Plant-Based Buddha Bowls by Kelli Foster

Plant-Based Buddha Bowls

by Kelli Foster

Bold and satisfying in flavor, vibrantly colored, and super-rich in nutrients, Buddha bowls are easy-to-make one-dish meals. In this beautifully illustrated cookbook, Buddha Bowls author Kelli Foster presents 100 tempting and utterly creative plant-based recipes for making them.

These vegan Buddha bowls feature delicious grains, from the familiar, like oats, barley, quinoa, and rice, to the newly popular, like amaranth, freekeh, and farro, along with all manner of noodles, including pastas, udon, rice noodles, and soba. Nutritious veggies abound, especially greens like spinach, chard, and kale, as do bold flavors and aromatics, like garlic, ginger, lime, tamarind, and lemongrass. Protein-rich ingredients like tofu, tempeh, nuts and nut butters, chia, hemp, and chickpeas make each of these bowls a nutritionally complete meal in just one dish.

You will find dozens of robust and filling dinners both for the weekday whirl and for relaxing weekend meals with family and friends. Beyond that, Plant-Based Buddha Bowls includes more than a dozen Morning Buddha Bowls for a power-packed start to the day; Buddha Bowls on the Go, perfect for packing for school or work; calming Mood Bowls, for light suppers and late-night snacks; and even Sweet Buddha Bowls, which use natural sugars only, for treats and desserts—and for the sweet-toothed kids in the household.

Whether you're a vegan or vegetarian—or an omnivore who enjoys a plant-based meal from time to time—you will love the taste and convenience of these Buddha bowls. Never has so much color and flavor made its way into one humble bowl.

Reviewed by annieb123 on

5 of 5 stars

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Originally posted on my blog: my link text.

Plant-Based Buddha Bowls is a well written and accessible tutorial guide with recipes developed by Kelli Foster. Due out 4th May 2021 from Quarto on their Harvard Common Press imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats (ebook available now).

I am always on the lookout for tasty, convenient, healthy meals with a big bonus for easy variations which can change the taste and look of the meal depending on what appeals at the time. This book has recipes for mix and match variations for plant-based one-bowl complete meals which include complete proteins, starches, roughage, vegetables and which are also delicious.

I'm generally not a super organized plan-ahead type person. Having a selection of previously made ingredients for dinner bowls ready to go is a -workable- way to have nutritiously responsible and tasty food for dinner after work. This collection includes lots and lots of mix-and-match alternatives: start with a base (noodles, rice, and whole grains,for example), add proteins (plant based in this case), plus vegetables, and finish with delicious sauces and dressings.

The recipes are arranged thematically: sauces and extras, breakfast bowls, vegetable power bowls, rice and grains, lentils and beans, noodle, hummus, brothy bowls, and sweet bowls. Recipes include a description, yields, ingredients in a bullet style list in a sidebar and step by step clear directions. Ingredients are given with American standard and metric (yay!). Recommended combos are provided in a highlighted text bar along with tips and alternative preparations. Nutritional info is not included.

The photography is clear and colorful. At a rough count, about 20-25% of the recipes are accompanied by photos. Serving suggestions are appealing and appropriate. Graphically the book has good contrast and the text is easy to read.

This is a good collection of recipes which are anything but bland. This would make a superlative selection for library acquisition, home use, or a good choice for gifting. The versatility of mix-and-match ingredients would make these bowls perfect for meal-prepping. I would also imagine it would be well received by singles or couples who have newly moved into their own places.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 21 April, 2021: Finished reading
  • 21 April, 2021: Reviewed