Healthy Eats: 6 Quick and Easy Bowl Recipes

Bite Me More | November 1st, 2020

Photo: Eszter Biró on Unsplash

These scrumptious and simple bowl recipes are brimming with healthy ingredients and fantastic flavour.

1. Coconut Rice Bowl with Ginger Tofu Slaw

We can’t put down our chopsticks with this tasty number—with a delectable ginger peanut sauce, this Coconut Rice Bowl with Ginger and Tofu Slaw makes for a mouthwatering meal.

Ingredients

Coconut Rice

1½ cups Jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
1¾ cups coconut milk
1 cup water
½ tsp kosher salt

Ginger Peanut Sauce

½ cup smooth peanut butter
½ cup water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp Sriracha sauce

Tofu Slaw

1 (19oz) package extra firm tofu
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 cups shredded napa cabbage
1½ cups shredded carrot
2 small red bell peppers, chopped
1 cup chopped, roasted cashews
¼ cup chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley

Whole roasted cashews, for garnish
Black sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

1) For the coconut rice, in a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, water and salt. Bring to a boil, stir, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes covered. Set aside.

2) For the ginger peanut sauce, using a blender, combine peanut butter, water, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger and Sriracha sauce. Blend until smooth, set aside.

3) To prepare the tofu, cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes and lay on paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Heat vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the tofu for 2-3 minutes on each side to lightly sear the outside. Remove from heat and set aside.

4) In a large bowl, combine napa cabbage, carrots, red peppers, chopped cashews and parsley. Toss with ½ cup of ginger peanut sauce and cooked tofu.

5) To serve, place a large scoop of coconut rice in each serving bowl, drizzle with ginger peanut sauce, top with tofu slaw and garnish with whole cashews and sesame seeds. Drizzle each serving with sauce as desired.

Serves 4

2. Easy Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl

Ready to be bowled over? Check out this incredible Japanese-style Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl, an easy, healthy and extremely tasty meal. The homemade teriyaki sauce (it’s easy, we promise) is lustrous and lends a sweet and tangy glaze to the tender roasted salmon. Paired with sautéed spinach and creamy avocado, this hearty-yet-healthy salmon is superb.

Ingredients

Honey Teriyaki Sauce

6 tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp mirin
6 tbsp sake
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

4 (6oz) salmon fillets

2 tsp olive oil
10 oz baby spinach
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 cups cooked Jasmine or brown rice
1 large ripe avocado, thinly sliced, for garnish
Black sesame seeds, for garnish
Green onions, thinly sliced for garnish

Directions

1) For the teriyaki sauce, in a small bowl, whisk soy sauce, mirin, sake and honey. In another small bowl, combine cornstarch and water and mix until smooth. Set aside. Remove 3 tbsp of soy mixture for marinating salmon. Pour remaining soy mixture in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisk in cornstarch mixture and continuously whisk until desired thickness, about 2 minutes.

2) Place salmon fillets in a large reusable plastic bag and add reserved 3 tbsp of soy mixture. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

3) Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove salmon from marinade and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and brush the top of each salmon fillet with a generous amount of teriyaki sauce. Return to oven and bake 3-5 minutes more until fish flakes easily. Remove from oven.

4) While the fish cooks, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach, salt and pepper and toss to coat with olive oil. Cover and cook for 1 minute, uncover, turn heat to high and cook 1 minute more while continuously stirring. Remove from heat.

5) To assemble bowls, place cooked rice in the bottom of each bowl. Divide sautéed spinach between the 4 bowls and lay salmon over spinach. Garnish each bowl with a few slices of avocado, a sprinkling of sesame seeds and green onions. Drizzle remaining teriyaki sauce over finished bowls.

Serves 4

3. Hawaiian Tuna Poke Bowl

Forget Spam, poi and pineapple. Poké (pronounced poh-kay) is a Hawaiian staple that is quickly making its way to the mainland. While traditionally made using ahi tuna, mainland Pokérias (no, not a real word but sure to catch on) are chopping up octopus, salmon and scallops as well. The fish is marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil and then can be tossed with everything from green and white onions, edamame and wasabi to sesame seeds, macadamia nuts and jalapenos. Poké can be served with tortilla chips, piled atop a bowl of rice, noodles or kale, or simply snacked on with a spoon.

Ingredients

1 lb sushi grade tuna, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (you can use salmon, octopus, scallops if desired)

Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp wasabi paste
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Spicy Sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Sriracha sauce

2 cups cooked rice

Toppings

Toasted seaweed, sliced
Avocado, sliced
Pickled ginger
Black sesame seeds

Directions

1) Place cubed tuna in a medium bowl. In another bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, wasabi paste and sesame oil. Pour over tuna and let marinate for 5 minutes.

2) For the spicy sauce, mix together mayonnaise and Sriracha. Place in a small baggie and cut the corner so you can squeeze a small amount of the spicy sauce on the rice.

3) Divide rice between 2-3 bowls. Top with small amount of spicy sauce. Lay tuna on top and finish with seaweed, avocado, pickled ginger and sesame seeds.

Serves 2-3

4. Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl

This healthy and hearty Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl, a creative combo of protein-packed quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes and avocado, is drizzled with a maple dressing and topped with roasted almonds, an egg and leafy sprouts.

Ingredients

Maple Dressing

¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp chopped shallots
¼ tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Quinoa

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained
2 cups water
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 large ripe avocado, chopped

1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds

4 fried eggs, sunny-side up
1 cup sprouts, sunflower or pea shoots

Directions

1) To make the dressing, in a small bowl whisk olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, shallots, salt and pepper until well combined. Set aside.

2)Preheat oven to 425°F. In a mixing bowl toss together cubed sweet potato, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place sweet potato on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast 16-18 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and set aside.

3)Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine quinoa, water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook 12-15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Combine quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado and a few spoons of dressing. Divide between 4 serving bowls, top with almonds and drizzle with more dressing.

4)Finish each bowl with a fried egg placed on top and sprouts to garnish.

Serves 4

5. Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein Noodle Bowl

Looking to curb your cravings for take-out Chinese food? We’re here to help you ditch the MSG and save some money with this incredible and super speedy Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein. All you need is 15 minutes to whip up this incredible dish, saucy noodles overflowing with chicken and vegetables.

Ingredients

1 (14oz/400g) package fresh lo mein, chow mein or other Chinese noodles
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp peanut oil
3 cups chopped bok choy
2 large red bell peppers, chopped
11/2 cups chopped celery
3 cups deli roasted chicken breast, shredded or cubed

Directions

1) Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Once boiled, reduce heat to low and add fresh noodles. Stir to loosen the noodles and cook for about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce and hoisin sauce. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the mirin. Add cornstarch mixture to broth mixture whisking well to combine. Set aside.

3) In a wok or a large skillet, heat peanut oil over high heat. Add bok choy, red peppers and celery. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the vegetables have softened slightly. Add chicken, softened noodles and broth mixture. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes, until sauce is thickened.

Serves 6

6. Sushi Bowl with Tofu & Brown Rice

Training to become a sushi chef can take up to 43,800 hours. Making this delicious Sushi Salad of brown rice, marinated tofu, avocado and edamame, all tossed in a ginger wasabi dressing will take you less than 1 hour. We don’t know about you, but we aren’t going to roll our sushi…we’re going to bowl it.

Ingredients

Marinated Tofu

12oz (350g) firm tofu, pressed dry between layers of paper towel and cut into ¾-inch thick strips
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
½ tsp sesame oil

Brown Rice

1½ cups short grain brown rice
2¾ cups water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp soy sauce

Ginger Wasabi Dressing

¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp wasabi paste
1 tsp honey
½ tsp grated fresh ginger

1 small English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed and drained well
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 nori sheet, cut into thin strips

Directions

1) Place tofu in a medium bowl and toss with soy sauce, mirin, ginger and sesame oil. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

2) For the rice, in a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Combine rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam covered for 5 minutes. Spread rice on a baking sheet. In a small bowl whisk rice vinegar, sugar and soy sauce sprinkle vinegar mixture over the rice let cool.

3) Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place tofu in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, turn tofu and continue to bake 5 minutes more until golden. Remove from oven and set aside.

4) For the Ginger Wasabi dressing, using a blender, combine rice vinegar, mayonnaise, peanut oil, soy sauce, wasabi paste, honey and ginger until well combined.

5) To assemble salad, using 6 individual serving bowls, place rice in the bottom of each. Add tofu, cucumber, carrots, edamame and avocado. Generously drizzle each bowl with dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds and nori strips to garnish.

Serves 6

Authors of bestselling cookbooks Bite Me, Bite Me Too and Lick Your Plate, saucy sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat love eating, feeding, entertaining and dishing up easy recipes at BiteMeMore.com

Healthy Eats: 6 Amazing Avocado Recipes

Healthy Eats: Recipe for Miracle Noodle Pho Soup