In London we are still in lockdown unfortunately so I decided to set for myself the following challenge: I will try to make and post everyday of this week a different buddha bowl. Bhuddha bowls, or macro bowls, are an easy and relatively fast way to have a nutritious, delicious and well balanced meal. Basically it’s a bowl that contains all of the necessary macronutrients: proteins, carbs, fibre and good fats. The basic recipe is the following:
- ¼ of the bowl should be covered by a good protein. Protein is necessary for our healths as they are the building blocks for most of our cells and the nurient that gives us a feeling of satiety. A good source of protein for vegetarians are legumes, tofu and quinoa.
- ¼ of the bowl, and perhaps a bit more than that, should be covered by fibre, that means colourful veggies that help with the gut mobility, to fertilise the good bacteria in our gut and of course provide vitamins & minerals.
- ¼ of the bowl should be covered by good fats i.e. nuts, seeds, olive oil or avocado. Good fats are essential for hormonal balance, brain function and also help reduce inflammation. I usually get these through a delicious tahini dressing which contains tahini made of sesame seeds and olive oil, some slices of avocado or simply by sprinkling a handful of pumpkin or sunflower seeds on my bowl.
- The last ¼ of the bowl is usually covered by ancient grains (except if you are celiac, which you should stick with the first 3 adapting the portions) like quinoa or dark rice. Grains are a good source of non processed carbs (that give us energy) and fibre.
The reason why I love this bowls and kicked off this challenge is because I find them a great way to think twice on what we put on our plates and how we fulfil our macronutrients needs. They are also quite fun to make as the combinations are endless based on what is available in our kitchen. If you want to take the challenge with me, leave me a message to send you instructions or just tag your buddha bowls #thebuddhabowlchallenge
This recipe comes from Caroline Yeats book A Happy Healthy you, which I love and inspired me so much recently and what makes it utterly delicious is the tahini sauce (good fats check) with lemon, cappers and tarragon offering a slightly acidic and salted taste to the green veggies: fennel, courgette, peas and broccoli (fibre check). The base is brown rice – I used the activated one by Planet Organic own label which is delicious as it keeps the crunchiness and does not become too soggy. You could easily substitute brown rice with quinoa to give this dish the missing protein ( I know I cheated and it shouldn’t be called a buddha bowl, but felt it was the most delicious recipe to get you tempted and take the challenge with me!)
Ingrediens for two portions
-1/2 cup of brown rice or quinoa
– a handful of garden peas
-a handful of broccoli florets
-1 small courgette, cut in thin stripes or spiralised
– ½ fennel cut in thin stripes
For the sauce:
- 1 tbs tahini
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 tbs capers
- 1 tbs tarragon
To garnish:
- 1 tbs pumpkin seeds
- A few basil leaves
Preparation
- Boil the rice in 3 times its quantity in water, with a closed lid, for around 30 mins until it has absorbed all the water
- Slightly saute the veggies with a tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan for 2-3 mins
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a cup
- Assemple your bowl by placing the grains as a base, layering up with the veggies, then pouring the sauce and topping up with the pumpkin seeds and a few fresh basil leaves