This Grain Free Buddha Bowl is full of nourishing ingredients that will fill you up and fuel your body. Dairy-free, Gluten-Free, and Paleo.

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Book Talk

Today I’d like to depart from my normal book recommendations, and give you my NOT recommendations. Here are four books that are either classics or just widely praised that I could have just done completely without.

I’d love to hear your take on these books. Did you have a hard time with them too? Did you love them? Why?

Grendel by John Gardner
I am not a simple person who likes to read simple, straightforward things or is easily confused by word imagery or poetic structure…. but as I read through this classic story, I just kept thinking, “What on earth…”

It was sad, slow, pretty confusing, and just almost horrible to me. I did connect with some of the poetic imagery which kept me going to the end, and I’m glad I can say I have this one under my belt, but geez louise.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
I don’t want to get too down on this one, because I really think I just didn’t connect with this story and this style of writing. I can’t tell you how many must read lists I’ve seen this book on, and I do not claim to be a literally know it all, so I honestly don’t think this is a bad book. You should definitely read it. It was just not for me.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
This novel about a young Irish girl who comes to America and finds herself was turned into a film not too long ago. The film looked really interesting, but I always like to read the book first before I see the movie, so that’s what I did.

And I was very disappointed. It was really slow, pretty boring, somewhat pleasant in the descriptions, but nothing actually happens in the whole book. There is a ton of detail about her daily life, one very odd and out of the blue lesbian-ish incident, and then she makes some poor life choices. The end. I do not see what the hype is about.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Oh man. This one was a doozy. Honestly, I didn’t even finish it. I got fully 3/4 of the way through the book before I just couldn’t do it anymore. And I have never quit on any other book that far through.

The thing is, it’s not uninteresting - it’s just SO FULL OF WORDS that it exhausts you to read it. There are almost no blank spaces anywhere on any of the pages. And there are so many names, many of which are basically the exact same name as everyone else in their family, that it was incredibly confusing to keep track of who you were reading about. The story spans generations, but they all have the same name in each family.

My book club read this one and out of the maybe 6 of us who partook that month, only 1 person finished it. That says something.

Should You Be Avoiding Grains?

Many people avoid grains because of gluten intolerance, gluten allergies, or severe medical issues that make staying completely away from gluten necessary, but what about the rest of us? What if you don’t have any noticeable or measurable gluten issues? Should you still be avoiding grains?

Unless you’ve been living in a cave (ironically, like our ancestors) then you have heard of the Paleo diet. This diet is completely grain free, not just gluten free, because they believe that the diet we should be existing on is the one our ancestors existed on. Back when we had to hunt and gather and we couldn’t process foods to make them easy to digest, that was when our diet was prime for our biology, is the theory.

The Ketogenic diet is also another popular one that shuns grains entirely. The reasoning behind staying away from grains on this diet is that they expel almost all carbohydrates, and not just from grains. High carb fruits and veggies are abstained from too.

But why?

Well, there are a lot of reasons you might want to avoid grains even without a specific “problem” with them:

1. Grains are difficult to digest, which can cause constipation and intestinal discomfort.
2. Grains are inflammatory, which can also cause intestinal discomfort and aggravate autoimmune disorders.
3. Lower carbohydrate intake is highly associated with weight loss.
4. Lessening your grain intake can improve your cholesterol.

But my biggest reason for avoiding grains when I can is simple - I just feel better when I don’t eat grains. It’s nothing I can really measure, I just feel lighter, I’m less gassy, and I don’t bloat as much.

That’s why this Grain Free Buddha Bowl is one of my go to meals when I want something light. It’s full of nourishing foods that will keep you full and fuel your body so that it feels its best.

This is also an excellent make ahead meal. I put hot sauce all over the veggies, combined with that perfectly runny yolk on that soft boiled egg, this Grain Free Buddha Bowl is absolutely delicious.

How Do I Make Riced Cauliflower?

There are two ways to make riced cauliflower if you don’t just buy in that way. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s when I’m feeling lazy. But when I can’t get to TJ’s, there are two ways I like to do it. I explain those techniques in detail in my Keto Quiche with a Cauliflower Crust post.

PRO TIP:
Check out how to make the perfect hard boiled egg at any stage you desire at Downshiftology. I just love Lisa and everything she does over there, so check her out.

Here are some of my Amazon picks for tools that make this recipe easy:

Grain Free Buddha Bowl

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Vanessa at The Cheerful Kitchen

Yields Serves 4

This Grain Free Buddha Bowl is full of nourishing ingredients that will fill you up and fuel your body. Dairy-free, Gluten-Free, and Paleo.

15 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

45 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

For Roasted Veggies
• 1 medium red onion, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 a medium head of cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 T melted coconut oil or olive oil
For Cauliflower Rice
• 4 cups of cauliflower rice, or one large cauliflower riced
• 1 tsp mined garlic OR 1/4 tsp garlic granules
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1 T coconut oil or olive oil
The Rest
• 2 bunches of kale, cleaned with stems removed and chopped
• Sprinkle of salt and pepper
• 1 T coconut oil or olive oil
• 4 eggs
Optional for garnish
• Hemp seeds
• Tapatio or favorite hot sauce

Instructions

For Roasted Veggies
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Put the cut up red onion, cabbage and carrot into a large bowl, pour 2 tablespoons of coconut or olive oil over them and season with the salt and pepper. Stir to coat well, and then pour out into a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Use two baking sheets if you need to.
3. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring half way through. Switch the position of the pans half way through if using two.
For Cauliflower Rice
4. Heat a large skillet over Medium/Hight heat with 1 tablespoon of coconut or olive oil.
5. Put the riced cauliflower and the seasoning in the pan, and stir to combine everything and coat with oil.
6. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You don’t want the cauliflower to become mush, you just want to cook it through until it isn't opaque anymore.
For Sauteed Kale
7. Heat a large skillet or pot over medium heat with 1 Tablespoon of coconut or olive oil. (The vessel needs to be large to hold the kale before it's cooked down. It will cook down A LOT so don't be scared by the amount you start out with!)
8. Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t wilt entirely, you just want to cook the kale until it is very dark green and glossy, but it still holds some of its shape. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For Eggs
9. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
10. While the water is coming to a boil, prepare a large bowl with an ice water bath (just fill half way with water and dump a bunch of ice in there).
11. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and use a large spoon to gently lower the eggs into the pot. Return the water to a gentle boil and set your timer for 6 minutes for a very soft yolk, 7 minutes for a little bit firmer. I did 6 minutes for the egg in the pictures.
12. Once your timer goes off, immediately move the eggs from the hot water to your ice bath.
13. When cooled, peel your eggs. They can be stored in the fridge peeled for up to 3 days.
To Serve
14. Now that you have all your elements done, you can serve it up!
15. In a large bowl, spoon 1/4 of the cauliflower rice, 1/4 of the roasted veggies and 1/4 of the sauteed kale onto sections. Cut a soft boiled egg in half and place on top. Season the cut egg with a little sprinkle of salt, and scatter hemp seeds all over. Shake some hot sauce onto your veggies, and Bon Appetit!

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https://thecheerfulkitchen.com/grain-free-buddha-bowl/

Try these other grain free recipes:

Keto Quiche with a Cauliflower Crust

Paleo Mushroom Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas

Paleo Orange Chicken & Beets with Thyme

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