When I was eight years old, I sat at my aunt’s dining room table dry heaving because I had just had the incredible misfortune of trying to swallow a piece of broccoli. My aunt swears that I literally turned green, and ever since that day she never made me eat broccoli again.
Needless to say, I was a rather picky eater as a child, one with very visceral reactions to foods that I did not like. Usually it was the texture of a food rather than the flavor that would bother me – the rough, treelike chunks of broccoli, the slimy ooze of Jello, or the flaky petals of fish flesh.
I think, though, that somehow this sensitivity to the texture of foods has led me today to a hypersensitivity to just how amazing the textures of food can be – especially when combined with one another. And as a busy student and young professional, I am a fan of any food that can be made quickly, stored easily, and transported in a single tupperware.
This is what led me to an obsession with making grain bowls. The idea for these bowls is simple: combine grains, a leafy vegetable, a few side items, and some dressing – and you have a hearty, healthy meal. Make sure you add ingredients that are flavorful, fresh, and have a variety of different textures – crunchy, squishy, grainy, fibrous, and even a little bit slimy sometimes (in a good way).
I’ve experimented with many different combinations of ingredients, and I encourage you to do the same. Below is one of my favorites. Even though the ingredients may sound odd together, I promise you that the flavors and the textures compliment one another. Plus you get in a lot of protein, vegetables, and delicious bacon, all in one dish.
As always, my recipes are not to be taken verbatim! Use the recipe as inspiration for whatever you may be craving…or whatever you have lying around the house.
Sriracha Sweet Potato and Bacon Grain Bowl with Yogurt Mint Dressing
Grain bowl:
1 cup quinoa
5 strips bacon
1 container of Baby Bella mushrooms, cut into small chunks
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Sriracha
Fresh basil (to taste)
Dried herbs to taste (basil, rosemary, thyme, etc. – whatever you like)
Fresh spinach/arugula/mixed greens (1 bag, or however much you want)
Cook the quinoa in a 2:1 water to quinoa ratio. In a separate pan, boil 3 cups of water and throw in sweet potatoes, cut into small cubes. Let boil until soft. Drain the water and toss in the butter and Sriracha. Stir until butter is melted and the Sriracha/butter mixture is coating all of the sweet potato chunks. Cook bacon in a separate pan until crispy. Remove bacon and let cool on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Drain out excess bacon grease from the pan, but use some of it to cook the mushrooms, cut into small cubes. Toss in spices with mushrooms if desired. Put cooked quinoa, mushrooms, bacon, sweet potatoes, mixed greens, and chopped fresh basil in a mixing bowl and combine. Then add dressing (below) and mix once more.
Dressing:
1/4 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried mint
Lemon juice to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste
Sriracha to taste (if you like the spice!)
Mix all ingredients together until blended. Then mix in with above ingredients.
*Special Suggestions: I love adding other grains (including barley or farro) to the mix with the quinoa – whatever you prefer texture-wise. I also took some time a couple of weeks ago to make caramelized onions. I threw those in the mix, and it was delicious! Making the caramelized onions is quite a process, but worth it if you make a lot and store the rest for later. Finally, if you don’t like Sriracha or spicy foods, substitute Sriracha for pesto!
Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out!
Harem of One 