Bowl meals are real time-savers. Healthy, tasty and colourful, they are quick to assemble and hassle-free to dig into. On National Nutrition Week, here are five simple recipes that can be batch cooked, are delicious, and are too pretty to not post on IG:
Greek yoghurt, mixed berries, oats, flax seeds and chia bowl
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Creamy (and healthy) Greek yoghurt, tangy and sweet berries, and chia and oats soaked overnight — the award for the easiest bowl goes too…
Ingredients:
- Greek yoghurt: 150-200 gm
- Mixed berries: 3 tablespoons
- Soaked oats: 2-3 tablespoons
- Flax seeds: 1 tablespoon
- Overnight soaked chia seeds: 2 tablespoons
- Honey: 1 tablespoon (Optional)
Recipe:
- In a big bowl, beat the curd well
- Mix oats, berries, flax seeds and chia seeds
- Add honey to sweeten if you like and have it chilled. You can make it a day before and store in the fridge as well
Meatball, egg water poach, quinoa and broccoli bowl
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Here’s an under 30-minutes veggie and protein rich bowl for the busy weekdays, and yes, with meatballs that are not fried and tossed in sauce. We are eating healthy, remember?
Ingredients:
For meatballs-
- Chicken/mutton/pork/beef keema or boneless thigh: 200 gm
- Onion-ginger-garlic: 1 tablespoon
- Finely chopped green chilli: 1 teaspoon
- Lime juice: 1 tablespoon
- Olive oil: 1 teaspoon
- Salt
For salad-
- Eggs: 2
- Boiled quinoa: ½ cup
- Boiled broccoli: ½ cup
- Cherry tomatoes: 5-7
- Baby onions: 3-4
- Finely chopped green coriander: 2 tablespoons
- Lime juice: 2 tablespoon
- Crushed black pepper: 1 tablespoon
- Finely chopped garlic: 1 tablespoon
- Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
- Salt
Recipe:
For meatball-
- Put meat, onion-ginger-ginger paste, salt and lime juice in a blender and mix well. Ensure the meat has no excess water
- Pour the mixture in a bowl and green chilli, check seasoning and make small balls
- Boil water with a pinch of salt and olive oil. Drop in the chicken balls and cook for 8-10 minutes
For water poach-
- In a deep bottom pot, put water to boil. Once it is bubbling hot, carefully crack one egg in the water and let it cook for 3-4 minutes on low to medium flame. Repeat the process with the other egg
- Carefully drain out the with a strainer and scoop out the egg left behind, keep them aside
For the salad-
- In a nonstick pan, add olive oil and heat. Add chopped garlic and crushed black pepper. Once garlic turns golden brown, add the broccoli and saute. Don’t forget to season with salt
- Peel the avocado and chop into slices or dices. Marinate with some salt and lime juice
- In a mixing bowl, add the quinoa, broccoli, meatballs, avocado, cherry tomatoes and baby onions
- Add some salt, lime juice, and mix the quinoa, veggies and meatballs well
- Check the seasoning, add the eggs on the side and dig in
Tip:
- You can add salad dressing of your choice — a vinaigrette, quick pesto, tahini, guacamole or some hung curd
Amaranth tikki, red rice and veggie bowl
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Who said veggie bowls can’t be finger-lickingly good?
Ingredients:
For amaranth tikkis:
- Amaranth seeds: ½ cup
- Amaranth flour: 3-4 tablespoons (For coating)
- Crushed black pepper powder: 1 tablespoon
- Lime juice: 1 tablespoon
- Finely chopped onion: 2-3 tablespoons
- Finely chopped green chillies: 1 tablespoon
- Finely chopped green coriander leaves: 2 tablespoons
- Finely chopped garlic: 1 tablespoon
- Finely chopped ginger: 1 tablespoon
- Finely chopped mango ginger: 1 teaspoon
- Olive oil: 2-3 tablespoons
- Black salt
For salad:
- Boiled and de-starched red rice: ½ cup
- Boiled broccoli: 6-7 pieces
- Boiled red potato cut into small dices: 5-6 pieces
- Tomato cut into small dices: 1 large
- Onion cut into small dices: ½
- Diced bell pepper: 6-7 pieces
- Finely chopped zucchini: 4-5 tablespoons
- Finely chopped green chilli: 1 tablespoon
- Lime juice: 2 tablespoon
- Crushed black pepper: 1 tablespoon
- Dry roasted white sesame seeds: 2 tablespoon
Recipes:
For amaranth tikkis:
- Boil the amaranth seeds and strain the water
- In a mixing bowl, take the seeds, black pepper powder, lime juice, onion, green chilli, coriander leaves, garlic, ginger, mango ginger and salt. Mix well and form tikkis
- In a pan, add olive oil and heat. Coat the tikkis in amaranth flour and saute the tikkis till they are golden brown on both sides
For salad:
- Take red rice and veggies in a bowl
- Add seasoning and the white sesame seeds. Place the amaranth tikkis on the side and your bowl is ready
Tip:
- You can add some beetroot raita on the side too!
- You can also add protein of your choice and use brown rice, quinoa, dalia or oats in the place of red rice
Brown rice, avocado, grilled tomato, grilled fish and tomato salsa bowl
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Maach craving and on diet has a solution too. Grill it up, make a tangy tomato salsa (that you can store and have later as well), add some avocado and brown rice — it’s as simple as it reads.
Ingredients:
For grilled fish:
- Bekti or any boneless fish of your choice: 5-6 medium to large cubes
- Boiled onion paste: 1 and ½ tablespoon
- Ginger and garlic paste: 1 tablespoon
- Green chilli paste: ½ tablespoon
- Lime juice: 1 tablespoon
- Black pepper powder: ½ teaspoon
- Lemon zest: ½ teaspoon
- Olive oil: 3 tablespoons
- Black salt
For tomato salsa:
- Tomato: 1 large
- Onion: 1 large
- Green chillies: 2-3
- Garlic pods: 5-6
- Lime juice: 2 tablespoons
- Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
- Black salt
For grilled tomato:
- Tomato slices into half: 1 large
- Black pepper powder: ½ tablespoon
- Black salt
- Olive oil
For salad:
- Boiled and destarched brown rice: ½ cup
- Avocado: 1 large
- Finely chopped onion: ½
- Finely chopped green chillies: 2
- Finely chopped coriander leaves: 2 tablespoons
- Lime juice: 1 tablespoon
- Black pepper powder: 1 tablespoon
- Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
- Black salt
Recipes:
For grilled fish:
- Marinate the fish with the ingredients
- Preheat the oven at 200 degrees and grease the baking tray meanwhile
- Place the fish cubes and drizzle some olive oil on the top
- Grill for 15-20 minutes at 200 degrees or until the cubes are all ready
- If you are using a gas oven, add some oil in a non-stick pan and heat well. Place the cubes and cover. Cook on low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until the cubes are ready
For tomato salsa:
- Peel the onion and grease the tomato and onion
- With a tong, grill the tomato, onion, chillies and garlic till the outer surface in a little brown
- Cool them a little and give a rough chop
- Add seasonings and your salsa is ready
For grilled tomato:
- Marinate the tomatoes
- Place the tomatoes on a baking tray or on a non stick pan with a little oil greased
- Preheat the oven for 5 minutes and grill at 200 degrees for 5-7 minutes, or add some oil on a nonstick pan and heat. Place the tomatoes and cook at low to medium heat for similar time
For salad:
- Peel the avocados and cut them into thin slices. Sprinkle some salt and lime juice. Keep aside
- Take the brown rice in a mixing bowl and add salt, lime juice and black pepper powder. Give a good mix
- Now, add onion, green chillies, coriander leaves
- Place the avocados on one side of the bowl and the baked fish cubes too
- Drizzle some olive oil and happy eating!
Grilled chicken, avocado, pumpkin seeds and spinach bowl
Grilled chicken is easy on the tummy and yummy. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds (and some chia and flax too if you want), add a ripe avocado, some spinach and veggies that you really like, and that’s a beaut bowl you can’t say no to.
Ingredients:
For grilled chicken:
- Boneless chicken thigh cut into thin slices: 7-8 pieces
- Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tablespoon
- Lime juice: 1 tablespoon
- Black pepper powder: ½ tablespoon
- Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
- Black salt
For salad:
- Sliced avocado: 1 large
- Pumpkin seeds: 1 tablespoon
- Spinach: 6-7 leaves
- Blanched french beans cut into half: 2-3
- Sliced carrots: 7-8 pieces
- Sliced tomato: 4-5 pieces
- Boiled asparagus cut into half: 4-5
- Finely chopped green chilli: 1
- Lime juice: 1 tablespoon
- Black pepper powder: 1 tablespoon
- Olive oil: 2 teaspoons
- Black salt
Recipes:
For grilled chicken:
- Marinate the chicken for saute in low to medium flame and keep aside
For Salad:
- Marinate avocado with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Add some lime juice too
- Saute the spinach for less than a minute or add raw spinach
- Start assembling the bowl placing the chicken, avocado, the veggies, and give a light-handed mix
- Add seasoning and the pumpkin seeds. Mix well and your salad is ready
Tip:
- You can turn the avocado into a guac and use as salad dressing
