With lots of colorful and nutritious ingredients, this tasty grain bowl is quick and easy enough for a weeknight supper.
Serves 4
Time: 30 minutes
1 to 1¼ cups boiling water
1 cup whole-grain bulgur wheat or whole-grain Israeli couscous
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, minced (about 2 cups)
2 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into quarters, then chopped into ½-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tomatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cups packed baby spinach or arugula (about 5 ounces)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
½ cup plain Greek yogurt (5 ounces)
¼ cup minced fresh parsley, dill, and/or mint
Sprinkling of cracked black pepper
To cook the bulgur: Pour 1 cup boiling water over the bulgur in a bowl or pot and let sit for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork. The yield of cooked bulgur will be about 2½ cups. To cook Israeli couscous: Add the couscous to 1¼ cups boiling water in a small saucepan. Cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the couscous is al dente and the water has been absorbed. The cooked couscous yield should be about 2 cups. Set the cooked couscous aside until the toppings are done.
In a large pan, sauté the onion and zucchini in the oil for about 5 minutes, or until golden and tender. Add the cumin, coriander, salt, and garlic. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Add the chickpeas and spinach, cover, and cook until heated through and the spinach has wilted. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the diced cucumbers, yogurt, and parsley or dill. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Serve the stew over the bulgur or couscous in individual serving bowls, topped with dollops of cucumber yogurt and a sprinkling of cracked black pepper
Grain bowls sort of have it all in one bowl, but if you want to add more to the meal, try an appetizer of Roasted Beet and Walnut Dip with pita triangles or crudités, or serve a light refreshing salad such as Belgian Endive Citrus Salad with Gremolata, and then Turkish Coffee Brownies for dessert.
Meals in a bowl have been gaining traction and sophistication during the last few years and have been a great source of inspiration for us. They are the new “TV dinner,” though no tray table is needed and they usually call for a single utensil for eating.
Successful bowls are all about balance of nutrition, taste, and texture, unified and elevated by a dressing or sauce. The formula—a grain; a protein; cooked, raw, or pickled vegetables; and nuts, seeds, or fruit—offers a fantastic canvas of possibilities, and easily adapts to what’s in season and what you want to eat for the season you’re in.
We’ve discovered a few tips for making grain bowls easy: when you have more ingredients at the ready, less time stopping at the store, and less time at the stove.
• When you make a grain or pasta for an entrée or salad, deliberately make more.
• Stock a variety of canned beans.
• Hard-boil some eggs and refrigerate.
• Pick up a couple of bags or boxes of greens, lettuces, or slaw.
• Have nuts, seeds, and dried fruit on hand.
• Stock sharp and mellow, hard and crumbly cheeses.