Homeschooled Jungle Veggie Bowl

Do they eat meat in Girl World?

SERVES 2

Well, actually they don’t eat anything, but let’s not go there. Plus, this recipe needed to be here. Veggie girls are basically gap-toothed Martians to us, but we had to provide at least one non-meat option. Otherwise how would all the vegetarians be able to ’Gram about being vegetarians?

WHAT YA NEED

1 cup farro

3 cups vegetable broth

1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered

1 medium zucchini, sliced

1 medium yellow squash, sliced

1 portobello mushroom

½ red onion, thickly sliced

Olive oil for drizzling

Pink salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup spinach

½ cup Greek yogurt

Your choice of chopped fresh herbs: mint, parsley, cilantro

MAKE IT

Okay kids, whether you’re homeschooled or not, LUNCH is one of the most important meals of the day. Wherever you sit at North Shore, you need some whole grains and veggies to get past the afternoon hump and not fall over and DIE during 5th period PE.

• So, get your aprons on and start by cooking your farro in the veggie broth according to the package instructions, then set aside.

• While your farro is cooking, FIRE UP THAT GRILL to high to cookie your veg!! You’ll want to get a nice char and blisters on these beauties so direct high heat is key. In a small bowl, toss your sliced veggies (pepper, zucchini, squash, mushroom, and onion) with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper and then throw them on the grill. If you have a veggie grill basket—f*ck yes, go for it! If not, you’ll have to just pay careful attention to the grates and try to keep from losing your lunch in the fire hole. Grill those veggies ’til they achieve that gorgeous char we were talking about; 10 minutes should be plenty of time on some fierce fire.

• Gather up the farro, your grilled veggies, and that tasty raw spinach and get ready to assemble your masterpiece. Find your two prettiest bowls and load up! I like to place my ingredients in piles next to each other so they all shine like the superstars they are, and it makes for a super-colorful, highly Insta-worthy dish.

• To dress your bowls, whip together a creamy topping: In another small dish, mix the yogurt with a pinch of salt and dash of olive oil. Use a dollop of this as a cooling creamy sauce, then top the bowls with chopped fresh herbs and dig in!

Health Freak Note: No farro? Substitute brown rice, quinoa, or lentils. Just cook according to package instructions.