Plant Powered Buddha Bowl!

I love the Buddha bowls! The mixture of colours, flavours and textures excite me. So here is one of my ‘go to’ recipes when I am feeling ravenous after a spin class. (Although I haven’t been for the last 3 weeks….but I digress)

Plant Powered Buddha Bowl!

Below is the list of ingredients that you will need.

Ingredients List

• 5 New Potatoes
• 1/4 cucumber, sliced in quarters
• 1 handful of grape tomatoes, sliced in halves
• 5 okras,chopped
• 1 large cooked beet, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons of steamed white cabbage, thinly sliced
• 3 florets of steamed broccoli,
• 1 quarter of a small red cabbage, thinly sliced
• Himalayan pink sea salt
• cayenne pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 stalks of fresh rosemary
• cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil (can substitute for coconut oil)

Now I have never been one to stick to any recipe, I will modify and substitute ingredients based on my preferences and what is readily available, so please feel free to do the same. Creating delicious foods shouldn’t be a chore so switch up the quantities and ingredients to match your taste…..the most important part is to try to get in the most nutritious ingredients, so your Buddha Bowl is nutrient dense and power packed!

Method

• I like to rinse my new potatoes and place them in a mid size pan with water (make sure there is enough water to cover the potatoes), then boil on a high heat for 20 minutes (until soft enough to be able to put a fork through)
• Next, drain the water out and place the potatoes on an oven tray on a bare baking sheet. I gently coat in olive oil (I know coconut would probably be a better substitute as the oven will reach high temperatures but I prefer the taste of olive oil on my roasted new potatoes.
• Then, peel two cloves of garlic, place in the oven tray with four sprigs of fresh rosemary, sprinkle with Himalayan pink sea salt and turn the oven to 400 degrees and roast for 15 minutes turning once brown on each side. (Timings may be longer here depending on your oven and how brown you like your potatoes).
• So while the potatoes are cooking, I like to use the time to prep my raw veggies. Start with rinsing all of the vegetables. I get my chopping board out. I cut a 1/4 piece of a white cabbage and a 1/4 of red cabbage. I separate the two cabbages as the white one will be steamed and the red will stay uncooked. Then I slice both cabbage as thin as possible (watch your fingers here), next I rinse and slice my 1/4 cucumber in half and then into quarters, followed by slicing my grape tomatoes in half and break up 3 florets of broccoli.
• Now get a pan to steam the white cabbage and the broccoli florets. I use minimal water and place the lid on. I steam for no more than 7 minutes, however ideally 3-5 minutes in sufficient amount of time to steam vegetables but I prefer them a little longer so the cabbage is translucent in colour.
• Now I buy cooked beetroot from the grocery shop but of course you can buy raw beets and wrap them in foil and bake them in the oven or boil them in a pan which is also yummy but it takes some time so I often just buy cooked beets to use in my recipes.I like to slice the beet thinly. (Tip: lemon juice is great for getting rid of the red stains on your hands after toughing beets)
• Then, I take the 5 okras and chop them disregarding both ends of the okra. I sautee them on a mid-heat in a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil, Himalayan pink sea salt and cayenne pepper for 2 – 3 minutes.

Now the best part is compiling all the ingredients in a bowl. I like to section each ingredient separately. This is my personal preference because I like to see the contrast of colours and ingredients.

Finally season to taste if you need to add any more flavours and enjoy!