Committing to eating fresh and plant-based meals regularly can be made easier with customizable buddha bowls! Learn how to build your own Mediterranean buddha bowl that is overflowing with delicious flavor and packed with nutrients to satisfy your body and mind.
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Eat sustainably
This Earth Day, I challenge you to make one more plant-based meal a week. Whether this is entirely new to you or a vegetarian or vegan pro, we can all push ourselves to do more.
According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, meat consumption has a larger ecological footprint than the entire transportation industry! That is mind-blowing to me, yet encouraging to know that small actions when selecting our food can have a tremendous impact.
I personally could do more, but have recently made an effort to eat meat-free or minimal-meat lunches. It can be a challenge, but branch out in your local grocery stores and try something new or uncomfortable until you find something that works! Start with vegetables you know you like, such as sauteed with flavorful spices or in savory or sweet salsas!
(PS: if you have a Wegman’s available near you, their store brand meatless chicken nuggets taste like the nuggets from my school lunch days and I am in love)
What is a Buddha bowl?
A buddha bowl is what you make it; typically, a bowl filled with fresh vegetables, plant-based proteins, and whole grains.
They are 100% customizable and ingredients can easily be swapped out to fit your preferences or what you have available. Most importantly, buddha bowls are vegan and meant to help you find balance in what you eat.
I know I could always use more veggies in my diet, and buddha bowls allow me to easily get a few servings in.
To me, it’s an opportunity to indulge in a “clean” meal that tastes incredible and doesn’t make me feel like I’m missing out by not eating meat.
How to: Build Your Own Buddha Bowl
The basic composition of a buddha bowl is:
grains + veggies + protein + dressing (optional)
I like to start with a bed of lettuce or greens of your choosing.
Next, layer on grains such as quinoa or lentils.
Here comes the fun part! Pile on bright and beautiful pieces of vegetables and fruits that you love. For a Mediterranean buddha bowl I use cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, chunks of orange bell pepper, large olives, and parsley.
Arrange the vegetables on your lettuce and grains and move onto the protein.
You cannot go wrong with chickpeas! Roast some chickpeas in the oven or on the stop stovetop and pile them on. Finish with a big scoop of hummus to help keep you full.
For a basic tahini sauce, mix tahini with olive oil and lemon juice, and drizzle over the entire bowl. Enjoy with pita chips or bread of your choosing!
Ingredients Needed
Materials Needed
Mediterranean Buddha Bowl
Ingredients
- 1-2 cups leafy greens of spinach
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1/2 cucumber sliced thin
- 8 oz grape tomatoes halved
- 8 oz (1/2 can) large olives
- 1 orange pepper roughly chopped
- 15 oz (1 can) chickpeas roasted
- 1/3 cup hummus
- parsley to garnish
Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Place the lettuce in a large bowl. Top evenly with quinoa. Arrange cucumber, tomatoes, olives, orange pepper, and chickpeas around the bowl, and finish with the hummus in the middle. Garnish with parsley.
- Whisk tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil until combined. Pour over the bowl and enjoy!
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Have you ever built your own buddha bowl before? I’m so excited to try out new combinations and flavors and incorporate this feel-good meal into my routine.
I love this post! I’ve tried something similar to this in a veggie cafe before, thank you for the recipe recommendation x
thanks so much!
Oh I love this post so much! I haven’t tried this one before but it seems so great and yummy. Thanks for sharing x
It’s so great with fresh vegetables!
Delicious! This looks incredible, simple and super healthy of course. Can’t wait to try. Thanks for sharing,
Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy!
Now that certainly looks like a bowl full of goodness and certainly something I would have after going out for a ride. Again it’s easy to make as well which is ideal 😁
Its ease makes it taste even better!!
This bowl looks so good. I love all the greens 🥬 in the bowl so healthy.
This looks so yummy! I love eating plant-based, these types of foods always have so much flavour xx
I totally agree!
That’s great you’ve been making an effort to have more meat-free meals!
This buddha bowl looks so good & it would make a great lunch for me!
It surprised me how full I can feel after eating a meal with no meat, I love it!
I love Buddha Bowls! This one sounds delicious, especially topping it all off with hummus! Yummy! I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much! I’m excited to try other variations of it 🙂
I’ve never really had a Buddha bowl before but this looks delicious – love all the colours and the veggies. I might attempt something like this tonight for dinner actually! So thanks for the suggestion 🙂 xx
Thanks so much, I hope you find one that you enjoy!!
Looks like an appetizer platter – something I would LOVE to eat! It’s so colorful. This would be my perfect weekend lunch.
I absolutely love Mediterranean hummus bowls and this one doesn’t disappoint!
~Aloha
I love having Buddha Bowl, they’re so easy to make and so so delicious! Yours looks like one from a magazine!! We usually have them with rice, but should try and swap it for quinoa x
That’s so sweet, thank you!
This looks amazing! Already planning it for lunch this weekend. I love this kind of filling, healthy recipe 🙂
As I’ve been following your blog for some time now, I can say that I love the simple and genuine way you prepare your recipes. This bowl looks perfect and sooooo delicious!
Aww thank you so much! ♥️
Yum! I know what I want for lunch today!
I love hummus and buddha bowl its a great and healthy meal for me!
That’s so good to hear!
This looks and sounds yummy! I like the idea of trying meatless meals purposefully to help the Earth. My best friend is vegan so she is my go-to for delicious meat replacements. I will share this with her, too! I’m sure she will enjoy it. 🙂
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this out. It would be a great lunch!
Absolutely delicious!
We made something like this last night and it was so amazing and refreshing.
I love how you can make it so many different ways, each one is unique 🙂
We are always trying to eat the rainbow and this looks so colorful and appetizing! A combination of all the things I love in one bowl. What a great idea 😀
You had me at chickpeas and hummus! I love the idea of trying to have one more veggie focused meal a week, I will try that with my family. Thanks for this delicious and well balanced meal!
Haha chickpeas are the best! Thank you!
Delish! All of these ingredients are so yumm!
Thank you 🙂
This looks so good! I printed the recipe to make next week. Thank you!
Aww that’s great, I really hope you like it!
This is lovely! I love the hummus topping! Thank you for sharing!
Hummus is such a good snack and topping!
This is a perfect meal for me. I recently started Weight Watchers and this whole bowl is only 2 pts and it would be wonderfully filling!
Wow that’s awesome!! I hope you enjoy and it becomes a keeper!
My kind of bowl saving this for meal prep this week.
I hope you enjoy!
It makes sense that it is called Buddha Bowl. I have to fight the rest of the family to adopt more plant-based meals as they are carnivorous, but this looks so colourful and has a fancy name, so I hope to win them over!:))
Good luck!! It’s definitely a tough change at first for some!
Oh so yummy! I love everything in there! and such healthy, clean eating.
That’s great, thank you!
This recipe looks super fresh. I have not really given into plant-based eaten before, but this recipe might have swayed me. The perfect spring recipe. thanks for sharing.
That’s awesome, thank you for reading!
That looks extremely delicious and healthy. I love everything about this dish. Will try it out
Thanks so much!!
These are great for weekday dinners. I can go to the store on the weekend, wash and chop all the veggies into containers, then it’s just pile onto a plate or bowl in a few minutes. Yum!
Pre-chopping the veggies makes it SO easy!
This looks like the best meal ever. I’ll never understand why some people prefer fast food when you can have something as delicious as this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
And if you have veggies pre-chopped in the fridge I’d argue it’s even quicker than fast food 🙂
This looks amazing and so fresh! I love all the veggies and bright colors!
Me too!! Thank you!
This has been a very informative post. Thanks for sharing such details.
And the bowl 🥣 OMG 😃 I am hungry now 😅 I will try it at home soon.
Thank you! 🙂
This sounds really fresh and delicious! I already love Greek/Mediterranean food so much and have been doing bowls similar to this on a regular basis. You’ve inspired me to add a few new ingredients to the list!
Me too – love that kind of food!
This looks so delicious, & healthy , too! I have always wanted to try Buddha bowls. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
I love making buddha bowls! It’s a great way to use up lots of spare ingredients too. Your suggested recipe sounds delicious! x
Yes I love a good way to use up leftovers!
I normally don’t like many vegetables, but this recipe looks so good!
I used to not like veggies but really enjoy fresh ones like these 🙂
love this post! I haven’t tried this one before but it seems delicious
Thanks for sharing
https://uncuaderno4cero.wordpress.com/
Thank you!
This sound amazing. I do definitely be making more Buddha bowls in the future. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for reading!
Love this. So simple but looks so refreshing and healthy!
Yes SO simple and nutritious!
I love these types of dishes. I have several recipes that I make. This one is so flexible. Sounds delicious. I will definitely try this. Thank you.
Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy it!
My favorite kind of lunch! Looks so good!
Mine too!
This recipe looks really delicious. It is great as you can mix up the ingredients to your favourites. I would love that accompanied with so many different meals or on its own. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren
It’s such an easy, nutritious meal 🙂
I love how colourful this dish is and how flexible the ingredients list can be depending on what you have.
The vibrant colors are definitely what sold me 🙂
Oh my goodness yum! I will definitely have to try this out. It looks delicious. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Thanks so much for checking it out!
Will definitely try this one!! Hummus is a favorite of mine and the colors of these vegetables are so pleasing. Thank you for sharing 💫
Zinelr, xx
Thanks so much – fun colored veggies just taste better 😉
Mediterranean food is my favorite. I can’t wait to make this!
Tiffany
Phlanx’s Marketing Specialist
Mine to!!
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