Whenever I found Buddha Bowl as a vegan option on a restaurant menu, I had always avoided it. I had the wrong impression that a Buddha Bowl is just another name for a salad. Since I do not like all vegetables raw, I was afraid that I would not like the Buddha Bowl. Weeks ago I had found a recipe for a Buddha Bowl and checking the ingredients, I thought that it does not sound so bad. So I decided to try it out, and I did like it.
Later I went to Sanya to try out their Nourish Bowl. Since Sanya is owned by the same people behind The Grassyhopper, I thought I try this nourish bowl as usually The Grassyhopper cook tasty vegan food. I liked Sanya’s nourish bowl too. I later realised that nourish bowl and Buddha bowl are different terms for the same dish.
After loving these two nourish bowls, I have decided how one can build such a bowl. I managed to find a formula for a vegan nourish bowl and it is something like this:
1. Leafy Greens (1 – 2 cups)
- Argula
- Chard
- Kale
- Spinach
2. Veggies (2 – 3 types 1/4 cup of each)
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Peppers
- Snow peas
- Squash
- Radishes
- Zucchini
3. Protein (1/2 – 1 cup)
- Beans
- Chickpeas
- Lentils
4. Carbohydrates (1/2 cup)
- Barley
- Beetroot
- Buckwheat
- Carrots
- Millet
- Parsnips
- Plantains
- Potatoes
- Quinoa
- Rice (brown/wild)
- Squash
- Sweet potatoes
- Taro / Yuca
5. Healthy Fats (1/4 cup or 2 – 4 tablespoons)
- Avocado
- Dried coconut
- Guacamole
- Nut butter
- Nuts
- Oil (avocado, coconut, olive)
- Seeds
As you can notice it contains all the nutrition the body needs. So when following the above formula, you do not have to worry that maybe you are not leading a healthy vegan lifestyle. That is my constant worry by the way!
You do not have to include all the ingredients in your bowl, just your favourite ones. If you have lots of favourites, do a different buddha bowl every time. I had the idea to start following this formula when following recipes of normal dishes. For example, last week, I have tried following as much as I could this formula when cooking shepherd’s pie.
So have you yet tried creating your own Buddha Bowl? What does your favourite Buddha Bowl consist of?