Quinoa Buddha Bowl

By Nina Nyiri

What the heck is a Buddha bowl?

It’s basically a glorified name of a dish that is comprised of various greens, colorful veggies, beans or legumes and a grain like quinoa or rice!  You can think of it as a nourishing meal, that is a BALANCE of vegan and plant-based foods.

I personally like to throw bowls like this in on my training days at least once per week because there are plentiful amount of vegetables that can be used as fuel for your muscles! AND you are knocking out HALF of your recommended Fiber intake in one sitting… 15 grams!

Ingredients

• green leafy base - 2 cups spinach or kale

• grain - 1/4 cup quinoa, measured dry

• vegetables - 1 cup of each: cucumber, shredded brussel sprouts and/or cherry tomatoes (tomatoes are actually a fruit)

• legumes - 1/2 cup chickpeas or lentils

• fat - 2 tbsp hummus or avocado

• dressing - freshly squeezed lemon juice

• garnish - parsley or green onions

• Himalayan sea salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Utensils

• cutting board

• skillet

• small/medium cooking pot

• bowl or plate

Directions

1. Prepare quinoa as directed and cut vegetables to your liking.

2. In a bowl or plate, add your green leafy base, cooked quinoa, cucumber, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, chickpeas and parsley.  Top with 2 tablespoons avocado or hummus and the juice of one lemon wedge. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Enjoy!

Training day: option to add a palm of protein (chicken, shrimp or lean ground turkey)

Rest day:  omit the quinoa and option to add a palm of protein (wild salmon or lean ground beef)

Optional Swaps:

• Brown Basmati Rice for quinoa

• Onions for brussel sprouts

• Mushrooms for cucumber

• Lentils for chickpeas

• Hummus for avocado

YIELD/SERVING 1

Serving Size: Entire serving

• Protein - 15 g

• Carbs - 8 g

• Fat - 53 g