Greek Inspired Buddha Bowls

Beautiful bowls of Greek inspired whole food ingredients come together to make Buddha bowl salads hearty enough for dinner.

Summertime! It’s official. The kids are out of school for the summer. We get to sleep in a little longer and enjoy a little less rush. After a long afternoon of playing in the sun, I often crave Buddha bowls. Well, when I’m not craving a veggie burger and fries. A Buddha bowl is a beautiful, nourishing meal that’s easy to make with whatever veggies and grains you have at home. If you missed my 30 Best Buddha Bowls post, be sure to check that out for more inspiration. Not only are these big salad bowls beautiful and flavorful, they make me feel light and nourished. One of my favorite versions is this Greek inspired salad bowl. There are no rules here, so take what you like, and leave what you don’t. This Greek bowl can be made vegan, vegetarian, or you can add whatever protein you like on top. I know my kids would love a grilled shrimp kabob on top of this.

I had some halloumi cheese in the refrigerator that goes perfectly with Greek dishes like this one. Feta would also be fantastic. Have you tried halloumi? It’s a firm, salty, white cheese traditionally made with goat and sheep milk. It’s usually grilled or pan fried, creating a golden crust around the soft warm cheese. It’s incredibly tasty in sandwiches, wraps, and salads. If you don’t do dairy, and I usually don’t, you’re still getting plenty of protein with beans, hummus, quinoa, and veggies in this hearty salad.

I love eating this flavorful bowl with pita bread and extra hummus. Sometimes I even stuff the fillings into half a pita pocket and eat it as a sandwich instead of a salad.

While the ingredients listed below are a guideline, feel free to mix it up with the ingredients you have on hand and love. That’s the whole point of Buddha bowls, anyway! I would love this one with watermelon or eggplant in the summer and roasted sweet potatoes in the winter. Greek salad traditionally has cucumber, tomato, red onion, and kalamata olives, so those ingredients were a must for me. My kids love cucumber ribbons, so we passed our cucumber through the spiralizer. I use and recommend this spiralizer. (Amazon affiliate link) 

Opa!

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Yield: Serves 4-6

Vegetarian Greek Mezze Bowls

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Hearty and flavorful Greek inspired bowls.

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Ingredients

• 3 oz. favorite salad greens (I used arugula)
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 English hothouse cucumber, sliced or spiralized
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, drained
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges, or 1 cup cherry tomatoes (whatever kind looks good)
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 avocados, pitted, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• fresh mint leaves
• Halloumi cheese
• pita bread for serving
• hummus
• tzatziki or favorite dressing (optional)

Instructions

1. Fill bowls or plates with greens. Dress lightly with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Top with quinoa, cucumber, olives, tomatoes, onion, avocado, artichoke hearts, bean salad (below), and mint leaves.
2. To make the bean salad, in a small-medium bowl, toss together the beans, 1 tablespoon olive oil, parsley, shallot, garlic, and lemon juice.
3. If using halloumi, grill or pan fry in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes total. Serve halloumi warm on your salad bowl.
4. Serve the Greek bowls with hummus and pita bread. Use the hummus on top of the salads or as a dip for the bread. Dress with a drizzle of your favorite dressing, if desired, salt and pepper, or a dollop of more hummus or tzatziki.

Notes

Gluten Free Option: Be sure to use GF pita bread and dressing. Vegan Option: Omit any cheese and tzatziki.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 406Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 657mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 11gSugar: 6gProtein: 11g