Buddha bowls. Power bowls. Grain bowls. Macro bowls. Rainbow bowls. Yoga bowls (don't worry, you don't have to do yoga to eat these). Hippie bowls (okay, then). Nourish bowls.
What do these all have in common? (Well, besides the bowl part...) They're healthy? They have every different major food group in them? Anyone can eat them - vegetarians, celiacs, ketos, vegans, gluten-free, lactose intolerants? Answer: all of the above (cheesy, but whatever)! But for the record, I'll just be calling them nourish bowls in the following post:).
Basically, every nourish bowl has four main parts. I'll go through them all with you now:
1. GRAIN BASE: This is the bottom of your nourish bowl. Chances are, you won't even see it because everything else is on top (try and guess what's in the bottom of ours in the above picture, for starters). But, that doesn't make it any less important. When you pick your grain base - or combination base - make sure to pick a whole grain, with lots of nutrients to start you off right. Ideas: brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, oat groats.
2. PROTEIN: This is your filler-upper. There are tons of options out there for your protein Nourish bowls are typically more common with vegans, but if you aren't vegan, first of all, try a vegan one and you will probably love it, or add some meat or an egg into your bowl. Ideas: chickpeas (or hummus), black beans, hard-boiled eggs, salmon, ground beef.
3. VEGGIES: Pick colourful veggies with lots of nutrients and vitamins, and try out different methods of preparing them. Julienne one, spiralize another, dice the next, roast some, boil some. A variety of veggies, raw and cooked, make the nourish bowl so good for you, and help you get a great balance of health benefits. Ideas: yam, cucumber, chives, baby spinach, zucchini, brussel sprouts, beet, bell pepper.
4. HEALTHY FATS: If you pick the right fat, it will help you feel better and will make your body healthier. Do your own research to see what you can use! A great place to incorporate your healthy fat is in your dressing, but make sure to make your own dressing so you skip all those artificial preservatives, flavours, and colours. Other healthy fats you can add in at the end by sprinkling them on top: Ideas: avocado, seeds, nuts, olive oil.
See what you can come up with for your nourish bowl, or check out this tested-and-true recipe below for a green-themed poké-style nourish bowl (and if it seems too healthy for you, try out our GF biscotti or eclairs for dessert).
Ingredients:
Grain:
2 C. uncooked quinoa
1 C. uncooked red lentils
3 C. water
salt and pepper
Protein:
1 filet salmon sashimi (0.358 kg)
Vegetables:
1 medium cucumber
2 1/2 C. edamame, still in pods
2 C. water
salt
Healthy Fats:
2 ripe avocados
1-2 tsp. sesame oil
3 tbsp. regular mayonnaise
1 tsp. sriracha sauce (if desired)
Other:
2 tbsp. soy sauce
Directions:
Bring 3 C. water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 4 min. Add lentils and cook for another 6 min, or until both quinoa and lentils are fully cooked. Let cool.
Bring 2 C. water and edamame, in pods, to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 min. Drain and remove edamame seeds from pods. Season with salt and set aside.
Slice sashimi into strips, and marinate in soy sauce and sesame oil in a flat bowl a few minutes.
In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and sriracha sauce.
Cube cucumber into small pieces. Slice avocado into strips.
Combine all elements in bowls, drizzle with sriracha mayo and serve!
I enjoyed this nourish bowl flavour, especially for someone who'd never tried poké before (I'm sorry, I don't love the idea of spending an astronomical amount of money on something I've never tried before.). So hey, I consider it a success. In this recipe, I tried a lot of new things: raw fish (I wasn't so sure until I tried it, and it was fine), edamame - I don't think I'd even ever seen it before - which looked and tasted extremely similar to the beans inside green bean pods, and sriracha mayo (though I knew regular mayo isn't exactly my dressing of choice). Lentils, too, aren't really a common food for me, but I did know I liked them. For having so many unknowns in one meal, it turned really good and memorable.
Making this nourish bowl, we had to use some unripe avocados, unfortunately. We tried the microwave-ripening thing, but let me tell you before you try it, it was exceptionally unsuccessful. We don't know if it was just us, but we ended up with avocados that were just as hard as a rock, with warm spots from the microwave and cold spots from the refrigerator. So, learn from us, and just wait till your avocados are ripe before you use them:).
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