I love Buddha Bowls. They are quick, nutritious, satisfying, and easy. I find them calming and easy on my digestion, too.
A typical Buddha Bowl combo includes:
- A whole grain (rice, millet, quinoa, or if you want to splurge, 100% buckwheat noodles, though I find their taste a bit heavy)
- Some form of protein, usually vegetarian (hence the Buddha part) — in this case, lentil dahl, but can be garbanzo beans, tofu or tempeh if you eat soy (make sure it is organic to ensure that it’s non-GMO), or a tahini (sesame seed paste) sauce, or a small amount of meat such as stir-fried chicken or steak.
- Lots of veggies, either steamed or sauteed
Plus:
- A small amount of raw veggies, for example, mung bean sprouts or chopped cilantro
- A small amount of pickled vegetable if it mixes with the meal, for example, sauerkraut or kimchi.
A lentil dahl Buddha bowl seems exotic, but is surprisingly simple. Though it requires that a few different dishes be prepared at once, each is super simple and they all cook at the same time.
Red Lentil Dahl & Roasted Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl
A lentil dahl Buddha bowl seems exotic, but is surprisingly simple. Though it requires that a few different dishes be prepared at once, each is super simple and they all cook at the same time.
- 1 cup of long grain brown rice
- 5 cups of water
- 1 small chopped onion in 1 heaping tbsp of coconut oil.
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 cup of red lentils
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 3 cups of washed (chopped kale)
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 small head of broccoli
- 1/2 cup of the cooked rice
For the grain:
- Cook 1 cup of long grain brown rice in 2.5 cups of water for 25 minutes, or until done.
For the red lentil dahl:
- Saute 1 small chopped onion in 1 heaping TBS of coconut oil.
- Add 2 tsp curry powder and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add 1 cup of red lentils and saute for another 30 seconds.
- Add 3 cups of water, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Check and stir periodically to keep from sticking.
- Add 1/2 tsp of salt at the end and stir.
For the veggies:
- Cube 2 sweet potatoes, place in a baking tray, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes
- Cut 1 small head of broccoli into florettes (save the stems for another dish) and add to the sweet potatoes in the over for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Steam 3 cups of washed, chopped kale for 6-8 minutes in a steamer basket.
To serve:
- When all the ingredients are done cooking, place 1/2 cup of the cooked rice into a bowl, add a healthy scoop of the red lentils, then layer on the kale, then the roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli.
- Sprinkle on salt and black pepper to taste and enjoy!
- Optionally top with a small handful of mung bean sprouts or 1 TBS chopped fresh cilantro.
This amount of ingredients serves 3 people as the only dish in the meal (or 2 for dinner with a nice portion of lunch leftovers for one person), but can easily be doubled or tripled to accommodate a family.
