Buddha bowl

Can I just say, Buddha bowls are THE BEST?!  What's a Buddha bowl you ask?  Well, its essentially a bowl full (like a Buddha belly) of veggies, greens, beans, and grains.  It is a delicious  single bowl balanced meal, full of color and flavor.  All you need mixed together in a beautiful melody of food.

If you were very lazy you could throw in some chopped raw veggies, but I like to roast as much as possible to bring out flavor and texture.

Even if you are being lazy, this recipe is so simple a monkey could make it.  Really.  Cut up some veggies, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil, and throw them in the oven.  That's the most difficult part of this whole recipe.  Seriously.

The combination shown here is my favorite, but you could easily prep tons of veggies, grains, and beans and mix n' match a week's worth of meals, easy.

Buddha bowls are great because you can make them with whatever you have on hand.  No rice?  Use quinoa, couscous, barley, etc.  So many possibilities!

There are many options for protein too.  Buddha bowls are generally plant based, so I use beans mostly.  Garbanzos, white beans, lentils.... I could go on and on.

Last on the list are the greens.  I like lettuce.  Something fresh with a nice crunch.  Broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, etc.  all good options too.

Roast some veggies.  I like to make plenty for us.  Leftovers are my friend. :)  Cauliflower is always my go-to roasted veggie.  It is so versatile and can blend in with any seasoning you choose.

Sweet potatoes, red onion, and red bell peppers.  Yum.

A batch of roasted BBQ garbanzo beans fits right in with the bowl.  A bit of heat, sweetness, and a touch of savory flavor too.

 This bowl is so chock full of yum you can't even see the rice or the red onion.

Some Buddha bowls have a gentle sauce drizzled over top.  It isn't necessary, and with all the seasonings in the garbanzos I didn't see the need for one.  A lack of sauce saves calories, and prevents everything from getting too goop-y.  IT's also tidier for kids to eat.  They make enough of a mess on their own!  :)

 Buddha bowl
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown rice, cooked
• 1 head of cauliflower, in florets
• 1/3 red onions, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, chopped
• 1/2 small head of butter lettuce, chopped
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 batch roasted BBQ garbanzo beans

Directions:

1. Make a batch of roasted BBQ garbanzo beans.  Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Cut up the cauliflower, red onion, bell pepper, and sweet potato and place on parchment covered baking sheets.  Sprinkle lightly with salt, black pepper, and olive oil.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through for even cooking.
3. Meanwhile, make a batch of brown rice, set aside. 
4. Chop the lettuce and set aside.
5. When all pieces are ready, fill the bowls evenly with a little of everything.  Dig in and enjoy!

note:  If you have any leftovers, place everything but the lettuce in tupperware together and refrigerate.  Reheats really well in the microwave.

Butternut Squash Risotto

This risotto was sooo good!  I was just playing around with new ways to use butternut squash.  I love it, but I don't always want to use it in the same old recipes every time.  I love figuring out new recipes that taste good, are healthy, and that the whole family loves.  Yay!

Jeff hates white rice (too sticky and mushy) so I used brown rice.  I liked the way the risotto turned out with it.  Not complete mush, but still soft.  Healthier with brown rice too.  If you're a purist you could use the traditional arborio rice,

This dish was great for the to eat.  Liam loves rice and squash, so he had no problems eating it (although he DID freak out for a while after he dropped his plate on the way to the table), and Jack is going through a MASSIVE independent phase where he refuses help eating.  The risotto is sticky enough to stay on a spoon pretty well, but not so sticky the the kids hands were a mess.  Jack ate about half his bowl full with his spoon, then gave up and tried to drink the rest.  :)

Bonus of making risotto?  I can see the TV from my stove, and I got to binge on Netflix while making dinner.  :)  This dish really didn't need a lot of close attention, just absent mindedly stirring, so I didn't have to worry so much about messing it up.

Butternut Squash Risotto
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 48 oz chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 1 medium butternut squash, small cubes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 spoonful of sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Cover a baking pan with a piece of parchment paper and lay the cubed squash in an even layer on top.  Drizzle with 2 tsp of olive oil, and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until squash is soft with lightly golden edges.
2. Dice the onion and garlic and saute on medium heat in a large pot with the remaining olive oil, and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and soft.
3. Add the rice and broth to the pot.  Leave the pot alone for about 20 minutes or so.  When the rice has absorbed most of the broth start stirring.  You'll be doing this pretty often from this point on.  Either stirring or watching the pot to see if it needs to be stirred.  When the squash is ready dump it into the pot.  Add the thyme and cayenne and stir everything together.  Taste and add more seasonings if needed.  When the rice is soft enough and the broth has been absorbed, the risotto is ready to remove from heat.  Serve immediately. 

note: some squash is sweeter than others.  If your squash isn't very sweet you might want to add a spoonful of sugar to your risotto.  Just stir it right in.

spanish rice

I love Spanish rice.  I really do.  Before today when I made up my own recipe for it, I've NEVER had good luck making it myself.  Either the rice is still a bit crunchy while everything is finished, or the rice won't absorb all the liquid and everything is soupy... really, I could continue.  This recipe worked perfectly and I loved everything about it.  It is fluffy, flavorful, sweet, savory, and spicy-ish.  Heaven.  I just ate this rice with some black beans, but it also worked perfectly in Jeff's burrito (which he inhaled before I could get a photo).

I've been doing really well lately eating healthy balanced small portioned meals.  That mostly went out the window at dinner tonight.   This rice turned out even better than I'd hoped and I HAD to have seconds.  I'm really glad this recipe makes quite a lot because I'm already looking forward to having this for lunch tomorrow...

I started off (not pictured) making my rice in a rice cooker.  While that started I added my chopped onion and garlic into a pot of heated vegetable oil one medium low heat.  Stir to avoid burning.  Add a pinch of sea salt and give the onions a bit of time to turn opaque.

Add the chicken broth and the chopped tomatoes.

I used mostly sun gold tomatoes.  I love their bright golden color and sweetness.

Next add the tomato paste, salsa, and seasonings.  Mix well.  By this time the rice should be ready.  Add it in.  If the rice isn't ready yet, just take the pot off the heat and wait for it.

Mix in the corn and the diced green chilies.

Lastly add the can of petite diced tomatoes.

Mix everything together well and taste.  When the seasonings are to your liking and all the broth has been absorbed, you are done!  It should be hot and fluffy.  And probably make you realize that you're starving.  Or is that just me?

I'm one of those people who only needs to make small meals.  Two adults, a toddler who barely eats, and a baby don't need much.  And yet I continually make enough food to feed an army at every meal.  Good thing we all like leftovers.  :)  This rice is versatile though.  Side dish, burrito, paella... those are a few of my favorite ways to use extra rice.  Got any new ideas?

This recipe is great for parties or large groups (or if you love leftovers) because it makes a large pot full.  I like it with black beans, Jeff likes burritos.  Jack is a huge fan and will grab all the rice he can reach and shove it in his face.  This 9 month old likes his spices!

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spanish rice

by Liesl August-14-2014

Flavorful soft rice full of veggie goodness.

Ingredients

• 2 cups white rice, uncooked
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 12 oz chicken broth
• 1 cup small tomatoes (like sun gold), sliced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup salsa (I used medium Pace)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2/3 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
• 4 oz can diced green chilies
• 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes

Instructions

1. Grab a rice cooker and pour into it 2 cups each of white rice and water. Turn it on and cook. 2. Once the rice has started cooking peel 1/2 a yellow onion and 3 garlic cloves and cook them in a pot on medium low with the vegetable oil and salt. Stir them to avoid burning and allow the onions to turn opaque. Add in the sliced tomatoes and broth. Give the tomatoes several minutes to soften.3. Stir in the tomato paste, salsa, and the remaining seasonings. At this point add in the rice. If it not ready yet take the pot off the heat and wait for the rice to be ready. Lastly, stir in the green chilies, corn, and diced tomatoes.4. Once all the ingredients have been added stir the rice around to be sure everything is well mixed. The rice is ready when it is soft and fluffy, and there is no extra liquid in the pot. Enjoy hot and refrigerate the leftovers.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 8-12 servings