Fill Up On This: Broccoli Buddha Bowl

broccoli-buddha-bowl

If you scroll through Instagram or Pinterest often, you’ll most likely come across colorful bowls of various greens and grains that look almost too good to eat. Touted as “Buddha Bowls” these vibrant dishes are not only filling, but extremely nutrient dense. 

Simply put, Buddha Bowls are just another trendy term for Macro Bowls. The wonderful element of Buddha Bowls is that there is not one set way of creating one, so you can experiment with different proteins, greens and grains. Eating out of a bowl itself is a new nutrition trend for 2017 that definitely won’t be dying down anytime soon. 

In this particular recipe, I’m throwing together quinoa, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, a vegan sour cream (you can use regular sour cream), and an eggplant garlic spread. 

You’ll be getting fiber and naturally detoxifying properties from the broccoli since it’s a a cruciferous vegetable. The quinoa will give you a healthy dose of complex carbohydrates and an adequate amount of protein, and the cherry tomatoes and eggplant spread will deliver antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that will keep your energy up and immune system boosted. 

This Broccoli Buddha Bowl is extremely easy to whip up and make in large quantities so that you can enjoy it throughout the week for lunch and dinner, although I like to eat it at night since grains tend to make me naturally sleepy. 

broccoli-buddha-bowl

 

Broccoli Buddha Bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 head of broccoli
  • 1 cup of cooked quinoa according to package instructions
  • 2 tbsp of vegan sour cream or regular sour cream
  • 1 cup of cherry tomatoes diced
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • All purpose seasoning to taste

For the eggplant spread (you can make this spread separately and enjoy it throughout the week on toast, or in many different veggie or even chicken recipes).

  • 1 eggplant
  • 1 cup of sweet red peppers
  • 1 cup of spinach
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 can of tomato paste
  • pepper and salt per taste
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup of water – optional

Directions

  1. Wash, chop and steam the broccoli – set aside
  2. Cook quinoa according to package instructions
  3. In one skillet, heat up the tbsp of coconut oil, chop the garlic and onion, and saute until transparent (for about 4 minutes). Add the broccoli and quinoa, cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes with the seasonings.
  4. Add to a bowl and top with the sour cream, cherry tomatoes, spinach and eggplant spread. Serve and enjoy!

For the eggplant spread

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Cut up the eggplant, peppers and garlic – toss in a bowl with olive oil and tomato paste
  3. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes
  4. Let it cool a bit, then in a food processor or blender, blend the roasted veggies together and add the pepper and salt to taste. If the spread is too thick, add water to thin it out.

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