I don't know what to cook anymore… How famous is this phrase and how often we hear it…
Sometimes you don't have enough time to cook, sometimes you don't have the right ingredients, or you just run out of ideas.
In such situations, bowls can help out a lot, especially on a hot summer day when you want to eat something light, tasty, but also healthy. They harmoniously combine proteins, fats and carbohydrates. This option is suitable for a daily diet, as it quickly satisfies hunger and replenishes the energy losses of the body.
What's more, bowls are the kind of food that lets your imagination run wild. With some basic principles in mind, you can make the bowls to your liking or simply depending on the ingredients you have in your fridge.
Basic principles: some healthy grains are boiled first (except white rice and corn – they are not healthy foods). For example, buckwheat or quinoa, red rice, or even oatmeal (preferably gluten-free) are ideal. Do not take legumes as a basis – it will be incredibly difficult for digestion. It is better to mix the base with some healthy sauce to remove dryness and give the dish an interesting taste.
For sauces, the following mixtures are suitable:
- olive oil with various spices
- olive oil with vinegar (you can use apple, pomegranate, balsamic white and red vinegar)
- orange juice with spices
- pomegranate juice without sugar
There are lots of options!
After you mix the base with the dressing, transfer it to a deep bowl and sprinkle on top of any vegetables and herbs that are lying in your refrigerator. Almost everything will do: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, fresh or stewed zucchini, onions, legumes, avocados, sprouts…
Below are a few simple bowl recipes, perhaps they will serve as a source of inspiration for you.
Bowl with shrimps and quinoa
Ingredients for 2 servings: peeled shrimps – 30 g, zucchini – 30 g, quinoa – 50 g, cherry tomatoes – 20 g, celery – 20 g, Romano salad – 5 g, lemon – 15 g, iceberg lettuce – 5 g.
For sauce: olive oil, soy sauce and sesame oil mixed in equal proportions – 25 tbsp. each.
Cooking method: Boil quinoa until tender and set aside. Shrimps fry in olive oil with garlic. Zucchini cut into small strips. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and celery. Put all the ingredients in a deep bowl and add the sauce.
Bowl with couscous and salmon
Ingredients for 2 servings: couscous – 50g, parsley – 3g, cilantro – 3g, mint – 2g, egg – 1 pc., lightly salted salmon – 30 g, avocado – half, salt, pepper – to taste.
For sauce: honey – 125g, soy sauce – 10 ml, vegetable oil – 35 ml, white wine vinegar – 35 ml, balsamic vinegar – 10 ml.
Cooking method: Pour boiling water over the couscous in a ratio of 1 to 1.5. Cover and leave for 5 minutes. After five minutes, take out the couscous, mix well.
To prepare the sauce, mix all the ingredients until a homogeneous consistency is obtained.
Season the couscous with sauce, pepper and salt to taste. Boil the egg for 5 minutes in boiling water. Let cool and cut in half. Cut salmon into thin slices. Peel the avocado and cut into thin slices as well. Put couscous, egg, salmon, avocado in a bowl, put fresh herbs on top.
Bowl with red rice and tofu
Ingredients for 2 servings: red rice – 200 g, hard tofu – 100 g, vegetable oil – 1 tbsp., avocado – 350 g, soy sauce – 4 tbsp., cashew – 50 g, radish – 1 pc, cilantro – 2 sprigs, salt – to taste, tomatoes – 50 g, sweet corn – 50 g, lemon – 1 pc.
Cooking method: First, cut the tofu into cubes and fry in a pan for 1 minute on each side until golden brown. Then boil the rice as directed on the package. Cut the tomatoes and avocado into cubes.
Put the rice on a plate, season it with soy sauce, and top with corn, avocado, tomatoes, crushed cashews and fried tofu. Add cilantro leaves and thin radish slices. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
Chocolate bowl dessert
Ingredients (for 2 servings): 1 avocado, 2 frozen bananas (ripe bananas are cut into slices, wrapped in cling film and frozen for about 3 hours in the freezer), 4 tbsp. cocoa powder (no sugar or other additives), 2 tbsp. coconut cream (if there is none, then you can take 2 tablespoons of peanut butter without sugar and other additives), 100 ml coconut or rice milk, 1/2 handful mint, 4 pitted dates
For topping: sesame, Chia seeds, 30 grams of chocolate (cocoa content of at least 70%).
Cooking method: Mix all the ingredients for the smoothie in a blender until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Rub the chocolate on a coarse grater or chop coarsely with a knife. Divide the resulting mass into deep bowls and sprinkle with chocolate chips and seeds on top.
Attention! This dessert should be eaten immediately – otherwise it will turn out too liquid.
In my opinion, bowls are just a godsend for lovers of healthy food. They are prepared in a minimum of time, look very appetizing, and are so beneficial!
These bowls are also a great option for using leftovers. As a result, you have healthy food, saved time and even money. All in all, I highly recommend trying!