Buddha Bowls

I love Buddha bowls, for so many reasons. They’re a fantastic way to use up random things in your fridge, like leftover cooked rice or beans, and they’re great on a steamy Sydney night when you don’t want to eat a hot meal but feel like something a little more substantial than salad.

This is not a recipe as such, because the whole idea of a Buddha bowl is that you take whatever ingredients you have to hand, toss them in a bowl, pour on a tasty sauce and voilà – dinner is served. The basic formula is a cooked starch (such as rice, quinoa or sweet potato), a legume (try chick peas, black beans or lentils), a green leafy vegetable (cooked, raw or both), a selection of other raw and/or cooked vegetables, and a creamy sauce.

Mine was made from:

Sweet potato, baked in the skin until soft, then peeled and roughly chopped
Beetroot, peeled, diced, drizzled with Golden Orange Caramelised Balsamic Vinegar, which I’m currently obsessed with :), and baked until fork-tender (about 30 minutes)
Zucchini, cut into batons, drizzled with Golden Orange Caramelised Balsamic Vinegar, and baked for 20 minutes
Asparagus, drizzled with Golden Orange Caramelised Balsamic Vinegar, and baked for 20 minutes then cut into 5 cm lengths
Silverbeet, shredded and steamed until tender
Broccoli, cut into florets and steamed until just tender
Cooked chick peas
Coriander, finely chopped, as a garnish
And a sauce made from natural soy yogurt*, tahini, peanut butter, tamarind purée and blackstrap molasses, whisked together

* I make my own, using Bonsoy and a dairy-free culture from Green Living Australia