L ifestyle /C ulture
Do-It-Yourself Grain Bowls
F OO D
GRAIN BOWLS ARE the
rage in restaurant dining.

They are served anywhere
from salad bars and cafes
to fine restaurants. Even
Chipotle has grain bowls on
the menu.

But because they are easy to
assemble, why not save some
money and make grain bowls
at home?
But what is a grain bowl?
Just as it sounds, this dish is
served in a bowl. Although
the bowl needs to be deeper
than a rimmed soup bowl so
ingredients don’t topple over
the sides, the portion size is for
one person.

A generous amount of grain
is nestled at the bottom, such
as rice, quinoa or couscous.

This is followed by layers of
just about any kind of food,
including veggies that can be
cooked or raw, and a protein,
such as meat, fish, tofu,
cheese or hard-boiled eggs.

Sometimes a sauce is drizzled
over the top.

Grain bowls often fall into
cuisine themes, such as Israeli,
Italian, Tex-Mex or Asian.

They are terrific for lunch or
casual dinners. Frequently,
the ingredients are on hand,
and substitutions are always
welcome. Using store-bought
ingredients, such as hummus,
baba ganoush and guacamole,
et cetera, is highly recom-
mended to make life easy.

Leftovers should definitely
land in any grain bowl you
make. Let your imagination
run wild.

Note: Recipes are for single
portions. If several people will
be at your table, increase the
ingredients to accommodate
the number of diners. You
can also serve the ingredi-
ents buffet-style and let people
fill their bowls according to
preferences. JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
ISRAELI GRAIN BOWL | DAIRY
Serves 1
1 cup cooked couscous
¼ cup tomato, diced and
seeded ¼ cup cucumber, peeled,
diced and seeded
¼ cup radish, sliced thin
¼ cup hummus
¼ cup baba ganoush
¼ cup tzatziki sauce
1 tablespoon red onion,
diced 1 tablespoon dill, minced
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
Anna Puzatykh / iStock / Getty Images Plus
LINDA MOREL | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
Place warm couscous in the
bottom of a deep bowl. Arrange
on top of it the tomato, cucumber
radish, hummus, baba ganoush
and tzatziki sauce. Sprinkle on
the red onion, dill and parsley.

Serve immediately.

TEX-MEX GRAIN BOWL |
DAIRY Serves 1
1 cup cooked quinoa
¼ cup canned black beans,
drained ⅓ cup guacamole or ½ an
avocado, sliced
¼ cup tomato, diced and
seeded ¼ cup cucumber, peeled,
diced and seeded
⅛ cup red pepper, seeded
and diced
¼ cup cheddar cheese,
grated or shredded
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup salsa, or more if
desired 1 tablespoon cilantro,
minced Place warm quinoa in the
bottom of a deep bowl. Arrange
on top of it the black beans,
guacamole or avocado slices,
tomato, cucumber, red pepper,
cheddar cheese and sour
cream. Drizzle salsa over the
top, and sprinkle on cilantro.

Serve immediately.

ASIAN GRAIN BOWL |
MEAT OR PAREVE
Serves 1
1 cup cooked white or
brown rice
⅛ cup canned water
chestnuts 6 asparagus, steamed,
roasted or grilled
¼ cup sliced mushrooms of
any kind, raw or sautéed
¼ cup snow peas, cut in half
1 carrot, sliced matchstick
thin ¼ cup alfalfa sprouts, pulled
apart to unclump
2 scallions, sliced thin
¾ cup firm tofu, cubed, at
room temperature —
optional ¾ cup sliced or cubed
chicken at room
temperature or warm —
optional Soy Ginger Salad Dressing
(Iron Chef brand is kosher)
Place warm rice in the
JEWISH EXPONENT
bottom of a deep bowl. Arrange
on top of it water chestnuts,
asparagus, mushrooms, snow
peas, carrots and alfalfa sprouts.

Top that with scallions, plus
tofu and/or chicken. Drizzle
the soy ginger salad dressing
on top. Serve immediately.

ITALIAN GRAIN BOWL |
DAIRY Serves 1
1 cup cooked white rice,
Arborio, if possible
¾ cup arugula, lightly
chopped ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, cut
in half
¼ cup cucumbers, peeled,
seeded and diced
⅛ cup Kalamata olives,
pitted ¼ cup canned artichoke
hearts, drained
⅛ cup roasted red peppers
in a jar
1 hard-boiled egg, cut in
half 6 bocconcini, small
mozzarella cheese balls
(Paesanella brand is
kosher) 3 slices provolone cheese,
cut into strips (Naturally
Good Kosher brand is
kosher) 1 tablespoon red onion,
chopped Bottled balsamic vinegar
salad dressing, or olive oil
and balsamic vinegar for
drizzling Place warm rice in the
bottom of a deep bowl. Arrange
on top of it the arugula, cherry
tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata
olives, artichoke hearts and
roasted red peppers. Over that,
arrange the hard-boiled egg,
mozzarella balls and provolone
cheese. Sprinkle red onion on
top and drizzle with bottled
balsamic vinegar salad dressing
or olive oil and balsamic
vinegar. Serve immediately. l
JANUARY 13, 2022
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