Yummy Low FODMAP Rainbow Bliss Bowls include roasted broccoli and red cabbage, hearty quinoa, crunchy red pepper, and a delicious turmeric-tahini dressing.
While in Lembongan for Yoga Teacher Training, it seemed like “bowls” were EVERYWHERE. Many of the restaurants we went to had some form or another on their menu: bliss bowls, power bowls, Buddha bowls, smoothie bowls, etc. I loved it!
Why? As much as I love a good recipe, many of my daily “real-life” eats are really just a bunch of simple, wholesome components thrown together to make a meal. 🙂
With the exception of smoothie bowls, most other Bali bliss bowls contained a whole grain, lots of veggies, a source of healthy fats (like avocado, nuts, seeds, olives), and a yummy plant-based dressing. And, I thought this was an easy formula for creating a nutrition-packed meal when I got back home.
When I arrived back in the States, I quickly created these Low FODMAP Rainbow Bliss Bowls and have been eating them on repeat ever since. I like to make this recipe on Sunday, divide the bowl ingredients into four containers, and stick them in the fridge for an easy, Low FODMAP meal that’s ready to grab and eat.
Note: I have been keeping the dressing separate when I prep and store these meals, but that’s just a personal preference. 🙂
So, what’s in these bowls? They’re a low FODMAP combination of some of my favorite Bali bliss bowl components including roasted broccoli and red cabbage, hearty quinoa, crunchy red pepper, and a satisfying turmeric-tahini dressing. Yum!
FODMAP Stacking
As this bowl contains several ingredients (broccoli, red cabbage, and tahini) that when eaten in larger than recommended servings may trigger IBS symptoms, I wanted to chat a bit about FODMAP stacking.
Don’t get me wrong the Monash App is an invaluable tool for us low FODMAP-ers and I can’t recommend it enough as a resource to use. But, unless you’re working at Monash University and have access to their FODMAP lab and/or all of their data, it’s really difficult to know if a recipe or meal is truly low FODMAP due to FODMAP stacking, or the cumulative effects of foods containing FODMAPs.
The Low FODMAP Diet is designed for us to be able to eat multiple low FODMAP or ‘green’ servings of food at a time, but when you start to do, especially when you include multiple foods from the same food group, there could be enough overall FODMAPs to “overflow your bucket” and trigger symptoms.
One strategy to help prevent this is to decrease the serving sizes, especially of those foods that when eaten in larger quantities do have the potential to trigger symptoms (e.g., a food that moves from ‘green’ to ‘yellow’ or ‘red’ in larger servings on Monash app).
For example, broccoli and red cabbage both have the potential to cause symptoms in larger quantities. According to Monash, you can safely enjoy either in a ¾ cup or 75-gram servings. However, since they both fall into the same food group (vegetables) and are both cruciferous veggies, I decided to decrease the amount per serving in these low FODMAP Rainbow Bliss Bowls to help prevent us from going over that low FODMAP limit.
Recipe
Low FODMAP Rainbow Bliss Bowls
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Yummy Low FODMAP Rainbow Bliss Bowls include roasted broccoli and red cabbage, hearty quinoa, crunchy red pepper, and a delicious turmeric-tahini dressing.
Ingredients
Rainbow Bliss Bowl
- 2 cups (200 grams) broccoli florets
- 2 tsp. coconut oil
- 2 cups (200 grams) shredded red cabbage
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 1 red bell pepper (about 1 cup), seeded and diced
- 6 servings favorite cooked protein food (tempeh, chicken, salmon, etc.), optional
Turmeric-Tahini Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1 tsp. ground turmeric
- ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
- Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, toss broccoli with 2 tsp. coconut oil. Spread evenly onto one of the baking sheets. In the now empty bowl, toss cabbage with 1 Tbsp. coconut oil. Spread evenly onto the other baking sheet. Roast broccoli and cabbage, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until fork tender and just starting to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa. Place quinoa and water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes, before fluffing quinoa with a fork. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, turmeric, and optional cayenne pepper. Season to taste with salt. If you’d like a thinner dressing, stir in 1-3 Tbsp. water depending on the desired consistency. Set aside.
- To assemble, place ⅙ of each of the following into bowls: cooked quinoa, roasted broccoli, roasted cabbage, diced bell pepper, and optional protein food. Serve each bowl warm or cold with 2 Tbsp. dressing.
Notes
Broccoli: A low FODMAP serving is a ¾ cup or 75 grams
Red Cabbage: A low FODMAP serving is a ¾ cup or 75 grams.
Tahini (or Sesame Seed Paste): A low FODMAP serving is 1 Tbsp. or 20 grams.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Bake, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Plant-Based
Laura says
I'm wondering if there is a typo about the recipe? At the top it says 6 servings, and it definitely looks like 6 servings of protein and dressing, but then for serving at the end of the recipe, it says to put "¼ of each of the following into bowls", which would give 4 servings rather than 6.
Em Schwartz, MS, RDN says
Whoops! Yes, this makes 6 servings. Thanks for catching that, Laura!
Jan says
Hi - I've just tripped over your lovely recipe, but I was wondering which protein you used in the bowls you picture? It looks yum. Thanks!
Emily says
Great question, Jan! I believe it was my Maple Soy Glazed Tempeh: https://funwithoutfodmaps.com/low-fodmap-maple-soy-glazed-tempeh/ 🙂
Meg A. says
How do you convert your recipes for the Instant Pot? I have IBS-D and sometimes IBS-C and I dislike cooking unless I can use my Instant Pot. I don't know how to convert recipes for my Instant Pot Ultra. Typically, I just find recipes already converted.
Emily says
Great question, Meg! It really depends on the recipe. I usually come up with a recipe idea, consult Instant Pot cooking times for a rough time estimate (my biggest concern is usually making sure meat/chicken is cooked long enough), and then test the recipe several times, making modifications as needed. I will continue to develop low FODMAP Instant Pot recipes, but in the meantime, you could also try modifying non-low FODMAP Instant Pot recipes to be lower in FODMAPs by substituting low FODMAP ingredients (like low FODMAP broth for regular broth, leek leaves for onions, etc.). It's not fool-proof, but it's a place to start. 🙂 Wishing you the best!
Emily says
Here is another helpful article about converting recipes to be Instant Pot-friendly: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-make-any-recipe-work-with-your-instant-pot/
Amy says
These low FODMAP bliss bowls look absolutely fantastic! I especially love how colourful they are. I feel like it's going to make lunch feel particularly fancy. Can't wait!
Emily says
Thanks, Amy! I sometimes feel like lunch is the forgotten meal. Might as well make it feel a little fancier! 😉