Happy Friday!
What are you up to this weekend?
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We're hosting Spaghetti Saturday
After a string of easier on-call rotations at work, this past week, my luck ran out. So I'm really looking forward to stepping away, shifting gears, and catching up with everybody.
If one had to be holed up inside over spring break, this was a good week for it. Because it was cold and snowy, my husband made fires for us to sit by at night, and two giant lap dogs kept me company while I was on conference calls. When we were sleepy, we took floor naps, and we were extra thankful for a clean-enough house.
Also on this weekend's agenda? Time in the kitchen with some extra special recipes. Coming soon, the second installment in the series about people living lives filled with creativity. This is one you won't want to miss(!)
Whatever you're up to, I hope you have a good one(!)
For the weekend, a few fun links from around the web
The food you relate to most according to your birthday [via Refinery29]
Every spring convoys of trucks arrive in the almond orchards of central California. They are carrying bees. Millions of them. The crazy (and true) story of crop-pollinating logistics in the U.S [podcast via Planet Money]
The secret to looking younger forever [via goop]
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s grueling workout routine [via Politico Magazine]
Four mistakes people make when going gluten-free [via The Washington Post]
The ten-meter tower. Take 16 minutes and 12 seconds to watch humans in doubt (I'm sure I'd chicken out!) [via The New York Times]
This! This is perfect. Promise me you'll read it all 
[via The New York Times]
The secret to making every food a superfood [via The Chalkboard]
Meet the man responsible for third-wave coffee (and the frappuccino!) [via The Lucky Peach]
Something beautiful to watch: 109-year old's secrets to life. (There are so many gems) [via National Geographic]
Seven women at the forefront of the Body Positive Movement (Confidence + Self Love) [via The Chalkboard]
Why the “Everything in Moderation” Rule doesn't work [via Food Coach NYC]
The Buddha bowl. It's all sorts of healthy goodness, piled in abundance into a single bowl
They tend to be beautiful and can make me appreciate a meal that much more. I wonder if it's because I take extra care in their preparation and presentation? I'm not certain, but there's something about a bowl like this that re-frames the food at hand, and reminds me just how beneficial, miraculous, and powerful each ingredient we use can be
This Mediterranean version has been a favorite at our house this week. It's a bowl on veggies overdrive and is quick to pull together, particularly if you have cooked quinoa already on hand.
Toss the dressing with a quinoa base, and top with weaver else you have around, avocado, greens, herbs. There's a lot of room for flexibility, which is part of the charm of a bowl like this
It’s perfect for late spring and summer picnics, working lunches, or just a light and healthy dinner. The kind of meal you can prep on a Sunday afternoon and eat throughout the week
Enjoy!
xoxo
ps: More fun recipes and stories from Spaghetti Saturdays
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~ Adapted from H-E-B
Mediterranean Quinoa Buddha Bowl
Ingredients
- Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup finely chopped Kalamata olives
- juice from half a lemon
- crushed red pepper (depending on your tolerance for heat)
- Buddha Bowl
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 1 zucchini, sliced, or cut into ribbons
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained + oil reserved
- ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts
- a couple of handfuls of arugula
- 1 large handful fresh basil + mint
- 4 radishes, sliced
- 1 (13.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained + rinsed + toasted for a nice crunch
- 1 block feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup hummus
- 1 avocado, sliced
- toasted pine nuts for topping
Instructions
- Dressing
- Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of your food processor.
- Season with a grind of black pepper and a small pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (if using). Pulse until combined
- The leftover dressing will last for up to week in the fridge
- Buddha Bowl
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Add the cooked quinoa to a large bowl.
- Add the veggies, herbs, crumbled feta, and chickpeas. Gently toss to combine.
- Add a little of the dressing and toss once more.
- Spread the hummus in the bottom of a salad or serving bowl. Top with sliced avocado
- Garnish with toasted pine nuts and mint.
- Enjoy!
46 Comments
I agree. Sometimes presentation is everything and really does as you put it ‘reframe’ the food. I love how colourful and fresh this buddha bowl looks mmm x
This looks super healthy and yummy. Love that Buddha bowls are so easy to put togeter and one can hardly ever get disappointed with the medley of flavors,
I love this budda bowl. Its ingredients are so fresh and cleansing. I’m definitely gonna try this one. Today being St Patricks day here in Ireland was a festive one for most people. I watched my local parade but the weather did not treat us well as it has been a rainy and miserable day.
Oh my word! This looks too good!!! And the name is to die for, haha. I’m for sure trying out this one, thank you for sharing <3
Oh my the Buddha salad looks so good and a must try for me. Pinning for later. And what a wonderful idea of a Spaghetti Saturday. Nothing better than a nice bowl of spaghetti and meatballs for supper. So comforting.
What a unique bowl! This recipe looks very clean, and healthy. I love it. Im going to try this one.
I love all those healthy ingredients in the Buddha bowl. Lots of fiber too – good for digestions. I’m saving the recipe for this Lenten season. We do meatless Fridays in my family during this time.
omg this looks for delicious and its good for you too. I’ve never tried quinoa so I think this recipes will have to go on my to do lise
omg this looks for delicious and its good for you too. I’ve never tried quinoa so I think this recipes will have to go on my to do list
the name! it is so colourful. lovely post . i am yet to try a quinoa recipe and this is just awesome to start with. thanks for sharing and cheers
YUMMMMO….! I tried the recipe last night. Super easy and quick. Perfect for spring and summer light dinner.
I love all the colors and healthy in that bowl. As we have started clean eating I tend to resort to throwing veggies in a bowl over a grain and my own spices for breakfast or dinner.
That looks amazing! I love foods that have an amazing photographic presence like this!
Another new recipe for me to try on. I would definitely try this over the weekend. Glad I came over this post.
I always find quinoa really bland and boring – but this recipe sounds (and looks) surprisingly delicious! Thanks for sharing x
Totally going to check out that bee story, I had no idea that they brought them into cross pollinate! I am so used to seeing flatbed trucks moving beehives from field to field but they never actually leave the province.
This dish looks delicious! Totally going to have to whip up a batch for dinner over the weekend.
It’s a totally meal in itself!
This is such a colourful bowl – I don’t think I have tried anything like it before I need to get more adventurous!
This looks delicious. I have never heard of Buddha bowls before but I love it! Kaz
Wow! I don’t know how you do it, but every dish you share just looks so tasty! I love this quinoa bowl! x
This looks fab and I like how it full of veggies. I can imagine all the nutrients in it haha
We’re big fans of Mediterranean vegetables in this household and this bowl looks delightful and really colourful 🙂 Yummy!
I think I am one of the few yet to try quinoa. I really want to try and start eating it and I am sure this would be a great way to introduce it into my diet in a fun and flavourful way.
I loveeee buddah bowls and this one looks amazing!! My god I think I’m going to make it today, we always have this sort of stuff in the house!
I need recipes like this. We stopped using rices and pastas for now to lessen carbs so have been wanting to substitute with grains.
Looks delish! I’ll have to have this with my family VERY soon if I can convince them to try something new, ha! Thanks for sharing!
I’m loving this bowel and if this is the secret of being younger I want it everyday!!
I’ve been loving quinoa recently, so this comes at a good time for me ? I might add it to my list for this week 🙂
I have been making a real effort to eat healthier this year and this would fit nicely onto my menu! I think my husband would really like this.
I love quinoa salad and I love the addition of garbanzos on yours. I would love to make this over the weekend.
Presentation of food is so important and makes a huge difference to me. This recipe looks delicious. Can’t wait to give it a try.
I love quinoa and putting it together with veggies and a good dressing makes it a great meal. I will try and make this for my daughter but she has a lot of restrictions to follow.
This is my kind of bowl. I’d love to have this for a meal. I’d feel healthy while eating it so I could have a slice of pie or a cookie afterwards and not feel so guilty.
Looks like your time in the kitchen was really worth while. This bowl looks yummy.
Oh now this looks absolutely delicious – I could most definitely look to tuck in myself! YUM!
Dear Ali: You are the best. I love your recipes and the way you take care of us so they all turn out so perfectly.
This looks fantastic. What a beautiful presentation. I love cooking with such pretty colors. I also love how food can take you back to emotional times and i have a couple of dishes that remind me of my birthdays because they are so special to me.
This looks like a really great Buddha bowl to have. I hadn’t eaten a Buddha bowl before but I keep seeing nice ways to mix one up, I will try your mediterranean quinoa one.
Okay, all those links you shared are just absolutely perfect! Can’t wait to check each and every single one of them out. Also, that Buddha bowl just looks absolutely divine!
Ali, I’ve been lurking here for a long, long time, so I’m finally going to leave a comment. All your posts are so inspiring and never fail to make me want to cook. Thank you.
I’ve been doing my best to avoid my intake of meat and this is definitely a life saver! I love that it’s packed with all the veggies and the flavors are so lovely as well! Thanks for the awesome recipe, I can’t wait to give it a try!
I think I’m going to have to start getting into quinoa. I see so many beautiful dishes on Pinterest with quinoa. I think I had it a little bit as a kid, but never as an adult. This meal inspires me.
I have recently gotten into making quinoa (not pre-made from a bag!!) so this recipe is coming at the prefect time! I need to try this!!
What a delicious healthful dish for spring and summer. I will be adding it to my list for sure!
This looks wonderful! I make something similar, but this has more components to it. I love the ingredients you used, this sounds like a wonderful combination.
Wow, this weekend we are going to host a get together and now I though of doing your idea of Spaghetti Saturday too. Now, I am thinking of what would be a theme and design setup for this idea as well.
This looks delicious! It is out of my comfort zone but I totally have to try it, I’ve been trying to give different foods a try 🙂