Alexa’s Favorite Buddha Bowl and Why We Love Them

My family loves Buddha Bowls ( see my earlier video). I think it makes dinner so much more fun when everyone can create their own meal! It’s easier for me too because I just set up what looks like a salad bar and everyone gets creative. The Buddha Bowl is typically a vegan bowl, but if you’re a meat eater, include some grilled chicken, canned tuna, or ground turkey. This is great for families with different nutrition needs too, so the family member(s) with CF can load up on the higher calorie toppings while those watching weight can go a bit lighter. In my family of 5, we have 2 vegan/vegetarians and 3 meat eaters and one person with CF.

What makes it even easier is if you either have lots of leftover veggies and proteins (meat, beans, tofu) or you have done a little advance prep. I like to grill a bunch of chicken on a Sunday for those in my family who like it to eat during the week. I also roast a huge sheet pan of grilled veggies on Sundays by spreading them on the sheet and drizzling them with olive oil and placing in a 375 degree oven for 15 to 30 minutes (depending on the veggies you use). I also like to have baked white and sweet potatoes on hand for the weeknight.

That being said, let me show you what my daughter Alexa’s Buddha Bowl usually looks like. Here is a “recipe” as close as I can get with what she typically chooses:

1 cup cooked tri-color quinoa

1 small baked sweet potato, sliced in rounds

1 cup roasted broccoli and red peppers

a handful of chickpea

1/2 sliced avocado or spoonful of guacamole

a handful of pumpkin seeds

tahini dressing or greek dressing (recipe below)

The items I usually have on the Buddha Bar are:

grilled chicken strips

canned tuna

leftover tempeh or tofu

chickpeas

cooked rice or quinoa

avocado or guacamole

sweet potatoes

roasted mixed veggies (broccoli, peppers, Brussels Sprouts, zucchini, asparagus, butternut squash cubes, cauliflower)

greens (spinach, arugula, mixed salad greens) to sauté or eat raw

chopped walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds

olives (great salty addition for those with CF)

salsa, tahini sauce and greek dressing, olive oil and lemons

The Tahini Dressing recipe is in a separate post, but this Greek Salad Dressing is a hit in my house too!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp dried oregano or basil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 clove garlic, finely minced (optional)

1 T fresh lemon juice (or 4 drops Lemon essential oil when I have no lemons around)

Combine all ingredients in a mason jar and shake. Store any unused dressing in the mason jar in refrigerator. When re-using, remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes to bring to room temperature and shake before using.