My sister was going on about Buddha bowls for a long time. But for some reason, I was never interested in trying it. It made me think of the bland, tasteless food that was passed off a vegetarian fare in the 1980s. Boy, was I wrong…
A properly constructed probiotic Buddha bowl is SO DELICIOUS. Savoury, earthy and tangy all at once. After trying out a few different Buddha bowls, I realized that all good Buddha bowls have a pretty standard construction.
How to Build the perfect probiotic Buddha bowl
The perfect glory bowl is based on layering vegetables, carbohydrates and protein. However, adding some bright and tangy fermented vegetables really makes Buddha bowls amazing. Drizzle everything with a rich and flavourful dressing and top it with something crunchy and you have a healthy and delicious dinner.
Here are the six layers of the perfect probiotic Buddha bowl.
- 1 cup of a base layer (lettuce, cooked grains or sweet potato)
- 1/2 cup of vegetables (cooked or fresh)
- 1/4 cup protein (nuts, chickpeas, or tofu)
- 1/4 cup of fermented vegetables (pickled veggies or sauerkraut)
- Salad dressing (I like my Green Goddess dressing, see the recipe below)
- Top with 2 tbsp of something crunchy.
Types of Buddha Bowls
Buddha bowls can come in all sorts of different flavours. It’s fun to play around with different combinations of vegetables, grain and spice. And because they are so easy to make, Buddha bowls are one of my go-to recipes.
Looking for some flavour inspiration. Here are a few of our favourites:
- South American: Mix rice, pinto beans, cooked mushrooms and peppers, curtido and salsa. Top with crumbled corn chips.
- Asian: Start with a base of rice noodles. Then add grilled tofu and vegetables, kimchi and peanut sauce. Top with roasted peanuts.
- Indian: Make a Buddha bowl with a bed of rice and top with some cooked chickpeas and vegetables, fermented chutney, pickled lemons or turmeric sauerkraut and a curry sauce. Top with spiced Punjabi mix.
- Cajun Spice: Toss sweet potatoes in oil, then sprinkle with Cajun spice and roast at 400F for 30 minutes. Chop up some cauliflower and add it to the roasting sweet potatoes along with some drained chickpeas. Roast for 10 more minutes. Served with the Green Goddess dressing (recipe below), fresh diced red pepper and sweet and spicy pickled vegetables. Add a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds for a bit of crunch.
- Winter Bowl: A winter Buddha bowl is probably our main go-to dish since it’s super quick, healthy and delicious. It has a bed of chickpeas and rice. And is served with whatever fermented vegetables I happen to have on hand. Then it’s topped with the Green Goddess dressing (recipe below), toasted pumpkin seeds and vegetable chips (which my kids love).
Green Goddess Dressing
This green goddess dressing is my go-to dressing for everything from salads to a vegetable dip. It’s delicious when served on top of a probiotic Buddha bowl. See the sections above to make your own healthy and delicious Buddha bowl.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a jar and shake until well mixed.
Keywords: healthy, vegan, keto, paleo, gluten free, creamy, salad dressing, Buddha bowl, grain bowl, Cajun fries, falafel
This sounds great.! But I’ve gone Paleo!! 🙂
You could do a paleo friendly bowl. They are so flexible! Just use greens, nuts and meat (skipping the buddha aspect). It’s just about preparing a much of different flavours then mixing them together in a meal topped with a dressing.
Yeah! So easy to make this whatever you need to fit your diet.
★★★★★