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When I think of Southern food I don’t immediately picture only fried chicken, cheesy grits, or overindulgent desserts. Those dishes are part of the story, but Southern cuisine is much richer—rooted in fresh, local ingredients and shaped by Native, African, Caribbean, European, and Creole traditions. To me, Southern food brings to mind deep-green collards and mustard greens, sweet corn, a variety of cornmeals, succotash, sweet potatoes, fragrant peaches, wild blackberries, and tender, flaky biscuits. More often than not I see Southern food as clean, fresh, nourishing, and made with love. Fried foods have their place, but they don’t define the whole cuisine.
As a proud Georgia peach, I cook Southern-inspired meals at least once a week. If you come to my house you might be greeted with buttermilk-style waffles, red beans & rice, sweet potato biscuits, or collard greens prepared in many different ways. For this Southern Buddha Bowl recipe I wanted to combine some of my favorite Southern ingredients into one satisfying, plant-based bowl. I was thrilled to partner with Camellia Brand from New Orleans for the beans in this recipe. My dad introduced me to their beans years ago, and I always bring some home after a trip to NOLA.
Lima Beans
Anyone who thinks Southern food can’t be vegan hasn’t tried creamy Camellia green baby limas. In this bowl I use those green lima beans—an essential succotash ingredient—along with farm-fresh corn, charred cherry tomatoes, chewy farro, pickled Vidalia onions, a silky Georgia peach dressing, and raw collard ribbons. You need the greens to balance the bowl and add that true Southern touch.
This bowl is ideal for a late-summer lunch or a light dinner and travels well for picnics. The flavors come together into a well-balanced, delicious vegan meal. If you can, use Camellia beans—their creaminess is unmatched.
Southern Lima Bean Buddha Bowl
Ingredients
Lima Beans
- 1/2 lb Camellia green baby limas, soaked overnight (at least 8 hours)
- 5 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
Farro
- 1 cup farro, soaked 1 hour
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 tsp sea salt
Quick-pickled onions
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
Corn sauté
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, whole or halved
- 2 jalapeño peppers, minced
- 2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Peach Vinaigrette
- 2 ripe peaches, chopped
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp sea salt + 1/2 tsp to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Collards
- 1 bunch collards, stems removed, thinly sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
- 1/3 cup peach vinaigrette
Instructions
Lima Beans
- Bring the water to a boil. Rinse soaked lima beans and add them to the boiling water with the bay leaves. Reduce to a simmer and cook, lid ajar, for at least one hour or until tender.
Farro
- Bring water or broth to a boil, add farro and salt (omit salt if using salted broth). Simmer, lid ajar, for 30–45 minutes or until tender.
Quick-pickled onions
- Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and fennel seeds in a bowl. Add sliced onions and massage gently to coat. Let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to pickle.
Corn sauté
- Heat a large skillet with a drizzle of oil (or dry heat if using cast iron). Add tomatoes, jalapeño, and corn. Cook until the vegetables brown slightly and the corn is tender, about 15 minutes.
Peach Vinaigrette
- Blend peaches, vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper until smooth. With the blender running, drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is silky and creamy.
Collards
- Place collard ribbons in a large bowl and toss with 1/3 cup peach vinaigrette. Use clean hands to massage the greens for about 3 minutes, until tender.
Assemble the Buddha bowl
- Divide 1/2 cup cooked lima beans, cooked farro, corn sauté, and massaged collards among four bowls. Top with quick-pickled onions and extra peach vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Good news! We relaunched Buddhalicious, a vegan meal plan program focused on Buddha bowls. Enrollment ends on August 14th—sign up if you want to join the next round.