Bowls or salad bowls have become a top trend in recent years. My criteria for the perfect bowl include maximum variety of ingredients, several types of vegetables and greens, a delicious dressing, and a light grain base. To make it more filling, you can add:
a) eggs (any style—boiled, poached, or a simple cheese omelet for the salad),
b) cheese (soft, fresh, aged—any kind! Goat and sheep cheeses are my favorites),
c) avocado (can replace zucchini in this recipe),
d) salted salmon or tofu,
e) nuts or seeds.
However, this salad is fantastic on its own. You can enhance the dressing by adding grainy mustard or a spoonful of tahini.
For this recipe, I used green buckwheat simply because it has a slightly milder flavor (and because roasted buckwheat wasn't available at my local store!). This doesn’t mean green buckwheat is better or healthier — it’s just a matter of taste.
- 100 g buckwheat
- 1 medium zucchini or courgette (can easily be replaced with diced avocado)
- spinach (or other dark leafy greens like Swiss chard or kale)
- dill (can substitute with parsley, cilantro, or use a mix)
- mint (or any other herb with an intense flavor, like tarragon, a bit of thyme, or sage)
- young green garlic (or onion, optional)
- sprouts (optional)
- olive oil
- red wine vinegar
- salt
- dry garlic
Cook the buckwheat according to the instructions on the package. Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water and optionally a drop of olive oil to prevent clumping. You can cook it in a pan with high sides instead of a pot, allowing you to mix the salad directly in it. Let it cool slightly.
Slice the zucchini or courgette into strips, brush with olive oil, and grill on both sides until golden brown.
Tip: It’s convenient to prepare grilled vegetables in advance in larger quantities than you plan to eat at once. Add them to salad bowls the next day. Almost any vegetable works well for this! Grilled vegetables are especially flavorful when cooked on a charcoal or gas grill, but a grill pan does the job just fine too.
Wash, mix, and finely chop the greens. Aim for a minimum of four types. For example:
- Spinach, dill, green garlic, and mint,
- Kale, green onion, cilantro, parsley, and sprouts,
- Spinach, mint, tarragon (or Middle Eastern varieties sold as tarragon for their stronger aroma), and dill,
- Spinach, Swiss chard, dill, and mint.
Dice the zucchini into small cubes and mix it with the greens and buckwheat. Season with salt, dried garlic, olive oil, and a splash of red wine vinegar.
Cook the buckwheat according to the instructions on the package. Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water and optionally a drop of olive oil to prevent clumping. You can cook it in a pan with high sides instead of a pot, allowing you to mix the salad directly in it. Let it cool slightly.
Slice the zucchini or courgette into strips, brush with olive oil, and grill on both sides until golden brown.
Tip: It’s convenient to prepare grilled vegetables in advance in larger quantities than you plan to eat at once. Add them to salad bowls the next day. Almost any vegetable works well for this! Grilled vegetables are especially flavorful when cooked on a charcoal or gas grill, but a grill pan does the job just fine too.
Wash, mix, and finely chop the greens. Aim for a minimum of four types. For example:
- Spinach, dill, green garlic, and mint,
- Kale, green onion, cilantro, parsley, and sprouts,
- Spinach, mint, tarragon (or Middle Eastern varieties sold as tarragon for their stronger aroma), and dill,
- Spinach, Swiss chard, dill, and mint.
Dice the zucchini into small cubes and mix it with the greens and buckwheat. Season with salt, dried garlic, olive oil, and a splash of red wine vinegar.
