Bulgur Buddha Bowl
A big buddha bowl made up of ... wait for it ... leftovers! The plentiful goodness you can mix up with just a few odds & ends never ceases to amaze me. But to be fair, I'm pretty frugal! Here, I gathered all the fresh veggies I could find (not very many!) ~ some frozen bits & bobs ~ straggling pitta ~ loose shop bought falafel & brought them all together in a bowl with bulgur as her base.
I make up bowls for my mum quite a lot but I always forget to note down what I toss into my stainless steel salad bowl! But this time, I laid my notepad & pen next to my chopping board so I wouldn't forget. When I've got leftovers to cook with & it's such wonderful Spring weather, I always resort to buddha bowls. What do you usually mix up with odds & ends? I think I need to change it up a bit!
Instead of reaching for your phone & tapping on the Just Eat or Deliveroo or Uber Eats app, stare in your cupboards & fridge for a moment & gather whatever you can salvage! Make a fakeaway! Just clustering ingredients together ignites inspiration. These bowls take me around 20 mins to serve up & are so much fun to create ~ perfect if you're in a rush or want to cook up something quick after a long day! You won't just be saving money by putting the takeaway on hold ... but excess waste & fuel too #veganfortheplanet!
Bulgur Buddha Bowl
Serves: 1 plentiful bowl
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: around 20 mins
**This recipe is all about leftovers so throw in whatever you can find! Here's what I salvaged ...
Salad:
rocket leaves
baby spinach leaves
watercress
fresh herbs ~ I had basil ~ mint ~ parsley leftover!
petit pois
carrot, curled with a potato peeler
cucumber
tomatoes
bell pepper
olives
sundrieds ~ I used aubergine & tomatoes
Salad Sprinkles:
walnuts, chopped
seed mixture for omega 3 ~ I used sesame ~ sunflower ~ pumpkin ~ hemp
almonds, chopped
pinch golden milled flaxseed
toasted almond flakes
raisins, halved
Salad Dressing:
1tsp walnut oil
1tsp extra virgin chilli oil
dash balsamic
dash red wine vingear
1tsp sumac
seasoning
Bits & Bobs & Buglur:
bulgur, rinsed
1tsp paprika
1tsp berbere ~ here is my recipe!
1/2tsp coriander powder
1/2tsp chilli flakes
1/2tsp turmeric
1/2tsp dried basil
pinch garlic powder
seasoning
falafel, baked
wholemeal pitta
Method:
First things first, rinse 1 part bulgur under cool running water. Bring 3 parts water to the boil & stir in the grains. Allow to simmer under the pan lid for around 15-20 mins (stirring every so often) until tender but not mushy.
Preheat the oven to 180'c.
As the bulgur swells, simply chop all the veggies & throw into a bowl.
Toss to combine then sprinkle in the nutty & seedy goodies. Toss until evenly spread.
Drizzle the liquids & mix in the spices & seasoning.
When the bulgur has around 10 mins left, pop the falafel into the oven.
Once the bulgur is tender, drain in a sieve & rinse with 1/3rd cup boiling water. Fluff the grains with a fork before transferring to a bowl. Sprinkle over the spices & seasoning then mix until combined.
Now, turn off the oven & lift the falafel out to replace with the pitta.
In a big bowl, spoon & serve up the salad & bulgur ~ crumbling falafel over the bowl while the pitta toasts.
Stick the pitta into the bulgur & scoff!
I like serving with hummus & chilli flakes to dunk my pitta & falafel chunks into.
