Becca' s Buddha Bowls

I saw a pin the other day and was instantly and infinitely inspired by it.

One of the great things is: the pin is pretty open-ended, and I love those kind of recipes: the kind that say "these are the kinds of ingredients you need and this is how you assemble it....now go forth and create great food based on what you like to eat!" I LOVE that!

So based on that pin (which is easy to remember: half grains, half beans on the bottom, a rainbow of veggies, then seeds and/or nuts, and dressing of choice) I created these awesome Buddha-esque bowls. (These photographs were taken with my phone, and I don't have a photo for each step, but I got so excited about the deliciousness of the results that I couldn't not share them.)

I'll get into an actual recipe later, with amounts and processes, but these are the ingredients I used:

• asparagus 
• Brussels sprouts
• shredded beets
• frozen corn
• black beans
• orzo
• sunflower seeds
• Balsmic vinaigrette salad dressing
• Italian salad dressing

It ended up producing two generously-portioned bowls for lunches. (Well, one lunch and one dinner.) And it was chock-full of veggies and goodness and yummyness. 

To save time, I cooked the Brussels sprouts and the asparagus in the same pot of water. They have similar flavors and they're both green, so why not.

Can we just have a moment of appreciation for the beauty of asparagus? It's one of my favorite veggies, and it's definitely one of the most photogenic. (Maybe that's just me?)

The results, before the addition of the sunflower seed kernels:

After the kernels and before the devouring:

I wish I would have been able to steam the veggies, but I didn't, so I improvised. :)

One of my favorite things about this: it doesn't take long to make. The most labor-intensive parts can be combined, for the most part. I also found myself using the same two pans for most of the recipe -- and I used the same colander. (The first part was due to me not wanting to dirty things up, and the second part was due to everything being thrown together anyway.)

Now for the recipe:
(Click here for a print-friendly version.)

Becca's Buddha Bowls 

The ingredient amounts listed were used to make 2 generous lunches. It should take about 30 minutes from start to finish for this awesome lunch or quick dinner.  You'll need: 3/4 cup orzo 1 lb asparagus 1 lb Brussels sprouts 2 cups raw shredded beets 1 -15 oz can of black beans 1 cup corn 1/4 cup sunflower seed kernels 1/4 cup dressing of choice (Recommendations in the recipe) In a small saucepan, start 2 cups of water boiling for the orzo. Fill a large saucepan halfway with water; set to boil for the Brussels sprouts and asparagus. In the meantime, wash the Brussels. Set aside. Chop the asparagus into thirds, discarding the woody ends. Rinse. Set aside until the water is at a rolling boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil in both pans, add the respective ingredients. Return the small saucepan to a boil, but turn the large saucepan down to medium or medium-high, depending on what the settings were when the water was brought to a boil. Boil the orzo for 10 minutes, or until it's done. Then drain. Stir the veggies frequently in the water. Remove the asparagus after about 6 minutes; remove the Brussels when the orzo is done. Dump the water. Return the large saucepan to medium heat; add the beets. Cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 6-8 minutes. While the beets are cooking, drain the beans in a colander and rinse. (Even if you use low-sodium beans.) Add half the beans to each of the eating vessels; add the orzo as well. Top with the Brussels and asparagus. Once the beets are done, add half to each container as well.  If using frozen corn, give it a bit of a warm up with 1/4 cup of water in one of the saucepans. (About 4 minutes.) Then add to the rest of the veggies. If using canned corn, be sure to rinse it before adding it to the veggies -- the microwaving (or ambient heat) will heat the canned corn enough.  If not eating right away and reheating is necessary (as was my case), just pop it in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. Just before serving, top each meal with 2 Tbsp of the kernels and 2 Tbsp of the dressing. (I used 2 Tbsp of Balsamic for one lunch and 2 Tbsp Italian dressing for the other. Both were delicious!) Enjoy!