Buddha Bowls - Three Ways

If you’ve been on Pinterest any time since 2016 or so, I’m sure you’ve seen “Buddha bowls.” Maybe you’ve even seen articles discussing why they’re called Buddha bowls.There are lots of those. Seriously… lots.

Whether you believe the Buddha ate this way (seems doubtful – did he even have Pinterest??) or you think people were just looking for a vaguely spiritual way to say “vegan,” these bowls are definitely good enough to eat every week.

I've got three so-called recipes in this post, but there are endless variations, and it's the perfect way to give lonely leftovers new life. Here are my three conditions for what can be called a Buddha bowl:

• Must pack enough plant-based protein that I won’t be hungry again fifteen minutes later
• Must contain enough hearty grains and veggies that no one would confuse it for a mere salad
• Must be topped with a delicious nutty dressing that ties everything together and makes you finally understand the word gestalt that you learned in Psych 101 ten years ago. Google it! Or make this bowl. Either way, you’ll understand.

Otherwise, it's a real no-rules-just-right situation. Although this blog ostensibly offers recipes, the only place I even tried to suggest measurements was the dressings. I'm not your mouth boss, and I can't tell you how much broccoli you should eat! Full disclosure: I rarely measure dressings either, because nut butters have an irritating habit of sticking to the measuring cup, and isn't that what taste tests are for? I'd also recommend making more than one serving of dressing at a time, because it keeps for a week or so in the fridge, and this is no time for economics of scarcity. 

Buddha Bowl with Almond Butter Dressing

The first buddha bowl I tried was based on a recipe by Ambitious Kitchen and I was obsessed from the very first bite. Since then I've modified her recipe to make things easier and more filling, but her almond butter dressing still blows me away. This bowl is about as basic as it gets, but the flavor combination is perfectly satisfying. 

Krishna Bowl
The second bowl doesn't require much explanation for my UF friends, but here's some background for everyone else... You see, Hare Krishnas have been serving lunch on campus at UF since the 1970s, and hundreds if not thousands of students and faculty go through the line every day. A little strange? Yes. Is the food good? Well, yes and no. It's not food like you'd see in a restaurant (we identified most menu items by the color of the goop rather than the recipe name), but it was inexpensive and comforting and vegetarian, and I really did come to enjoy those tambourine heavy chants after a while. I went through the line and picnicked with the Krishnas on the plaza at least twice a week.

The thing that kept us coming back was the dressing -- which was technically salad dressing, but I'd just ask them to douse my whole plate. When I found a recipe for the famous karma-free dressing online, it changed the game for my bowls. It hardly matters what veggies, beans, and grains you use, because this dressing makes everything right. Krisha Krishna, Hare Hare. As a dear friend once said, "The songs write themselves."

Greek Bowl

Assuming you already have Southern Bite's pickled onions on hand (and in my opinion, you always should!), this bowl comes together even faster than the other two. Using raw veggies, canned beans, quick-cooking quinoa, and super easy lemon tahini dressing from Fooduzzi, this bowl is the perfect option for someone who wants to eat healthy but is way too hungry to wait for brown rice to cook.

So that's three ways to enjoy a buddha bowl. Once you get hooked on them, I have no doubt you'll find a thousand more!