Urban Dictionary's definition:"(n) a bowl which is packed so much that it has a rounded 'belly' appearance on the top, much like the belly of a buddha."
I was seeing Buddha Bowls pop up on a lot of vegan blogs and started pinning some that looked tasty.
Here's how I make mine:
Start with a layer of greens like spinach or mixed greens.
Add a healthy grain (hot or cold). I added quinoa here but brown rice is another good one. I usually add a warm grain because I like the contrast of hot and cold in my Buddha bowls.
Then add some protein, this could be lentils (shown here), chick peas, beans, tofu, etc...
Top with raw or cooked veggies (or both).
Now's the time when you can add some fun toppings like nuts and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, hemp, chia...)
Finish it off with a savory sauce: salsa, hot sauce, dressing, hummus, tahini sauce...
Some of my variations:
{Greens, quinoa, lentils, chick peas, brussels sprouts, green beans and roasted sweet potato.}
{Spinach, brown rice, black beans, sauteed peppers and onions, grape tomatoes, cheese, salsa & avocado.}
Another one of my favorite bases is the Sweet Kale salad blend from Costco.
{Kale Salad greens, quinoa, marinated tofu.}
{Greens, sauteed peppers and onions, raw carrots and cucumbers, tofu, hummus and black sesame seeds.}
The possibilities and combinations are endless. I keep a lot of the fixings in my fridge so a quick lunch or dinner can be assembled and everyone can customize their own bowl.
Miss High School and I went vegan for Lent this year. We've dabbled in veganism before and I do a lot of vegan cooking but we hadn't gone 46 days in a row before. Yes 46 days..I thought Lent was 40 days?! (Apparently there are some Catholic loop hole days during Lent but we're not Catholic so we did the whole 46). It wasn't that bad. Honestly, it was pretty easy and I enjoyed my meals. I tried to document some of the things I ate/cooked during this time.
Taco "meat" and black beans with green beans, crushed tortilla chips and vegan sour cream.
I discovered this yummy spreadable cheeze product. It helped whenever I was in the mood for cheese! It can be heated up for queso eaten cold as a spread.
Here's a sandwich that I made for Miss High School. Ezekial bread (or toast-even better), hummus and veggies.
Quesadillas made with the Heidi Ho spicy cheese spread.
Cauliflower "steak" with mushroom gravy.
My version of a tuna melt=chickpea 'tuna' on bagel and Daiya cheese shreds on top. Daiya cheeses are pretty good and easy to find at the supermarket. I use them in my Buffalo Chickpea Dip. They make some decent vegan pizzas too.
Chao slices were the best tasting vegan cheese products that I found. These melt really nicely too.
I thought going out to dinner was going to be a challenge but it wasn't too hard. I had veggie fajitas one night, skipping the cheese and sour cream but going deep on the guac!
This was College Girl's birthday dinner, we started with the Med Plate-falafel, baba ghanoush, grilled asparagus, baby beets and pita..
My meal was a spicy lentil khorma with butternut squash and oven dried grapes. I was not feeling deprived at all!
I had a weird craving for a cheese steak one day and made one out of Italian seitan in a wrap that was so good.
Chili, always chili!
Smoothie snack at the mall.
This was a cute cafe near our house and their version of avocado toast for breakfast.
Snacks were pretty normal for me, hummus and veggies.
Frozen smoothie bowl topped with fruit, coconut and pepitas.
This restaurant didn't have that much that I could eat on the menu but I would have been happy with just this bread and wine. I ended up getting a salad and fries but that bread....
Chop & Toss salad from the mall.
Spicy veggie wrap and a soy cappuccino for breakfast, yes please!
To educate myself a little more on the benefits of a plant based diet I watched some documentaries. Two I had seen before (and highly recommend!) were:
I snapped some pics of the screen while I was watching it that contrasted an omnivore diet vs a vegan diet based on their carbon footprint.
This statistic really hit home with me too, it's what a vegan diet saves per day per person! I'm not trying to convert anybody but if you're at all interested in learning more, these documentaries are a good place to start. I thought it was fun to try and veganize some favorite recipes. I really enjoyed the challenge!
Hi! I'm Heather and welcome to my little piece of the internet. I love taking pictures and learning more about photography.
I enjoy decorating my house,blog surfing, traveling,crafting and entertaining as well as all things Disney. Thanks for stopping over. I love comments, they really make my day!
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