What makes a bowl a Buddha Bowl? What’s the difference between all the different names for ‘bowls’ and are they gluten free? These are the questions people have been asking so this is my first Buddha Bowl recipe.

Bowls are trendy and can be found on almost every restaurant menu under a variety of names. Some sources distinguish between bowls with meat and those that are vegetarian or vegan. This trend has caught on so from Breakfast Bowls to Buddha Bowls all the rules have now been broken. A quick search for names brought up these:

• -Buddha Bowl
• -Nourish Bowl
• -Glory Bowl
• -Bliss Bowl
• -Power Bowl
• -Hippie Bowl

These meals in a bowl are not a salad. They may contain some healthy greens but the basic idea is a nice variety of nutrient dense foods, artfully presented in a bowl. They typically include a sauce or dressing that is drizzled over the meal but not usually tossed like a salad.

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A Canadian Celiac Podcast – Episode 101

I chatted with Sue Jennett on A Canadian Celiac Podcast about bowls. We talked about what goes in a bowl, what might contain gluten when ordering in a restaurant and how to build a bowl at home.

Listen here to Episode 101 A Canadian Celiac Podcast

NOTE – History buffs and observant listeners of the podcast may have heard me say Buddha lived 400 years ago. Obviously that’s wrong. Buddha is said to have lived in 6^th century BC. I liked the story of him gathering food as he walked then eating what was in his bowl at the end of the day. This sounds to me like the original Buddha Bowl but we’re not talking about ancient times. We’re talking about  21^st century ‘food bowls’ and what people are eating in them now.

Building A Bowl

The beauty of a Buddha Bowl (substitute the bowl name of your choice) is that you can make them different every time. Use the list below as a guide choosing a variety of foods from a few different categories. The trick is to keep it simple enough that the individual items shine, yet find those winning combinations that you want to repeat.

Base – Start with rice noodles, gluten free soba noodles or grains such as brown rice, quinoa, millet. or cooked sweet potato.

Plant-Based Proteins – Make a nutritious, protein rich bowl by adding tofu, beans or legumes like lentils and split peas.

Animal Proteins – For meat eaters a small amount of sliced beef, pork, chicken, fish or seafood and hard-boiled eggs are all options.

Leafy Greens – Choose spinach, kale or other greens in smaller amounts than you would use in a salad.

Vegetables – Use a variety of raw and/or cooked vegetables.

Raw veggies such as red pepper, cabbage, cucumber, radishes, snow peas or bean sprouts.

Cooked steamed, roasted or grilled veggies could be carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans or sweet potatoes.

Fruit – For something sweet and juicy add a handful of berries, any chopped fruit like mango or apple. Avocado is also a popular choice and technically it is a berry.

Garnish and Crunch – Finish off your artful presentation with fresh herbs, nuts or seeds.

Dressing/Finishing – Although a sauce isn’t mandatory many bowls are topped with a drizzle made from tahini or even a thin hummus. I topped this Buddha Bowl with an Asian inspired peanut dressing.

Buddha Bowl -photo credit Jim Little

The Buddha Bowl in the first picture was vegan but I made a second interpretation adding seasoned and sautéed chicken.

I’d love to hear in the comments below what winning combinations you came up with.

More Bowl Recipes And Some Inspiration

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl

This one starts with rice vermicelli, cucumber, carrot, lettuce, fresh herbs and chopped peanuts. The recipe includes a lemongrass marinade that can be used on chicken, shrimp or pork but you could make this vegetarian or vegan. At the table pour the Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce over your bowl and enjoy. (Get the Vegan Fish Sauce Substitute recipe here.)

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl with Lemongrass Chicken -photo credit Jim Little

Breakfast Power Bowl

For a weekend treat try this indulgent Power Bowl. It has cooked quinoa with bacon, sweet potatoes, raw spinach, avocado and cherry tomatoes all drizzled with a blender hollandaise.

Breakfast Power Bowl -photo credit Jim Little

Create a Middle Eastern Inspired Bowl starting with cooked rice and lentils, roasted onion, zucchini and/or eggplant. Top with raw tomato and red peppers, some feta cheese and this recipe for Falafel Balls with Tahini Sauce. Thin the tahini sauce with water and drizzle over the bowl. Enjoy!

Falafel Balls with Tahini Sauce -photo credit Jim Little

In the summer I experimented with a Greek Inspired Bowl. I put cooked quinoa in the bottom of the bowl and made a composed version of my Greek Summer Salad on top. I added roasted butternut squash and grilled eggplant on two separate occasions. The vinaigrette dressing from the salad was served on the side and flavoured the quinoa too.

Greek Summer Salad -photo credit Jim Little