This nourishing Buddha bowl is a light and nutrient rich meal. It’s perfect for a quick lunch and the best thing is that it can also be made ahead!
Today I have for you this nourishing Buddha bowl. I have been making these kind of simple and easy lunches for a while now but had no idea they had such a fancy name.
Buddha bowl! I saw it written down somewhere last year and had to google it to see what it was (I think I was living in a cave up until then lol)! And what I saw? My type of a quick lunch! I make them especially when I am in a hurry or when I don’t have any specific idea of what to make for lunch.
So what is a Buddha bowl you ask?
Well, it is a bowl packed with raw or roasted vegetables, greens, beans, grain and anything that is good for you. You can top your bowl with seeds, nuts and serve it with or without a dressing. They are also called hippie bowls.
What is in this nourishing Buddha bowl?
Veggies:
Most of the bowl content is raw vegetables which means you only have to rinse them, peel them (at least some of them) and cut them into a shape that you prefer. This can be done within minutes especially when you don’t really mind the shape of your veggies.
Buckwheat:
I added buckwheat because it is high in protein + dietary fiber. Plus it is a good source of magnesium, manganese, zinc & copper (check out this post about Buckwheat)
Chickpea:
I am a huge chickpea fan and that is why I try to include it in as many meals as possible. It is also high in protein, fiber and contains minerals such as manganese, iron and magnesium.
Did you know? (Because I didn’t…)
Chickpea contains iron that is not as easily absorbed by your body as the type of iron found in meat. This means that to help our body get as much iron as possible from the chickpea we should eat foods rich in Vitamin C (I am using scallions, carrots and romaine lettuce in this Buddha bowl recipe. They all contain vitamin C so I’ve got you covered there!).
Healthy Buddha bowl recipe breakdown:
First things first: The first thing you need to do is get the buckwheat cooking. This will take about 15 minutes. And while you wait for it to be cooked you can prepare the rest of the ingredients.
If you feel like you can’t spare 15 minutes, I suggest you cook the buckwheat the night before. It will save you time. The following day you can simply reheat the buckwheat altogether with chickpeas.
Second thing to do is prepping the veggies. Don’t forget to rinse all of them as you never know where they had been stored before. Cut them into any sizes and shapes you like.
The last step is to roast the chickpeas. You will need a frying pan. Melt butter, throw in chickpea, roast, then red paprika. Stir the chickpeas around until they are all evenly covered with paprika. Roast a tiny bit more and tadaaah!
If you decide to cook the buckwheat the night before, this is the time to add it to the pan as well. You will save time heating it up in a microwave.
So that is about it! A nutrient packed Buddha bowl is ready!
Oh, hang on! There is something more: The yogurt dressing. This is completely optional and you can season this Buddha bowl with lemon juice and olive oil only. To make the dressing just combine natural yogurt with ketchup (you can use sour cream instead of yogurt as well) and you are done!
So what do you think about this chickpea Buddha bowl with buckwheat and veggies? Do you like it? Do you make something similar? If yes, what else do you add?
Related Post:
Butter Roasted Split Pea Power Bowl
- 2 Carrots (Medium)
- 3 oz Chickpea cooked (90g)
- 1.7 oz Buckwheat (50g)
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter (30g)
- 2 Avocados (Medium)
- 2 Spring Onions (Scallions)
- 1 Baby Romaine Lettuce
- Drizzle of Lemon Juice (1/2 Lemon per 2 persons)
- Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Sweet Paprika
- ½-1 teaspoon Himalayan Salt to Taste
- 6 tablespoons Natural Yogurt or Sour Cream
- 2 tablespoons Ketchup
- First cook the buckwheat according to the packet instructions (in general 1 part buckwheat to 2 parts water). This will take about 15 minutes and the buckwheat should absorb all the liquid. Season the water with ½ teaspoon salt.
- Meanwhile: Rinse all the vegetables. Peel and slice carrots (use potato peeler to get thin ribbons). Cut the spring onions and lettuce. Cut avocado in half, remove its stone and take out the flesh using a spoon. Cut it into strips or dice.
- In a frying pan, melt butter. Throw in drained chickpea and roast for about 3 minutes. Now add sweet paprika and mix it around until all the chickpeas are coated evenly. Roast for a further 2 minutes before turning off the heat.
- Once the buckwheat is ready, check it for salt and add some more, if needed. Arrange all the ingredients in a bowl and serve warm with a lemon wedge and extra virgin olive oil or simple yogurt ketchup dressing.
- To make the yogurt ketchup dressing mix together yogurt and ketchup.
The total time will vary depending on whether you will be cooking the buckwheat ahead or not. Also when cooking the buckwheat on the day of your lunch, the veggie preparation will be done within the same time.
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Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon says
That’s a nice looking Buddha bowl! I actually have a Buddha bowl post all set up for next week too. It’s the time of year for healthy eating! I like your addition of the buckwheat – that grain doesn’t get enough love. And I adore spiced chickpeas, so that would be perfect for me. 🙂
Julia | HappyFoods Tube says
Thank you, Annemarie! I must check out your Buddha bowl so :)! Yeah, I am a huge chickpea fan so I put it literally everywhere (well, this does not mean it works everywhere, haha)!
Akaleistar says
That looks delicious!
Julia | HappyFoods Tube says
Thank you! 🙂