Grain Bowl Obsession: Dream Bowl

Not sure what prompted me a few weeks ago to stop by Food on Pico.  Maybe it’s just that there was a parking spot. I was running errands during my lunch break and saw a parking spot right in front so I decided to run in and grab something to go so I could take it back to my office and eat at my desk.  Easy.

I was going to get a Caesar Salad, pretty much my go-to meal, but the Dream Bowl caught my eye.  It was the special that day.  OK.   Ordered it, bought it, grabbed it and went on my merry way.   I had no idea it would change my life.

Once I got back to my office and ate this grain bowl I could not stop thinking about it.   The next day I wanted to eat it but it was not available so I made it my mission to deconstruct and figure it out.  I did and have eaten it almost every day for about 2 weeks.  Obsessed.

It’s basically a grain bowl, with greens, vegetables, nuts and cheese with a little dressing on top.   But oh its so much more than that!!   This is a very forgiving recipe.  Add/subtract anything you want – change up the grains, the greens, the vegetables and the nuts to whatever you like and what is in season.

GRAINS
Quinoa & Farrow

GREENS
Cabbage & Kale

VEGETABLES
Squash & Sweet Potato
(optional  Avocado, Cucumber)

NUTS
Pepitas & Sunflower Seeds

CHEESE
Halloumi

DRESSING
Tumeric

GRAINS:   Cook grains according to package directions.   Mix it up if you don’t have or like these grains.
GREENS:  Make a rough chiffonade of the kale and thinly slice the cabbage (Savoy or Green).   Put in a separate bowl and toss with a a little Apple Cider Vinegar.
VEGETABLES:  Peel and cube the squash (Butternut, Kabocha, Acorn, etc) and the Sweet Potato, toss with olive oil, salt & pepper then either steam on stovetop/microwave or roast in 400 oven until tender.
NUTS:  Toss 1/2 cup each of Pepitas and Sunflower Seeds in a little olive oil and toast on stovetop until just starting to brown.   Add salt & pepper and set aside.
CHEESE:  Slice Halloumi cheese and in same pan used for Nuts grill the cheese until brown on both sides.
DRESSING:   Whisk together in bowl until smooth:

• ¼ cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or Cayenne pepper)
• 2-3 tablespoons water
• salt & pepper

ASSEMBLY:   In serving bowl add in order

1/2 cup each of GRAINS
1/2 cup each of GREENS
1/2 cup each of VEGETABLES
2-3 slices of grilled Halloumi CHEESE
1/4 cup of NUTS
DRESSING to taste
Top with salt & pepper (to taste, the Halloumi might be salty), Aleppo Pepper & Zatar

OMG OMG OMG

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 25th, 2016 at 11:38. It is filed under Food, Uncategorized and tagged with aleppo pepper, apple cider vinegar, cheese, dream bowl, food, grain bowl, grains, greens, halloumi, pepita, squash, Sweet Potato, tumeric, vegetables. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.