Gratitude Buddha Bowl

Do you make Buddha Bowls? What is a Buddha Bowl, you may ask? A bowl depicting Buddha, no, not really, but it can be.

A Buddha Bowl is the simplest, most nourishing and most colourful food you can have in one bowl. Buddha Bowl is not a recipe as such but a general name for bowls that are mainly filled with grains, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

As I travel through South East Asia extensively, I am thinking that the westernised name Buddha Bowl stems from the practice of Buddhist monks asking for alms;  going from house to house with a bowl and being given left over food. As Buddhist monks are vegetarian, most of the time that would be rice and vegetables. The householders would be blessed by the monks and the monks would have food for the day.

For me Buddha Bowls also have a meaning of gratitude. Gratitude to have food on the table;  gratitude to be happy with simple, nourishing foods; gratitude of being able to give and receive.

Buddha Bowls don’t necessarily have to be vegan or vegetarian, you can add animal protein if you choose to do so. But for me they are a great way to include more vegetarian/vegan meals into my daily diet.

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Buddha Bowls are so versatile – you can add any grain, such as rice, quinoa and millett and mix it with as much or little vegetables as you like. Add dried fruits, seeds, nuts or legumes and even sauce. They are easy to assemble and you can use whatever you have in the fridge or pantry. Buddha Bowls are easy and you don’t need to follow a recipe – whatever takes your fancy. Buddha Bowls are perfect for a long plane ride. I generally don’t eat airplane food – the food makes me sick from all the preservatives, I get bloated and it tastes awful. I prepare a Buddha Bowl for me whenever I travel. As long as you are using fresh ingredients that don’t need to be refrigerated for a few hours, you’ll have the perfect airplane food. Pack it in a BPA free plastic container with the sauce on the side and you’re set. A Buddha Bowl is perfect eaten at room temperature, which is perfect when you are travelling.

Whenever I have left over steamed rice and put a Buddha Bowl together and have a meal ready in few minutes. If you are vegetarian or vegan ensure you add some legumes, nuts and seeds in to boost your protein intake. It is also important to add some good fats to the Buddha Bowl, such as avocado. Otherwise just experiment with whatever you’ve got, don’t be scared to add different ingredients and try different combinations. You might surprise yourself how many different ways you can make a Buddha Bowl.

The below recipe is just a guide to start you off. As you can see I have not noted the quantities, because at the end of the day, just add in what you have and what you like. Just make sure you have a big enough bow to mix it all in, add a sauce you like, serve at room temperature and enjoy.

Gratitude Buddha Bowl with Tahini & Garlic sauce

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Eat! Share! Enjoy!