This isn’t really a recipe, but then, this isn’t really a normal week. Girl’s got mountains of work, which only means…uncontrollable urges to create things, apparently.
I’m trying to eat healthier these days (which reminds me, I’m plum out of spinach, must remedy!) and I’ve been enjoying trying to challenge myself to incorporate more veggies into my meals. I had a pleasant surprise when I realized I could just pack a big salad for work or for lunch and by pack I mean throw together and by salad I mean a handful of spinach + assorted veggies that are lying around + nuts + salad dressings = badda bing badda boom, a meal (!?!). That was a revelation! An epiphany! For a couple weeks now, I’ve chopped up and roasted a broccoli with an absurd number of garlic cloves, and then forcibly prevented myself from eating all of it in one sitting (which I would quite happily do), and I’ve loved having broccoli just hanging out in my fridge waiting for its purpose in life aka my salad or buddha bowl.
Do you guys know what a buddha bowl is? I didn’t, but I liked the name and googled it and lo and behold, that’s what this is. Kris Carr, Vegan Goddess, says that buddha bowls are veggies, a grain, and dressing – check out her recipe here. I started making these because I was inspired by eating bibimbap at a quaint Korean place and wanted to replicate it at home. Some other sources of inspiration: this homemade bibimbap, this sushi salad, and this sushi salad.
Like I said, this isn’t really a recipe. It’s a lifestyle.
..haha just kidding. But it’s pretty straightforward. Here’s what I usually do:
Make some sushi rice. I follow the directions on the package, then season with salt, a little sugar or sweetener, and rice vinegar to taste.
While you’re waiting for the water to boil and the rice to cook, busy yourself chopping veggies/roasting veggies/pan-frying veggies/assembling other ingredients. Some of my fave toppings:
- Roasted broccoli: chop broccoli into small little trees. Lightly coat with oil, salt and pepper, and mix in a few crushed cloves of garlic. Roast at 400 for about 20-30 minutes or until you get the desired bite you want.
- Roasted sweet potatoes: chop into small cubes. Coat with oil, salt and granulated garlic. Roast at 425 for 20 minutes, turning part way through if ya want to (works even if you don’t, but one side might be slightly darker)
- Fresh or pickled cucumber
- Lightly sauteed spinach, mushrooms, carrots, onions
- Edamame: buy frozen, you can reheat/cook in the microwave!
- Nori sheets, cut up (easiest to cut with scissors instead of a knife, thanks Shutterbean for the tip)
- AVOCADO obviously!
- Panko bread crumbs sprinkled over top
- Gochujang, a spicy red chile Korean condiment
- Drizzle of soy sauce
- Put an egg on it! (fried)
Pile all your favourite ingredients into a bowl, layering the rice, then veggies and condiments, then the egg. I like to eat my buddha bowls the way I eat bibimbap: stir everything around all in a mush so that the egg yolk gets everywhere and the veggies get all mixed up with the condiments.
I love love love these things because I can load so many odds and ends of my refrigerator into one meal and it’s filling and oh yeah did I mention it’s insanely delicious! Om nom.
Ps. Can we collectively just get into this method for cooking fried eggs? I have tried it a few times now and it’s so crazy cool/effective!
Happy Tuesday everyone! Hope it’s pretty outside where you are and you nonchalantly sit on a curb with your best friend and don’t really think about it at the time but later realize “Spring Sprung! Happy day!” (true story).
