust that the marinade doesn't diminish! While still warm toss the tofu cubes in the prepared marinade and allow to cool. Store in a sealed container in your 'fridge.
Teriyaki Sauce Marinade
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 clove minced garlic or 1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
Whisk everything together and let the flavours hang out while you prepare whatever you are using it for.
Roasted Sweet Potato and Chick Peas
Scrub sweet potatoes and dry well. Cut into cubes. Rinse one can of organic chick peas and let drain. Dry in a tea towel. In separate bowls toss the sweet potato cubes and chick peas with a dash of olive oil and a few sprinkles of your favourite spice blend from our bulk spice bins. Or use a flavoured oil like Kricklewood infused Sunflower Oil. Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until sweet potato is just fork tender and chick peas are lightly browned. Cool and store in covered containers in 'fridge.
