My current favorite: spinach, carrots, asparagus, and green beans over rice

Ready to feel at one with the universe? Whip up an infinitely versatile Buddha Bowl to turn whatever you have on hand into a tasty (and photo-worthy) dinner. What exactly is a Buddha Bowl? Packed with whole grains, plant proteins, and vegetables, it's the ideal vegetarian one-bowl dish. The best part is that you can swap out different ingredients to suit your taste - meaning there isn’t one single recipe. Think of a Buddha Bowl recipe as a general guideline rather than a precise science. A recipe without a recipe - how very Zen.

Basic Ingredients

GRAINS

Pick one. Good options are jasmine rice, quinoa, rice or soba noodles, even zucchini ‘zoodles’ or cauliflower ‘rice’ if you are trying to be grain-free

VEGETABLES

Pick three or four that are easily steamed or roasted. Good options include asparagus, green beans, sweet potato, butternut squash, edamame, spinach, carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, or cauliflower.

PLANT PROTIEN

Pick one. Baked or sautéed tofu, roasted chickpeas, white beans, or roasted mushrooms are great here. You can even (gasp) make your bowl non-vegetarian and add some roasted chicken, sautéed shrimp, or smoked salmon.

GARNISH

Pick two or three fresh vegetables or fruits that you enjoy to accent the overall flavor. My go-to garnishes usually include green onions, limes, chives, lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, avocado, or sesame seeds.

DRESSING

A light dressing or sauce will help tie everything together and harmonize your flavors. Think homemade sesame oil vinaigrette, gluten-free teriyaki sauce, or a ginger-honey dressing.

Put it all together

My current favorite is a sautéed spinach bowl with asparagus and green beans over rice. Here is how I put it all together for 2 servings:

1 cup of rice, cooked per package directions. If you want to step it up a notch, follow my recipe for crunch rice HERE. When rice is cooked, divide evenly between two bowls.
Add 2TBS coconut oil, 1TSP fresh ginger, and 5 drops sesame seed oil to a large skillet. Sauté 2 cups baby spinach with 1 cup shredded carrots over med-high heat until spinach is slightly wilted and carrots are browned. Divide into 2 servings and add to the rice bowl. Do not clean skillet out.
At the same time you are sautéing the spinach and carrots, steam 1 cup of asparagus (chopped into 1 inch pieces) and 1 cup green beans (ends trimmed and chopped into 1 inch pieces). Lightly steam until veggies are tender-crisp.
Once asparagus and green beans are lightly steamed, pour these vegetables into the same skillet used to sauté spinach and carrots. Flash-sautee the green beans and asparagus over high heat until lightly browned, but still tender-crisp. Don’t overcook! Add to rice bowl.
Top each bowl with 1/2 cup finely chopped romaine lettuce, 1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber, 1/4 sliced avocado, and 1 lime wedge. Recently, I’ve been making a non-vegan version and adding a fried egg on top as well.
Lightly dress each bowl with gluten-free teriyaki sauce.

Bliss out, become one with the universe, and enjoy your Buddha Bowl!