Veggie Bowl

Here is a nutritious and easy meal for when you have left over veggies, protein and fruit. Some might call it a salad, but lettuce is not the main event here.

Start with something green and leafy, like bok choy, chard, kale (if you use kale, cut it fine then rub it for a few minutes with some lemon or oil to help it breakdown and it will be easier to eat), spinach, or lettuce. Then add toppings. 

Toppings will generally fall into these categories: roasted, raw and pickled vegetables, protein, fruit, grains, seeds, nuts and anything else hanging out in the refrigerator. Then top it with a nice dressing, I like to make a rice vinegar, garlic, mustard and olive oil dressing. 

Here is a bowl I made recently.




I started with romaine lettuce, added leftover basmati rice (you can't see it cuz it is under the chicken), raw carrots, tomatoes and broccoli, for fruit I used apple and tangerine (found one in the bottom of my produce drawer), and protein was cheddar cheese and chicken breast (baked with lemon and herbs, another left over). I topped it with the crispy lemon breadcrumbs from my pasta dish the other night.  Had I remembered I would have sprinkled on some roasted pumpkin seeds.

This is an easy way to use up things you have in the refrigerator and it makes a tasty meal for lunch or a light dinner. 

Tip: If you have some cherry tomatoes on your counter and they are starting to shrivel a bit, try roasting them with olive oil, salt and pepper at 250 degrees for a couple hours.  I use my toaster oven. They are a great addition to a bowl and can be tossed with pasta, added to soup, etc.

Tomatoes tossed with oil, salt and pepper ready for the toaster oven at 250 degrees.

 Here they are about 2 1/2 hours later. roasted, intense and good!