Julia Winer is Chief Corporate Officer at Silver Fern Healthcare.
For Silver Fern’s What’s on My Plate Series, Julia shares one of her go-to veggie-packed, weekend meals: Buddha bowls.
“I’m a vegetarian, but my husband eats meat, so I am always looking for dishes that can be adapted to meet both our needs. I often include plant-based Buddha bowls, also known as macro bowls, in our weekly meal plan, because they offer so much flexibility and can be easily adapted to the leftover veggies in my fridge. Buddha bowls traditionally feature whole foods, including greens, roasted veggies, beans or lentils, healthy grains, and seeds or nuts. It’s easy to cook up some salmon, shrimp, or chicken for my husband to put on top or enjoy on the side, while I indulge my love of vegetables and some favorite grains, like farro and quinoa!
One of my favorite bowls is the Autumn Harvest Salad with Pomegranates from Fox and Briar. The warm delicata squash with the creaminess of the goat cheese and the sweet and tart pop from the pomegranates makes for a lovely combination. I typically add in roasted Brussels sprouts, which I cook with the squash, and I use whatever greens I have on hand – usually spinach.”
Delicata is not as well-known as some other autumn squashes, but it has wonderful flavor and the great benefit of being able to be cooked with the skin on. It is high in fiber and potassium and also contains a good amount of iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C.
The main ingredients in this dish include:
- 2 bunches kale center ribs removed and torn into small pieces (6-8 cups)
- 1 delicata squash de-seeded and cut into half moons
- 1 cup cooked farro
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese chevre
- arils from one pomegranate about 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- salt
- pepper
The full directions can be found at Fox and Briar and the recipe includes a recommended dressing.