Early Summer Veggie Bowl

A Buddha Bowl is a vegan "kitchen sink" kind of dish: whole grains, a variety of steamed, fresh and sautéed vegetables, and some sides and sauces. It's incredibly filling, extremely healthy, and you can really use up whatever you have on hand. In early Summer in Ohio, we've got a huge selection of beautiful greens, squashes, and some roots to choose from: beets, broccoli, chard, bok choy, carrots, cucumbers and much, much more. This recipe is more like a template-- use up whatever you have to modify to please your palates.

 Whole Grains-- cooked spelt berries, beans, and rice (1/2 cup each)
 Summer Squash-- zucchini, patty-pan (or chunks of steamed Winter Squash)
 Leafy Greens-- chard, kale, bok choy/tatsoi, spinach
 Hard Veggies-- carrots, celery, raw beets, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes
 Soft Veggies--pea shoots, tomatoes, sprouts, arugula
 Pickles-- try our Sweet and Spicy Quick Pickles, or whatever pickles you prefer
 Sauce, Oil & Vinegar-- recipe below for a nutty dipping sauce, rice vinegar, honey, Sriracha
 Flavorings-- grated ginger and garlic
 Other Toppings-- sesame or pumpkin seeds, toasted nuts, tofu, etc.

1

The difficulty in this dish is just in the preparation and organization. You can arrange all the ingredients into one large bowl for sharing, or in individual bowls for a large group. Let's go by layer:

Bottom Layer: Whole Grains
2

Place a half-cup each of cooked spelt berries, brown rice, and cooked beans (any color/variety you have) next to each other on the bottom of the serving bowl, like a pie chart. If you're re-heating these to serve warm, add a pinch of salt, a little rice vinegar and a drizzle honey to boost the flavor.

Veggie Layer: Hard Veggies Next
3

Zucchini, carrots, kohlrabi, raw beets: these should all be julienned with a peeler, curled in a Spiralizer, shredded in a food processor, or cut into matchsticks. Once prepped, place them around the outside of the bowl in small groups.

4

For vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus, best to blanch them in boiling water for a minute or two, then shock in ice water. Slice and add to the bowl.

Veggie Layer Two: Greens with Stems
5

Chard, Bok Choy, Tatsoi, Beet Greens: remove the stems from the leaves. Chop the stems into 1/2" chunks and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the greens for the next step. Quickly sauté the stems in a little bit of oil, some grated fresh ginger, grated fresh garlic, and salt. Find a spot for the stems in the bowl.

Veggie Layer Three: Cooked Greens
6

Kale leaves, Beet Greens, Collard Greens, Tatsoi/Boy Choy leaves, Spinach: washed and torn into bite-sized pieces. In the same skillet where you cooked the stems, heat up a little bit of oil and quickly sauté the greens. Add a pinch of salt, rice vinegar and honey to taste. Find a spot for them in the bowl. This layer can be done first and the cooked greens can be below the whole grain layer.

Fresh Veggies Layer
7

Pea shoots, sliced green onions (light-medium green part only), garlic scapes, shredded cabbage, arugula: washed, and chopped if needed, decorating the very rim of the bowl.

Sauces & Pickles
8

Click here for our Sweet and Spicy Quick Pickle Recipe (with cucumber and kohlrabi), or serve alongside your favorite pickles.

9

For a quick nutty dipping sauce: to a non-reactive skillet, add 4 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp honey, 2 tbsp nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew) and stir to combine. Remove from heat, and serve alongside the bowl.

Ingredients

 Whole Grains-- cooked spelt berries, beans, and rice (1/2 cup each)
 Summer Squash-- zucchini, patty-pan (or chunks of steamed Winter Squash)
 Leafy Greens-- chard, kale, bok choy/tatsoi, spinach
 Hard Veggies-- carrots, celery, raw beets, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes
 Soft Veggies--pea shoots, tomatoes, sprouts, arugula
 Pickles-- try our Sweet and Spicy Quick Pickles, or whatever pickles you prefer
 Sauce, Oil & Vinegar-- recipe below for a nutty dipping sauce, rice vinegar, honey, Sriracha
 Flavorings-- grated ginger and garlic
 Other Toppings-- sesame or pumpkin seeds, toasted nuts, tofu, etc.

Directions

1

The difficulty in this dish is just in the preparation and organization. You can arrange all the ingredients into one large bowl for sharing, or in individual bowls for a large group. Let's go by layer:

Bottom Layer: Whole Grains
2

Place a half-cup each of cooked spelt berries, brown rice, and cooked beans (any color/variety you have) next to each other on the bottom of the serving bowl, like a pie chart. If you're re-heating these to serve warm, add a pinch of salt, a little rice vinegar and a drizzle honey to boost the flavor.

Veggie Layer: Hard Veggies Next
3

Zucchini, carrots, kohlrabi, raw beets: these should all be julienned with a peeler, curled in a Spiralizer, shredded in a food processor, or cut into matchsticks. Once prepped, place them around the outside of the bowl in small groups.

4

For vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus, best to blanch them in boiling water for a minute or two, then shock in ice water. Slice and add to the bowl.

Veggie Layer Two: Greens with Stems
5

Chard, Bok Choy, Tatsoi, Beet Greens: remove the stems from the leaves. Chop the stems into 1/2" chunks and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the greens for the next step. Quickly sauté the stems in a little bit of oil, some grated fresh ginger, grated fresh garlic, and salt. Find a spot for the stems in the bowl.

Veggie Layer Three: Cooked Greens
6

Kale leaves, Beet Greens, Collard Greens, Tatsoi/Boy Choy leaves, Spinach: washed and torn into bite-sized pieces. In the same skillet where you cooked the stems, heat up a little bit of oil and quickly sauté the greens. Add a pinch of salt, rice vinegar and honey to taste. Find a spot for them in the bowl. This layer can be done first and the cooked greens can be below the whole grain layer.

Fresh Veggies Layer
7

Pea shoots, sliced green onions (light-medium green part only), garlic scapes, shredded cabbage, arugula: washed, and chopped if needed, decorating the very rim of the bowl.

Sauces & Pickles
8

Click here for our Sweet and Spicy Quick Pickle Recipe (with cucumber and kohlrabi), or serve alongside your favorite pickles.

9

For a quick nutty dipping sauce: to a non-reactive skillet, add 4 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp honey, 2 tbsp nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew) and stir to combine. Remove from heat, and serve alongside the bowl.

Early Summer Veggie Bowl

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