mexican buddha bowl

I call these bowls Buddha Bowls because while living in Vancouver when I would go to any restaurant in Chinatown, the vegetarian option would be called a Buddha Bowl. Of course, in Chinatown they usually had a Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean style, but I've adopted it as any mixed bowl of veggies, grains, legumes, topped with a delicious sauce of some sort. 

Last night was the Mexican Buddha Bowl.

It was so hot last night so I definitely wanted something fresh that required minimal cooking. I threw on some rice and while that was cooking I cooked the black beans and chopped up the various veggies to put on top. I love Buddha Bowls because you can really tailor them to whatever you have in your fridge - great to use up bits of veggies hanging at the bottom of the drawer.

Rice:

• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes
• 1/4 diced onion

Directions: (you don't have to be fancy with the rice either - you can just use regular white or brown rice if you're in a hurry!)

• Saute the rice grains in a bit of oil, add in the cumin and garlic powder. Stir
• When it becomes fragrant, add the broth, tomatoes, diced onion and bring to boil. 
• Turn it down and let it simmer on low until the rice is nice and fluffy.

Beans

• 1 can black beans
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/4 cup veggie broth
• 1 clove garlic

Directions: 

• Heat your pan and cook the garlic for 30 seconds.
• Add the cumin, salsa, broth, and beans
• Stir every couple of minutes until the liquid has boiled off.

Toppings:

• Kale: chopped and lightly massaged with olive oil
• Garlic scapes and green/red/yellow pepper lightly sautéed in oil
• Salsa
• Avocado or guacamole
• Tofuetti (vegan sour cream, bought at Sobeys)
• Fresh grape or cherry tomatoes
• Cilantro

Directions:

• Once the rice is done cooking, place in a bowl and top with beans and any or all of the above toppings! Enjoy.

This bowl is great because you get your antioxidants from the colorful veggies, the fiber and protein from your black beans, and if you cook in a cast iron pan, you will get a nice amount of iron that leeches from the pan while cooking. And also: an easy gluten free, dairy free, meat free, nut free dish!!  

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