TIP OF THE DAY: Make A Grain Bowl

If you order grain bowls at cafes or take-outs, have you ever made them at home?

A grain bowl is essentially a complete meal in one bowl. Combining whole grains, proteins, vegetables, and dressing, it’s a nutritious and filling lunch or light dinner,

This tip from DeLallo Foods is an easy blueprint.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE A GRAIN BOWL

There’s no exact science.

1. WHOLE GRAIN. There are many grains to choose from. Working through the list, you can change the personality of your bowl time after time.

Some favorites: barley, brown rice, couscous, farro, freekeh, kamut, millet, polenta, quinoa, spelt berries. You can also use smaller pasta shapes like orzo and acini di pepe, but you may not be able to find them in whole grain.

Mini Tip: Cook your grains in vegetable or chicken broth, instead of water.

(Check out all these grains in our Beans & Grains Glossary.)

2. PROTEIN. Make it light or hearty with beans, chicken, a fried or poached egg, pork, shrimp, tofu, tuna. Leftover proteins are more than welcome.

3. VEGETABLES. Fill up on a boatload of greens and other vegetables, raw, roasted or otherwise cooked. Try arugula, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots (we like carrot curls), chard, mushrooms, spinach, and anything that appeals to you as you peruse the produce aisle.

Assemble varied colors: orange sliced sweet potatoes, purple cabbage, red bell peppers, red or orange beets, red radicchio.

You can also add pickled and marinated vegetables, from dilly beans and pickled jalapeños marinated artichoke hearts. Steamed baby potatoes are fun.

4. DRESSING. You can use a salad dressing or a sauce like peanut or pesto. We prefer to keep it simple with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin oil, perhaps a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.

But you may prefer honey mustard, Italian or ranch dressing. Go for it.

5. GARNISHES. Garnishing is an opportunity to add more favorite flavors: avocado, capers, cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped scallions, edamame, fresh herbs, lemon zest, olives, watermelon radishes, etc.

We like to add crunch: nuts and/or seeds, trendy roasted chickpeas.
 
 
HAVE A GRAIN BOWL PARTY

[1] Grain bowl ingredients. Imagine them in a DIY buffet (both photos courtesy DeLallo).

[2] Mediterranean grain bowls with farro and chicken breasts. Here’s the recipe.

It’s an opportunity to introduce guests to grains they haven’t had before.

At this point, everyone knows what brown rice and quinoa taste like. So pick three or four others from the WHOLE GRAIN list above.

And for the mix-ins: The sky’s the limit!