At a glance

This buddha bowl features 9 components that are inspired by popular flavors from all over Asia. What's so amazing about this Asian Fusion Bowl is that some of the most flavorful elements are the easiest ones to make.

1 | Light Lemony Israeli Couscous Salad

2 | Spaghetti Squash Pasta

3 | Balsamic Walnut Onion Sauce

4 | Tender Roasted Gold Bar Zucchini

5 | Spicy Battered and Baked Broccoli

6 | Pickled Broccoli Stem

7 | Fresh Spinach

8 | Lemony Yogurt Drizzle

What I love about buddha bowls is the room for improvisation! Feel free to make substitutions based on what you have on hand. As long as you have some grains, seasoned veggies, and protein in your bowl, you're in for a delicious meal. Read on to learn how I created this bowl.

Recipes, Part by Part

1 | Light Lemony Israeli Couscous Salad

Ingredients

8 oz Israeli couscous
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
3 small English cucumbers, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
juice of 1 lemon
coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook the Israeli couscous according to package instructions. To prevent the pieces of couscous from sticking together, drizzle some olive oil into the cooking liquid before adding in the couscous.
2. Let the couscous cool completely as you prep the dressing. In a jar or small bowl, add the oil. Whisk in the vinegar and and lemon juice, along with some coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
3. In a large bowl, add the cooked and cooled couscous along with the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, parsley, and cilantro.
4. Toss the salad and dressing and adjust the seasonings according to your preference!

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2 | Spaghetti Squash Pasta

Ingredients

1 large spaghetti squash, halved
2 tbsp walnut oil (can substitute with olive oil if you want)
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
2. Scoop the seeds out of the spaghetti squash halves.
3. Rub some walnut oil along the interior of the spaghetti squash on both halves.
4. On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, place both halves of the spaghetti squash with the cut sides face-up.
5. Bake the spaghetti squash for about 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender enough for a fork to easily pierce it.
6. Let the squash cool for at least 15 more minutes, and then gently run a fork through the squash, along the vertical axis. Repeat this action a few times, as you see the spaghetti-like shreds separating from the body of the squash.
7. Discard the peels of the squash and reserve the "spaghetti" strands of squash.

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3 | Balsamic Walnut Onion Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup toasted walnuts
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 tsp mustard (if you don't have mustard sauce, you can replace this with 1/2 tsp mustard powder)
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp walnut oil
dash of cayenne
coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. In some walnut oil, caramelize the chopped red onion. This may take about 5-7 minutes on medium heat. In the last two minutes, add in the dried oregano, cayenne, and a pinch of coarse sea salt and pepper.
2. Add the caramelized onions and toasted walnuts to a food processor and pulse until they are nearly smooth but still have the slightest bit of texture.
3. To the food processor, add in the mustard, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup. Pulse until all of the ingredients are well-incorporated.
4. Scrape down the sides and refrigerate the sauce for an hour or so before you taste to adjust the seasoning.

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4 | Tender Roasted Gold Bar Zucchini

Gold bar zucchinis are some of the cutest squash out there! They're so small and delicate but they are such a great vehicle for lots of flavor. In this recipe, we bring out their bright, summery goodness with a bit of extra lemon zest!

Ingredients

10 to 15 gold bar zucchinis, halved vertically
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red chili powder
coarse sea salt

Directions

1. On parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spread out the zucchinis, cut side up.
2. Drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle on some red chili powder and coarse sea salt.
3. In a 375°F oven, bake them for about 10-12 minutes.
4. As the zucchinis cool, sprinkle over the lemon zest. You can serve these warm or cold since they're delicious both ways!

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5 | Spicy Battered and Baked Broccoli

This is the wildcard element in this fresh summer veggie bowl. Broccoli is a timeless vegetable, but it works so well with the fresh summer ingredients featured in this bowl!

Ingredients

1 head of broccoli
3 tbsp gram flour
1/2 cup water
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chili powder
dash of cayenne
2 tsp sesame seeds
salt to taste

Directions

1. Separate the head of broccoli into bite-sized florets. Reserve the broccoli stem, because it will come in handy for another recipe in this buddha bowl!
2. Mix together the gram flour, coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder, and cayenne.
3. Whisk together the dry mixture from the previous step with the 1/2 cup of water and the lemon juice. To make sure that your batter is not too watery, you can add in the water a few tablespoons at a time. You can adjust the consistency of the batter by adding in more water or gram flour.
4. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
5. Dip the broccoli florets into the batter, one by one, and lay them out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake the pieces of broccoli for about 15 minutes. Flip them, then bake them for another 10 minutes until they turn golden-brown.
7. Sprinkle over some sesame seeds to garnish.

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6 | Pickled Broccoli Stem

Ingredients

broccoli stem from 1 head of broccoli
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Finely julienne the broccoli stem into 2-inch strips.
2. Marinate the julienned broccoli stems in a jar filled with about 1/4 cup of vinegar and a bit of salt.
3. For the best flavor, let the broccoli stems marinate for at least an hour before serving.

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7 | Fresh Spinach

Ingredients

2 cups spinach

Directions

1. Rinse the spinach and roughly chop it! Reserve until assembly of the buddha bowl.

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8 | Lemony Yogurt Drizzle

Ingredients

2 tbsp yogurt or vegan coconut yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
1/8 tsp salt

Directions

1. Whisk together all of the ingredients, and reserve until assembly of the buddha bowl.

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Assembly

The portions listed above should make enough for about 6 bowls plus some extra for leftovers! Start plating each bowl with a few spoonfuls of the light lemony Israeli couscous salad. Next to the salad, plate the spaghetti squash with a side of the balsamic walnut onion sauce. Next to the spaghetti squash, create a bed of chopped fresh spinach and on it, place a few of the tender roasted golden bar zucchinis. Top it off with some of the spicy battered and baked broccoli, and garnish with a few extra sesame seeds. With a drizzle of the lemony yogurt drizzle, your Fresh Summer Veggie Bowl is ready! The bright flavors in this dish are bound to bring a smile to your face, and I hope you enjoy it!

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