Mexican Street Corn Buddha Bowls with Basil-Lime Vinaigrette

Mexican street corn Buddha bowls are chock full of fresh grilled corn, rice, mixed greens, cabbage, tomato, onion, queso fresco, avocado, and hard-boiled egg – everything you need for a fresh and healthful summer vegetarian meal.

I’m leaving for Iceland today! Headed overseas to hang with Eva and Carey and a bunch of talented individuals from all over the earth in a food and landscape photography workshop. I’ll be soaking up as much photography know-how as possible, taking in the scenery, making new friends.

This will be my first time to Iceland, and I’m just so thrilled at the opportunity. I’ll be staying in a hostel in Reykjavik for a few days before the workshop begins, then hanging out for an extra day post-workshop. If I see Bjork, I’ll tell her you say hi. Don’t fret, I have a few posts scheduled to tide you over while I’m gone. Just don’t be surprised if I’m extra cold over social media and don’t respond immediately to emails.

These Buddha Bowls, my friends…

They’re everything you need in a well-balanced summer meal. They have a combination of cooked and raw vegetables for vitamins, rice for complex carbs, hard boiled egg, queso fresco, and pistachios for protein and flavor, and this super fresh basil dressing to tie it all together. The basil-lime vinaigrette can easily be adapted to include any of your favorite herbs. Do you love cilantro? You can make the swap, no problem.

Recipe Prep Tips + Options for Change Ups:

• The rice can be cooked and corn can be grilled up to 3 days ahead of time, and stored in tupperware until you’re ready to prepare the rest of the meal.
• The basil-lime vinaigrette can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in a tightly sealed jar.
• The vegetables can be chopped 1 day ahead of time, but for sake of freshness, I recommend doing the chopping the day of.
• Omit any of the raw vegetables, or add any raw veggies in, such as carrot, radishes, etc.
• Add any grilled or roasted vegetables, such as onion, sweet potato, zucchini, eggplant, etc.
• Substitute cilantro for the basil in the dressing.
• Use feta instead of queso fresco
• Add grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak to make this a carnivorous bowl.
• Omit the hard boiled egg and queso fresco to make this vegan, and add in plant-based protein of choice, such as black beans.

There you have it – your gateway to a super versatile and adaptable summer bowl of freshness. Have a marvelous week, and bon apetit!

Mexican Street Corn Buddha Bowls with Basil-Lime Vinaigrette

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Author: Julia

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Ingredients

Mexican Street Corn Buddha Bowls:

• 1-½ cups uncooked white rice
• 5 ounces mixed greens of choice (I used a kale chard and spinach blend)
• 1-½ cups cabbage thinly sliced
• 2 husks corn grilled
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/3 cup red onion finely chopped
• 1/3 cup queso fresco crumbled
• ¼ cup pistachios chopped
• 4 hard boiled eggs peeled and sliced
• 1 avocado sliced

Basil-Lime Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup olive oil or grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons agave pure maple syrup, or honey
• 1 jalapeno pepper seeded chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves or cilantro

Instructions

Prepare the Basil-Lime Vinaigrette:

1. Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a small blender or food processor, and blend until desired consistency is reached. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare the Buddha Bowls:

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions.
2. While the rice is cooking, prepare the corn. Soak the husks in water for 10 minutes. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Place corn husks on grill and cover. Cook 15 minutes, flipping half-way through, or until husks are blackened and corn on the inside is steamed. Remove the husks from the grill and allow them to cool. Once cool, carefully remove and discard the husks and carefully remove the kernels using a sharp knife.
3. Divide the cooked rice between 4 bowls, along with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle desired amount of basil-lime vinaigrette over the bowls and serve.