Consisting of mostly grains and vegetables (depending on who you ask) and little bits of just about any and everything, Buddha Bowls are one of my favorite things to eat! Like Captain Jack Sparrow says about the rules of Piracy, they’re more like guidelines, so are the rules of the Buddha Bowl. This recipe looks a little lengthy, but don’t let that fool you. This is a 30 minute meal at most and almost all of the ingredient groups call for the same things! There are only 14 total ingredients and that includes the olive oil!. You can even set it up like a taco bar and let everyone make their own Buddha Bowl, my kids especially love to do it this way! Happy Eating!
- 1 medium Cucumber see recipe for prep instructions
- 8 oz Plain Yogurt I use coconut milk yogurt (v)
- 1/2 whole Lemon juiced (about 2 tsp)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp Fresh Dill
- 1/8 cup Feta cubed-see note
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 2 cups stock I use Better Than Bullion No Chicken
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice from the other 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2-1 medium Cucumber peeled and diced
- 1 medium Tomato cored, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup Kalamata Olives pitted and chopped
- 1/3 cup Feta cubed-see note
- 1/2 large Shallot diced small
- 3/4 - 1 pound Shrimp wild caught (peeled & deveined)
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- sprinkle Salt & Pepper
- 1 clove garlic grated or pressed
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Chop and prep all ingredients.
- Cucumber instructions for tzatziki sauce: You can either toss the cucumber chunks right in the blender or if you like your dressing thicker like I do, grate cucumber on a box grater and put into a strainer with a little sprinkle of salt. Let sit until you're ready to make the dressing at least 20 minutes. When ready for it-wring out in a cheese cloth to get as much liquid out as possible then add it in.
- Start Quinoa using "Quinoa" ingredients following the instructions on package.
- Mix together all of the "shrimp" ingredients in a bowl or a baking dish.
- Spread shrimp out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil or bake right in the baking dish you mixed them in (making sure they are in a single layer) and bake 8 minutes. You could also grill the shrimp if that is easier for you at 2 minutes or so per side.
- While the shrimp and quinoa cook, make the tzatziki by combing all the "tzatziki" ingredients into a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- To plate: spoon a good portion of the quinoa in the bowl, then add the shrimp, next the "bowl" ingredients and finally top with tzatziki dressing.
- Enjoy!
A note about the feta...My first choice for feta is the kind that comes in the block and you cut yourself. While the crumbles are convenient you just can't beat the flavor that comes from uncut kinds. That said I also love to use goat feta. It's easier to digest, but its less flavorful in my opinion than cow feta.
Photo Credit: Carmen Mandato Photography
I absolutely love salads that you can make a big batch of and snack on all week. Only having to chop and assemble once while providing multiple snacks/meals is speaking my language! We are all busy with life so this is the perfect go-to snack you can munch on anytime or even take with you!
This is almost a raw dish with the exception of the black-eyed peas being cooked so if you wanted to make it all raw you could substitute another vegetable like button mushrooms and/or peas! Enjoy as a side, snack or add a piece of salmon to make it a full meal as a salad!
