FSM Media

by Dianna Ranere

What is a Buddha Bowl?

You may or may not have heard about Buddha bowls recently. I know I had never heard of them until I ran across an article on Facebook. I was intrigued and since I love trying new things, I did some research on what they were and how to make one.

A Buddha bowl is simply a bowl of various foods providing you with small bites. But why call it a Buddha bowl? According to the Urban Dictionary, it is  (n). a bowl which is packed so full that it has a rounded “belly” appearance on the top much like the belly of a Buddha.  Um, ok, I guess that makes a little sense.

To break it down even further, the Buddha bowl should contain grains like brown rice, brown rice noodles, quinoa, barley or bulgur. Then add some veggies, they can be cooked or raw and are usually super colorful and arranged in the bowl to look pretty. Last but not least protein which can be in the form of fish, chicken, tofu or even beans. The unwritten rule states that there shouldn’t be any meat of any kind, but as I like to say, you do you.

Last but not least it should be dressed, and that particular dressing seem to be up to the individual, but you can find many options by just searching Buddha Bowl Dressings.

I decided to make my own Buddha Bowl and settled on some brown rice noodles for my grain, then added carrot ribbons, steamed broccoli, purple cabbage, steamed asparagus, and steamed shrimp as my protein. I also sprinkled some Everything But The Bagel Seasoning to finish it off.

What do you think? Have you made a Buddha Bowl? If so, what do you like to add to yours?