Tag: bowl

Better Than Takeout, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, Salad

Copycat Sweetgreen’s Curry Cauliflower Quinoa Bowls

Annie

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I love sweetgreen. I love their salad dressings, locally sourced ingredients, clean eating philosophy, and the ease to grab a meal. The only downside is that a salad or bowl runs $10-12. I’ve been craving a sweetgreen, but on a budget. I decided to try my hand at their curry cauliflower bowl that’s offered during the fall; the bowl is: quinoa/farro, arugula, roasted curry cauliflower, cilantro, dried cranberries, roasted chicken, sriracha, & cucumber tahini dressing. While not quite the same since their dressings seem to be top-secret, I basically nailed this with my version of Curry Cauliflower Brown Rice Bowls. I used my own homemade dressing, leftover brown rice from sushi stacks, and roasted cauliflower and chicken. If you make the dressing and rice ahead of time, it’s really an easy meal prep.

Continue reading “Copycat Sweetgreen’s Curry Cauliflower Quinoa Bowls” →

Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

Stay Warm & Cozy with These Harvest Bowls

Annie

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I made a similar roasted veggie bowl last year with sweet potato instead of squash, but since then, I’ve somehow perfected this. Maybe it’s because the sauce is juuuuust right; I mixed a little hummus and tahini, apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard. Besides making the dressing and having the quinoa cooked ahead of time, this bowl is really a one pan meal then. You can roast all the veggies at once, adding kale at the end and then keeping the chickpeas separate is they don’t get soggy. These Roasted Vegetable Harvest Bowls keep you full without feeling overly stuffed and kind of even make you feel like you just indulged at Sweetgreen without leaving your home.

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Asian, Local Finds, Vegetarian

Welcome to East Cambridge, Bon Me!

Annie

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Bon Me’s new East Cambridge store is so cute! Bon Me is a mix of food trucks and permanent restaurants throughout the greater Boston area serving delicious Vietnamese-inspired food. I was lucky enough to be invited to a store preview. Each table is decorated with succulents in colorful pots and dainty origami cranes with (fake) tea light candles. Weather permitting, there’s even an outdoor patio and seating area. With a few high tops and plenty of bench seating, the industrial, yet colorful inside was inviting, but to be honest, I was focused more on the food than the decor. I would most definitely get the Bon Me Bap Bowl, a vegetarian take on Korean Bibimbap bowls with pickled vegetables that seem surprisingly fresh. I’m a big fan of veggies and thought this was just enough of a balance. With my old roomie, Dee, as my guest, who’s also obsessed with Bon Me, we ate our way through their new menu, sipped Lamplighter beer and had a grand ol’ time for a Tuesday night. (If you enjoy local finds, check out more here.)

— Bon Me’s East Cambridge Grand Opening is October 19th! —

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Asian, Better Than Takeout, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Instant Pot, Lightened Up, Meal Prep, Slow Cooker

Killin’ It with These Korean Rice Bowls

Annie

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Happy meal prep with these popping flavors! The spiciness from the meat, the sesame from the spinach, the acidity of the kimchi . . . Although seemingly complicated, I really enjoyed the simplicity of this Korean Bibimbap Bowl. Bibimbap is a Korean rice dish served with seasonal fresh or sautéed vegetables, a red chili paste and an egg. Here’s a healthy (but definitely not authentic) twist using ground turkey, jasmine brown rice and fresh veggies. This is not your traditional bibimbap, since I swapped ground turkey for ground beef. I added a poached egg because I was lazy about cleaning another pan by frying an egg, and I’m trying to perfect my patching technique in the microwave. I found jarred kimchi at Trader Joe’s for quite cheap. Plus, you have it on hand and you’re not fussing about pickling napa cabbage and making something extra.

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Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Vegan, Vegetarian

Amazing Almond Butter Tofu Bowls

Annie

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Happy meatless Monday! Look how beautiful my aunt and uncle’s kale is!? My parents just visited and flew me back some and it’s so tender and fresh. When they were gone, I kept their car and made a trip to Trader Joe’s. I picked up some creamy, no salt added almond butter (– their version is just made with nuts in their nut butters!), and it was begging to be used along with the a $2.99 whole pineapple and package of tofu (but chicken would be a great carnivore swap). Those paired with that gorgeous kale created Pineapple Almond Butter Tofu Buddha Bowls. They’re really easy to make if you prep the quinoa ahead of time and they’re deliciously different. Continue reading “Amazing Almond Butter Tofu Bowls” →

Asian, Better Than Takeout, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Meal Prep

Really into Indonesian Bowls

Annie

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Sorry I’m not — another bowl recipe. I made March my mission for “Measure March” or “Meal Prep March” and bowls are so easy for this. You get the perfect serving size and a mix of protein, grains and/or veggies. I went for an Indonesian Inspired Quinoa Bowls to “switch” things up. I must say the red curry, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves added such  nice flavors to the meat. Again, I’m all about those quick meals. Originally calling for ground beef, I used rotisserie chicken for less to prep and less to worry about in terms of cooking — plus I prefer chicken over beef. Sorry to my steak lovers. I shredded the rotisserie chicken beforehand, tossed it with the curry, spices and coconut milk and let it all simmer to perfection, while I made the quinoa and chopped everything for the bowls. The purple cabbage and cucumber add color and a nice crunch. This perfectly makes four servings so get ready for leftovers!

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Asian, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Vegan, Vegetarian

Crazy for Kung Pao Veggie Bowls

Annie

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I’ve been making a lot of bowls lately. I think they’re balanced between veggies, protein and grains. I also think Fit Foodie Finds is the queen of all things bowls. I pulled from her blog again to make Kung Pao Veggie Bowls. They’re fresh, light and colorful — and pretty darn easy to make. I decided to grate/julienne the broccoli stem, which cooks down and softens so you can’t even tell it’s part of the veggies! Can’t wait to make this again trying chicken, tofu or beef. In honor of both meal prep Monday and meatless Monday, here’s another bowl to add to your arsenal.

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Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian

The Most Colorful Detox Bowls

Annie

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So I’m finally testing out my inspiralizer from William Sonoma that I got for Christmas. First thing I tried? Purple cabbage. Ambitious, I know. While not perfectly spiralized, the cabbage came out in thinner strips than I would’ve been able to chop and much longer than if I used a food processor. The cabbage was mesmerizing and has the coolest designs, in case you were wondering because I know you were. Gimme Some Oven came out with this Detox Salad after New Years. While it is DELISH and I’m obsessed with the dressing, I made it a bit hardier so it would more of a meal and less of a side. The Carrot Ginger Dressing is sweet, tangy, sour and so flavorful. I’m in love with the red cabbage in the bowls. It’s much more tender and benign when spiralized. I’m also just extremely biased to chopped salads and this Rainbow Detox Veggie Bowl is no exception. It’s almost too pretty to eat. (But actually eat it because it’s delicious.)

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Asian, Better Than Takeout, Dairy-Free, Entrée, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Salad, Vegetarian

Back to [Korean] BBQ

Annie

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I’d say this summer has been the summer of salads and bowls. Cooking Light had a great article on “How to Build a Better Grain Bowl” in one of their summer issues like the idea for the Vegetarian Korean BBQ Bowl. While not a true “Korean BBQ,” this incorporates different flavors like gochujang. Start with a grain base (cue the quinoa). Pack it fully of veggies. The key is different textures like carrots and scallions for crunch and then colors like the cabbage, purple cabbage and napa cabbage blend. Add some protein as a fried egg. (Let me digress for a moment. I have to admit. I wasn’t a fan of fried eggs, eggs over easy, poached eggs — really any egg with a runny yolk. But then, I rediscovered breakfast sandwiches and avocado toast and my breakfasts were complete. I wanted to take a stab at this recipe just for the egg.) Finally, the Korean aioli binds the dish, packs in the flavor and tops it to perfection. The best part? It maybe took 10 min to throw this together (assuming the quinoa is already cooked). I’m just dying for my leftovers.

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