Buddha bowls are large colorful meals composed of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, plant based protein, delicious toppings, and a simple dressing. These bowls are a way to make healthy eating more engaging, delicious, easy, and pretty! There are no strict guidelines when it comes to building your bowl, it can be customized to your taste preferences. Since the sky is the limit, here are five steps to get you started! 

Step 1: Pick your grain

Whole grains add fiber, carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorous to your Buddha bowl. Great grain bases to choose from are quinoa, brown rice, black rice, buckwheat, or millet. Cook according to the package instructions and fill about one fourth of the bowl with your grain.

Step 2: Cook your veggies

The most common Buddha bowl vegetable cooking methods are sautéing and roasting.

Popular vegetables to roast include sweet potato, pumpkin, potato, cauliflower, radishes, Brussel sprouts, onion, and zucchini. Prior to roasting, toss the vegetables in a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle them with some of your favorite spices such as ground cumin, coriander, chili powder, cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, curry, or paprika. 

Mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, kale, or spinach are delicious sautéed with a little oil and garlic. If you want to jazz up your sautéed vegetables a little more, use some of the spices you chose for your roasted veggies!

Step 3: Pick your protein

Make sure your bowl includes protein! Plant based proteins can be as simple as adding some black beans, chickpeas, or nuts. Another delicious way to add protein is through roasted or sautéed tofu. There are tons of great recipes and tips on how to spice up your tofu, many use spices and sauces such as tamari, curry powder, chili powder, and ginger. Find a method you love and make it your usual!

Step 4: Add healthy toppings

Raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds make excellent Buddha bowl toppings. Fresh tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, sprouts, edamame, carrots, mango, berries, grapes, pomegranate, and apple are popular choices. Guacamole, roasted chickpeas, hummus, olives, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and almonds are other great choices.

Step 5: Dress and assemble!

Finally, assemble and dress your bowl. Keep the dressing simple. It could be as simple as plain tahini, or you could mix the tahini with a little lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper for a quick homemade dressing. Other simple dressing options could be made with mustard, olive oil, and vinegar.