If you’ve never heard of a “Buddha Bowl,” let me start with a quick explanation. Simply stated, a Buddha Bowl is anything you want to toss into a bowl topped with a “special sauce.” It’s said that the bowl gets its name from the Buddha’s belly, which is packed so full it bulges with goodness.
Generally the Buddha Bowl consists of a non-gluten grain or meat base, topped with a colorful selection of veggies and drizzled with a yummy sauce.
I like to think of this dish as a delicious, macrobiotic mix of nutrient-dense flavors, tossed together using whatever ingredients happen to be in the fridge.
The Buddha Bowl is a staple in my family dinner rotation and the kiddos have fun dressing it up with the veggies and sauces of their choosing.
The recipe below features millet, which similar to quinoa, is a versatile, non-gluten grain chock full of nutrients. High in fiber, calcium, magnesium and B vitamins, millet has a mildly sweet nutty flavor. It also has complete essential amino acid profile making it a great source of plant-based protein.
Another cool thing about this ancient grain, is that over half of our nation’s millet is produced right here in CO (our home state!), so by choosing millet you’re also supporting local agriculture!
I must confess that while I’m no stranger to the Buddha Bowl, I’ve never made or eaten millet before! I’m not much of a grain person myself, so I tend to stick to what I know and like. Quinoa has always been my go-to, but seeing that millet has such a similar nutrient profile and mild taste, I’m a new fan.
That being said, the options for the Buddha Bowl are endless. The millet used in this recipe could easily be substituted with quinoa or cauliflower “rice.” Steamed or massaged kale would be a delicious add-on here as well.
Get creative. Have fun. Use what’s in your refrigerator. And let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear about your favorite Buddha Bowl creations and if you give millet a thumbs up!
With Buddha-cleansing love,
Millet Buddha Bowl
Serves: 2
Ingredients for bowl:
- ½ cup millet, rinsed thoroughly with cold water and drained
- 1 cup of water
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 TB. toasted sesame oil
- 1 TB. Ume plum or apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup wakame, soaked and drained (arame or other sea veggie variety would work too)
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- ½ cucumber, chopped
- 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- ½ avocado, chopped
Ingredients for Tahini Drizzle
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 TB. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- ¼ to ½ cup water (more or less to create thin consistency)
- Sea salt to taste
Optional Garnish
- Handful of cilantro, chopped
- Ozuke kimchi
- Gomasio
Directions:
To prepare the millet, in a small pot bring millet, water and sea salt to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes.
To prepare Tahini Drizzle, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, garlic and water. Add sea salt.
To assemble the bowl, toss together millet with sesame oil and vinegar. Divide millet into two serving bowls. Arrange wakame, carrots, cucumber, cabbage and avocado on top. Top with desired amount of Tahini Drizzle and garnish with cilantro, kimchi and gomasio.
Hi, the millet Buddha bowl recipe looks yummy but I’m wondering what you are supposed to do with the sesame oil and vinegar?
Hi Jenny! Toss it together with the millet! Enjoy! Thanks for reading.
hey gals…thought I’d share this yummy salad dressing…it keeps well in the fridge
Date Dressing….1 c. water….2/3 c. raw cashew…..4 organic fresh dates…..4 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar…..2 tbsp. Dijon mustard……1 to 3 cloves garlic minced (depends on preference…I’m a garlic junkie). Throw all in the blender and let stand for an hour or so…then blend till smooth and quite creamy. mmmm….good!
Oh my goodness, this sounds yummy. Thx for sharing!
I Made this last night, although I used what I had: raw(shredded carrot, cabbage and avocado) and stir-fried grated cabbage, grated carrot, red onion, mushrooms and walnuts and out that on top of the millet. Added an extra large glove of garlic and a little more lemon juice to the tahini drizzle (loved it!) Really liked the millet, which surprised me because I had not yet ventured into grains, other than rice. My husband loved the whole dish and said it was delicious. Thanks!!
That’s awesome Jenny! I love that you used what you had!
This was so good and quick. I happened to have the Ume vinegar from wings that I made for the super bowl party yesterday, and I also had guacamole left over from the party as well. Instead of avocado, I added a little guacamole. I loved all the fresh flavors and the millet was so good!
Yum. So glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely LOVE these bowls! I make them for family and friends with whatever fresh ingredients I have in the house. Even my non-believer brother loves the Tahini drizzle. Thank you so much for another awesome meal idea! xoxo
Yay! I’m OBSESSED with anything tahini right now. :) Enjoy!
Me too, Jules! Ever since Jo mentioned she was adding raw tahini to her morning smoothie, I have been too, and am nuts (or seeds :)) about it; it just hits the spot! :)
Awesome! Tahini boost for a smoothie? Love that too!
I loved this so much. I was new to millet, wakame and kimchi and I am forever changed. Great recipe!
Yay! So glad to hear that! Enjoy!