How to Make a Buddha Bowl

One of the hottest food trends for the spring-summer 2017 the Buddha bowl. But you may be asking yourself, what exactly is a Buddha bowl? This post is brought to you by Pompeian for #TrendingintheKitchen.

A Buddha bowl is a healthy and colorful mix of vegetables, grains, protein, fruit, greens, nuts, seeds and healthy fats served in a large bowl. Its ample serving size is referenced to the belly of Buddha, hence the name.

Buddha bowls are one food trend that I can definitely get behind because eating them makes me feel good. Another thing I love about Buddha bowls is that you don’t have to follow any specific recipe to make them. You can use whatever ingredients you have on hand, and in minutes have a nutritious and delicious lunch or dinner.

Step by Step: How to Make a Buddha Bowl

Step 1: Start with a bed of greens

Ideas: spinach, kale, arugula, lettuce, swiss chard

Step 2: Add grains

Ideas: brown rice, quinoa, couscous, freekeh

Step 3: Add veggies (can be raw, sautéed and/or roasted)

Ideas: tomatoes, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, mushrooms, peppers, Brussels sprouts, beets, cucumber

Step 4: Add protein

Ideas: garbanzo beans, black beans, kidney beans, edamame, hummus, tofu, tempeh, hard-boiled egg, chicken, ahi tuna, shrimp

Step 5: Add healthy fat, nuts and/or seeds

Ideas: avocado, walnuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds

Step 6: Drizzle with dressing

In my opinion, the pièce de résistance of the Buddha bowl is the dressing. And my absolute favorite is a simple tahini dressing made with sesame seed paste, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. You can put this dressing on anything and it will taste AMAZING!

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Tahini Dressing

Author: Stefanie Fauquet

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sesame seed paste
• 1 tablespoon Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients until creamy. Add more lemon and/or garlic to taste.

Whenever I make any kind of salad dressing I aways use Pompeian Robust Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it has a full-bodied flavor that is fruity with overtones of freshly cut grass and an aftertaste of walnuts and tomato leaves. Pompeian Robust is extremely low in acidity, yet has a spicy, bitter character, making it perfect for marinades, pastas and salad dressings.

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