A typical Mediterranean diet includes lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, cereals and cereal products, for example wholegrain bread, pasta and brown rice. It also contains moderate amounts of fish, white meat and some dairy produce.
It’s the combination of all these elements that seems to bring health benefits, but one of the key aspects is the inclusion of healthy fats. Olive oil, which is monounsaturated fat, is most commonly associated with the Mediterranean diet but polyunsaturated fats are also present in nuts, seeds and oily fish.
Research into the traditional Mediterranean diet has shown it may reduce our risk of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and raised cholesterol, which are all risk factors for heart disease. Researchers have also found that people who closely follow a Mediterranean diet may live a longer life and be less likely to put on weight.
| Prep Time | 20 mins |
| Cook Time | 10 mins |
| Servings |
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Ingredients
Buddha Bowl
- 75 g Quinoa cooked according to instructions
- 75 g Spinach or rocket
- 200 g houmous
- 150 g black or green olives
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1 400g Can of butterbeans
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- Half cucumber cut into small chunks
- 1 avocado chopped into slices
- 10 Cherry tomatoes ha;ved
- Handful Fresh Basil
- 1 Juice of 1 lemon
- Sea salt and black pepper for seasoning
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- 1 8 oz jar of roasted peppers, drained
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Quarter cup Extra virgin olive oil
- Quarter cup almonds
Ingredients
Buddha Bowl
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
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Instructions
Sauce
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside to be served with buddha bowl.
Buddha Bowl
- Cook quinoa according to instructions.
- In a bowl place butterbeans, olive oil and garlic. Stir and season.
- Assemble Buddha bowl. Put layer of spinach or rocket at the bottom of the serving dish and then add the quinoa, followed by cucumber, followed by tomato, followed by beans, followed by olives, followed by avocado, and topped with hummus. (See photo)
- Pour over lemon juice and sprinkle over fresh basil. Serve with the roasted Red pepper sauce.
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