Delicious Dinner Bowls

(Have a slow internet? Download the pdf version here.)

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR INGREDIENTS 

Is this your first time making a Delicious Dinner Bowl? Awesome. The first thing you will want to do is figure out what you have in the kitchen that you can use in your bowls.

You may want to organize a family meeting to figure out what ingredients you can use.

Make sure your bowl has all of the important components (parts). This will give you a balanced meal. A balanced bowl has five parts: grain, protein, veggies, dressing, mix-ins. The thing you should have the most of in your bowl: vegetables. Here are some examples from each category:

• Grains: amaranth, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur, farro, millet, quinoa, wild rice
• Proteins: beans, lentils, tofu, leftover chicken, shrimp, or shredded, lean beef or pork
• Veggies: kale, collards, spinach, lettuce, sugar snap peas, sliced radishes, grated carrots. 
• Or cook your veggies first: cauliflower popcorn, lemon roasted carrots, or baked sweet potato fries
• Salad dressing ideas: Asian sesame, sweet balsamic vinaigrette, lemon juice with olive oil, your own homemade dressing!
• Mix-Ins:
  • Cheese: feta is especially good in Delicious Dinner Bowls.
  • Seeds & nuts: sunflower, sesame, pumpkin seeds; slivered almonds for crunch.
  • Dried fruit: raisins, cranberries, chopped up dried apricots.
    

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STEP 2: PLAN YOUR DELICIOUS DINNER BOWL
Use this handy guide to design a delicious, balanced dinner bowl! If you want, consider asking different members of your household to gather and prepare ingredients for each category!

Grain:
Protein:
Veggies: (remember: this category should make up 50% of your bowl!)
Dressing / sauce:
Mix-ins:

Challenge: Can you Eat the Rainbow when you make your Delicious Dinner Bowl??

STEP 3: TIME TO COOK – DELICIOUS DINNER BOWL RECIPE

(This recipe makes enough for about 4 bowls)

The idea here is to combine protein-filled legumes (beans), whole grains, and veggies, then top with a dressing and whatever other mix-ins you have around the house to make things interesting and delicious.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked grains (rice or quinoa are good choices here)
• 1 bunch raw, hearty greens (use what you have: kale, collards, spinach, or another one)
• 1 bunch radishes, sliced (or another raw vegetable of your choosing such as cucumbers or broccoli)
• 4 large carrots, grated (or another raw vegetable of your choosing such as beets)
• 2-4 cups of any cooked vegetables you have on hand (optional)
• 2 cups protein of your choice (beans, lentils, tofu, lean meat)
• 2 cups mix-ins (toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, cheese etc.)
• Lowfat dressing or pesto of your choice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

METHOD

• Set up your Delicious Dinner Bowl Salad Bar, then give each person a bowl with a few scoops of cooked grains. Everyone can add the toppings they like.

MISSING AN INGREDIENT?

No problem! Like many FoodPrints recipes, our Delicious Dinner Bowl shows just one combination of ingredients. Yours can be customized the way you like it. There are a lot of delicious whole grains out there. Try bulgur, amaranth, or another whole grain. It can even be leftover brown rice from last night’s dinner! You can swap in other ingredients for your bowl, based on what you have.