Buddha Bowl

I’ve been asked countless times what my “go-to” meals are, and what I eat on a daily basis. Surely I’m not whipping up fancy meals every night of the week right? Absolutely right!   

Even though this simple dish is a far cry from the fancy, it is easy, delicious and cooks in 1 pot! It’s the kind of healthy, hearty dish that is just so doable for every kind of person, especially those that are hungry and busy and still care about what they put in their mouths (isn’t that all of us?). It is so versatile and flexible. You can mix and match flavors and add in different vegetables depending upon the season.

Buddha bowls — colorful bowls usually composed of vegetables, healthy grains, and protein. They're also known as hippie bowls or macro bowls (for all the macronutrients they're stuffed with), and are really easy to make at home. You really can't mess up a Buddha bowl since it's pretty much anything goes.

In this recipe, the rice and lentils are boiled together and right before they are done, you can toss in the veggies to steam on top. While all that is going on, whip up the sauce, then shred the cabbage and toss it in citrus, olive oil, and a little salt. This raw portion adds enzymes to the dish, which help with digestion, and gives the bowl a delicious crunch.
If you’re not into cabbage, toss in some massaged kale or spinach.

I hope you enjoy! 

Ingredients:

Makes 2-3 servings

• 2/3 cup brown rice

• 1/3 cup green lentils

• 1/2  tsp. sea salt  or to taste

• 1 head broccoli

•  1 medium sweet potato (leave the skin on if it’s organic!

• juice of 1 lemon or lime or a combo (I prefer lemon)

• drizzle of cold-pressed olive oil

• 2 cups shredded purple cabbage

• Optional additions: leafy greens, microgreens, avocado, or sliced radishes

Directions:

1. Combine rice and lentils in a medium bowl, cover with water and wash well,rubbing grains and legumes together. Drain and repeat until water is clear.Cover with water again and soak overnight / for up to 8 hours, if possible. Drain and rinse.

2. In a medium saucepan place the rice and lentils, plus 1. cups water (if soaked – add 2 cups water if un-soaked), and sea salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook covered until water has been absorbed and rice and lentils are cooked through (about 30-45 minutes depending on if you soaked the grain or not).

3. While the rice and lentils are cooking, chop the broccoli into florets and the sweet potato into bite-sized cubes. About ten minutes before the grains have cooked (check the water level before adding veggies – if it’s dry, add a little more liquid), add the sweet potato. After five minutes, add the broccoli on top of the sweet potato.

4.  While the rice and lentils are cooking you can also blend together the sauce(see below) and prepare the cabbage: Shred cabbage using a mandoline or sharp knife. Toss with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a drizzle of olive oil and some salt. Toss to combine.

5. To assemble the bowl, simply spoon in the cooked rice and lentils with the steamed veggies, add the cabbage on the side and pour sauce over. Give thanks for the abundance and enjoy

Coach Note: Serve this Buddha Bowl with my favorite sauce! This is a delicious gingery-garlic pumpkin seed sauce that will knock your socks off. This recipe makes quite a lot of sauce, but as it keeps for five days it’s a wonderful thing to have on hand to dress salads, roast veggies and cooked whole grains. You can easily make half the amount if you know you won’t eat it all before it spoils.