Just Another Meatless Monday: Grain Bowls

As the days get shorter and cooler, I keep looking for different hot meals -- although playing around with variations of tahini-miso salad dressings keeps me interested in chopped salads for one meal each day. Last week was crazy, but I did have some time to cook, and I tried some variations on grain bowls. I like one-dish suppers, and a layer of hot grain topped with veggies fits the bill perfectly.

For my base, I've been using a Premium 6 Grain Rice mixture from Kagayaki, which I picked up on a visit to H Mart (a Korean grocery chain) several weeks ago. This mixture contains black rice, purple barley, hull-less barley, rye berries, MG red rice, and short grain brown rice. In the bag, it is a pretty mixture of earthy colors, from light tan to reddish brown to black. When cooked, however, it takes on the dark color of the black rice. It is chewy, flavorful, and satisfying.

For my first version of a grain bowl, I roasted more Delicata squash, plus a quartered fennel bulb. I sliced one quarter of the fennel bulb on top of the grain, and added some of the squash. In addition, I made a mixture of baby greens and canned artichoke hearts, which I adapted from a recipe I found in the Seattle Times online. The original recipe called for using the mixture to stuff baguettes. I eliminated the cheese and made a few other changes. I used items I usually have on hand, so I will probably make some version of this again.

Here's what I did:

Toss ¼ cup chopped walnuts in a hot, dry pan (I used my nonstick skillet) until toasted. Set the toasted nuts aside in a small bowl.

Put a little olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet. When the oil is heated, add layers of 1 pound baby spinach (I used a bagged mixture of baby spinach, baby bok choy, and baby chard), 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (not marinated!), and a mixture of 1 teaspoon mild Spanish smoked paprika and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. As the greens wilted, I was able to add more greens until they were all wilted and mixed with the spices and chopped artichoke. Add the walnuts at the end, and serve. This makes a mild mixture. I don't usually add salt, but I'm sure a little salt would perk this up.

 

The combination of greens, fennel, squash, and grain made a filling meal. I liked it enough to try another version later in the week. This one, I made up myself. I wanted to try braising heartier greens, so I bought a bag of chopped kale and filled a produce bag with mustard greens. I also picked up 2 8-ounce packages of sliced mushrooms (they cost the same as whole mushrooms, so why not get the sliced ones?) and some canned cannellini beans. I picked the beans and mushrooms to add some meatiness to the meal.

I defrosted a half-cup of homemade vegetable stock for the bottom of a large, heavy pot, then added 1 sweet onion, chopped fine, plus the mushrooms. When the onion was soft, I began adding the chopped kale and mustard greens, adding more as the greens wilted. I then added 1 teaspoon of the mild Spanish smoked paprika and 1 can of drained, rinsed cannellini beans. I let this cook for about 40 minutes while the grain mixture was cooking. I topped a layer of cooked grain with the greens mixture, finishing it with a good splash of red wine vinegar and a grinding of both pepper and pink Himalayan salt. (It's funny, when you don't usually add salt to food, a little bit added at the end really makes a huge difference.) I can't say that I am a big fan of kale in general (except baby kale, which is OK). But it was an interesting, hearty, earthy dish -- good on a cold night. I plan to experiment with other greens -- maybe I can find some that I like better than kale.  

Try making your own version of a grain bowl with whatever grains, greens, and veggies you have on hand.