A delicious and easy winter bliss buddha bowl filled with nutrient packed ingredients like roasted turmeric spiced sweet potatoes and broccoli, pickled red onion, light and fluffy quinoa, crunchy cashews and walnuts, dried cranberries, peppery arugula, creamy avocado, and tangy goat cheese. This beautiful bowl of goodness will keep you satisfied and happy – pure bliss!
Winter Bliss Buddha Bowl
I’ve been eating these winter bliss bowls on repeat lately. Buddha bowls are a trendy dish for good reason – pretty, healthy, easy and delicious! I’M IN! It’s the perfect nutrient and protein packed meal situation to power you through these chilly winter days. It’s bright and flavorful but still super cozy and satisfying. Yes!
This is my current fav way to make it: with roasted turmeric spiced sweet potatoes and broccoli, pickled red onion, light and fluffy quinoa, crunchy cashews and walnuts, dried cranberries, peppery arugula, creamy avocado, and tangy goat cheese. This combination of flavors and textures is pure magic!
But let your imagination run wild and create your own fav bowl based on a few simple buddha bowl guidelines. Once you try these and learn the easy steps to making your own, you will be making these all winter!
What is a buddha bowl?
Buddha bowls, a nourishing & hearty veggie and grain bowl, gives healthy eating a fun and creative twist. It combines multiple flavors, colors, and textures to create a harmonious but still interesting and flavor-packed dish. It’s not overly complicated or fussy, but looks like a true creative masterpiece when complete. It also works great for meal prep, making it an easy and delicious weeknight staple in my house. I absolutely adore buddha bowls and I’m confident you will too!
guide to making a buddha bowl?
Veggies, a lean plant-based protein, and a hearty grain are the essential goodness that make up a good buddha bowl.
Here is my step by step guide tO creating your own beautiful and inspired masterpiece:
- start with a grainy base. The start to any good buddha bowl is a hearty grain base. The variety of healthy, fiber-rich, and tasty grain bases is endless; try quinoa, farro, whole wheat orzo, brown rice, or cous cous. The grain provides texture and makes the bowl more filling.
- pump it up with plant-based protein power. Traditionally, a buddha bowl is plant-based dish. Some great plant-based proteins are tofu, meat-free alternatives, or nuts. But if you want to break the rules (which is totally encouraged!) you could also add grilled chicken, some sort of meatball, or steak too!
- greens are a must. I believe a good buddha bowl needs nutrient-rich greens. They add color and freshness, plus extra nutrients to make these bowls a true powerhouse meal. I’m a huge fan of arugula for it’s unique peppery bite. Kale, spinach, or romaine also work well.
- pile on the veggies. delicious veggies provide flavor variety and color to beautify these bowls (that gorgeous rainbow effect is what buddha bowls are known for). Veggies work great raw, like fresh carrots, crunchy broccoli, or a slaw mix. I also like to added roasted seasoned veggies to amp up the flavor!
- add a crunch factor. There should always be a good crunch factors, which can be found in nuts, crispy baked chickpeas, or toasted pita.
- make it interesting. I like to add something tangy and unique, like a pickled component and/or chewy, sweet dried fruit. It’s that little unexpected pop of flavor that keeps you going back for more!
- cheese please. I love cheese, so it definitely makes an appearance in my buddha bowls. Tangy goat cheese or sharp and salty feta or parmesan are some of my favs. Of course, you can omit it if dairy-free or vegan!
- dress it up. Finally, the bowl is complete with a bright, homemade dressing. Some favs are a citrusy tahini dressing, lemon basil, or classic balsamic. But the possibilities are endless!
storing buddha bowl ingredients
What I also love about buddha bowls is it works great for meal prep.
Here’s how to do it:
First, decide what star ingredients you want in your buddha bowls, like the grain and roasted veggies. Then, on Sunday (or the day before you want to eat them) prepare the star ingredients. You also want to make sure you have the supporting cast ingredients on hand, like greens, nuts, cheeses, and extras.
Next, store each component separately in airtight containers in your fridge (or pantry if it doesn’t need to be refrigerated, like dried fruit). I like to group all the ingredients together in my fridge so I don’t forget any when I am making my bowl.
Finally, when you are ready to eat, take everything out of the fridge (and pantry) and assemble your bowl.
It’s as easy as that!
other delicious healthy bowl recipes
enjoy!
These winter bliss bowls are the perfect cozy and bright meal to make this winter. My bowl includes roasted turmeric spiced sweet potatoes and broccoli, bright and tangy pickled red onion, fluffy and fiber packed quinoa, crunchy cashews and walnuts, chewy and slightly sweet dried cranberries, peppery arugula, ripe avocado, and creamy goat cheese. This beautiful bowl of goodness will keep you satisfied and happy – pure bliss!
If you make these winter bliss buddha bowls, please leave a comment below. I absolutely love to hear from you guys and your thoughts on my recipes. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or pin it on pinterest so I can see your creations!
Winter Bliss Buddha Bowls
Ingredients
Winter Bliss Buddha Bowl
- 1 large sweet potato cubed into medium sized chunks
- 1 small to medium head of broccoli cut into florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2-1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- Pepper to taste
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1/3 cup chopped cashews + walnuts either or mixed together
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pickled red onion regular works too
- 1 large avocado diced
Balsamic Dressing
- 1/4 cup balsamic I recommend a high quality brand as it tends to be thicker
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2-3 cloves garlic chopped, optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss together the sweet potato cubes and broccoli florets with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and desired amount of pepper. Place on lightly greased medium baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through (or until golden browned and slightly softened). If the broccoli chars before the sweet potatoes are tender, remove the brocoli from the pan and keep roasting the sweet potatoes until done. Once cooked, taste and add more salt if desired (I added another 1/2 teaspoon).
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In a salad dressing shaker or small mason jar, combine all the balsamic dressing ingredients, top with lid, and shake vigorously.
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To make the bowls, add arugula and quinoa to bottom of a bowl. Arrange other ingredients in the bowl on top of the quinoa and arugula. The ingredients should make 4-6 bowls. Drizzle with balsamic dressing.
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Store leftovers in separate airtight containers in fridge (assemble when ready to eat).
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Enjoy!
