My sister’s been 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 1980’s. Boy, was I wrong…
A properly constructed probiotic Buddha bowl is SO DELICIOUS. Savoury, earthy and tangy all at once.
This sweet potato and chickpea Buddha bowl recipe on Minimalist Baker kick-started my Buddha bowl fixation. After trying our a few different Buddha bowls, I realized that all good Buddha bowls have a pretty standard construction.
How to Build a perfect probiotic Buddha bowl:
The perfect bowl is based on layering vegetables, carbohydrates and protein. However, it is the mix of soft and warm cooked foods mixed with bright and tangy fermented vegetables that makes Buddha bowls really work. 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 parts of a probiotic Buddha bowl.
- 1 cup base (lettuce, cooked grains or sweet potato)
- 1/2 cup vegetables (cooked or fresh)
- 1/4 cup protein (nuts, chickpeas, or tofu)
- Fermented vegetables (pickled veggies or sauerkraut)
- Salad dressing (I like my Green Goddess dressing, see recipe below)
- Top with 2 tbsp of something crunchy.
Types of Buddha Bowls
A basic Buddha bowl can result in all sorts of different flavours combinations. Here are a few examples:
- Mexican: Use rice, pinto beans, cooked mushrooms and peppers, curtido and fermented 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: This is the Buddha bowl in the photo below. For this bowl, chickpeas and sweet potatoes were tossed in oil, then sprinkled with a Cajun spice mix and roasted in a 400F oven for 30 minutes. I added some diced up cauliflower and allowed it to roast for 10 more minutes. It’s served with the Green Goddess dressing, fresh diced red pepper and sweet and spicy pickled vegetables. Then it’s served with a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds.
- Winter Bowl: The Buddha bowl in the photo above was made as a quick, winter meal. It has a bed of chickpeas and millet, topped with grated carrots, cooked winter greens, sauerkraut and pickled beets. It’s my amazing Green Goddess dressing that really makes the bowl work.
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
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.
★★★★★