Part of a grain bowl’s allure is its adaptability — you can take into consideration dietary restrictions, ingredient preferences, seasonal availability, and even (or maybe especially) mood when constructing yours. Even with all this variety, I still tend to see mostly the same grains buried beneath the colorful toppings. So I created five versions featuring less-common grains: millet, amaranth, quinoa, barley, and farro.
Each bowl complements the textures and flavors that differentiate them from one another. Showing off these unique grains is a worthy enterprise in its own right, but these dishes also share another special bond: Each grain bowl features toppings sourced primarily from the freezer. At first I thought this part would be a challenge, but it was ultimately liberating.
By now you’ve mastered making a pot of grains. You know all about the freestyle route, and how to avoid common pitfalls, but are you in a flavor rut? No worries — that’s an easy problem to solve. Simply follow these small and helpful tips for bigger and better flavor in your favorite pot of grains.
I recently moved into a new house, and with it came an amazing floor-to-ceiling pantry. Unlike my last apartment — where I ended up squirreling away extra Costco purchases in the coat closet — everything is all neatly in one place, and my organization-loving brain is at ease. Seeing everything together keeps me on my toes and reminds me of ingredients that should be used up. This week, we are using the ingredients lurking in your cabinet and transforming them into meals you won’t believe came from the depths of the pantry.
If you need dinner on the table with zero delays, then a microwaved baked potato is pretty much an ideal solution. A single potato is ready in just over five minutes, and cooking a few more alongside hardly takes any longer. Topped with leftover chili or some simple steamed vegetables, this dinner staple couldn’t be quicker or easier.
Rice is a very important grain. It is the number-one staple food in dozens of countries, providing an inexpensive and readily available source of energy. In fact, 20 percent of the world’s dietary energy comes from rice. It is nutritious — but it is far from perfect due to its high starch content.
Here’s why that’s an issue — and a surprising way to actually mitigate rice’s less-healthy aspects with one simple, surprising cooking method.
When Jeff Maughan began researching quinoa in the 1980s, only diehard health nuts had heard of it. In fact, when Maughan, a plant geneticist at Brigham Young University, told people he studied the native Andean seed, they used to laugh. “They’d ask, ‘Is that some kind of dog or cat species?’” he says. “They had no idea.”
Not anymore.
We’ve all been there: You forgot to set the timer, or you stepped away from the stove and got totally distracted by something outside the kitchen. Next thing you know, that pot of grains you were planning to serve with dinner is overcooked beyond belief — like, cooked into submission, there’s no going back, definitely cut it for dinner kind of overcooked.
But don’t jump to the compost bin so fast — there’s still hope for those overcooked grains.
If you’ve ever wondered or been asked how vegetarians or vegans get enough protein, have I got a recipe for you. With quinoa, edamame, and peanuts, it’s supremely satisfying, but more importantly this is the most flavorful grain bowl I’ve ever made. The edamame mixture is a vegetarian version of kung pao chicken that’s just as sticky-salty-spicy as its inspiration.
Run – don’t walk – to your nearest contractor, cabinet maker, or handy family member and ask –nay, beg– to have one of these seriously smart solutions built into the storage around your home.
From Apartment Therapy → 10 Clever Hidden Storage Solutions You’ll Wish You Had at Home
