There’s just something about eating out of a bowl that I love – and I’m not talking about ice cream or soup, I’m talking meals.  Putting your entrée together in a bowl allows you to not only arrange the food beautifully, but also allows you to mix up different flavors with each bite.  I think folks usually think of “bowls” as being only Asian inspired, like rice and noodle bowls, or southwestern inspired burrito bowls (made popular by places like Chipotle).  While we do eat a lot of those flavors at our house, the bowl is also a perfect vessel for dishing up other flavors as well. 

This month I’m featuring 4 bowl meals:  3 rice, and one noodle.  Since my husband doesn’t do gluten, we don’t eat much pasta, but there are some really great rice based products out there that may not be quite as good as the “real thing,” but come pretty darn close!
Jovial Foods Organic Gluten Free Traditional Egg Pasta, Egg Tagliatelle, 9 ounce
I used a rice based gluten-free egg noodle for the noodle bowl recipe below.  All the recipes are approximately 2-3 servings, since I cook for just my husband and myself.  For a family of 4, I’d double the recipes.

The first bowl is Asian inspired:  Korean Beef Rice Bowl.  I love Asian flavors, the taste, the colors, the textures.  It’s so easy to make any Asian meal look pretty on a plate or a bowl.  The second bowl is a hearty BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potato Bowl.  I used brown rice in this one, as I thought the texture and nutty flavor paired well with the sweet potatoes.  The chicken and potatoes are roasted together in a sheet pan while the beans simmer on the stove top.  The third one is a somewhat different take on the burrito bowl:  Mahi Fish Taco Bowls.  This rice bowl is topped with a creamy lime slaw, avocado, and crispy pieces of pan fried Mahi.  While I do love a good fish taco in a fresh corn tortilla, served instead over rice in a bowl was just as satisfying.  The fourth bowl is a noodle bowl, but not quite what you’d expect.  It’s a Deconstructed Chicken Noodle Bowl, a fun take on traditional chicken noodle soup, the ingredients are served up over rice noodles rather than swimming in broth – but with all the flavors of chicken noodle soup

I hope you enjoy these, and let them inspire you to create your own bowl meals.  Share your bowl ideas in the comments below!

Korean Beef Bowls

1 ½ lbs. good quality sirloin steaks, thinly sliced against the grain into 1”-2” strips
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated *see note below
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sesame oil – Dynasty Sesame Oil, 5 oz
cooked white rice (2-3 servings)
½ cup shredded carrots
½ an avocado, cut into slices
½ cup sliced cucumber
2 eggs
1 green onion, chopped
½ cup sliced red peppers
6 slices of fresh jalapeno
¼ cup crushed peanuts
lime slices
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, or ginger dressing if desired
*veggie amounts are approximate – use as much or as little as you like!  That’s the beauty of the bowl.

Start by marinating the beef.  Place the beef slices in a shallow dish, season with salt and pepper, and the garlic and onion powders.  Using a microplane, grate the fresh ginger over the meat, then pour the soy sauce over the meat and let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes while you prepare the rice and veggies.

*Notes about ginger:  You don’t have to peel it!  Simply grate it with the microplane.  The outer layer does not add any flavor and it will save you time and headache.  Besides, when you peel ginger, a lot of it goes to waste.  Store ginger in the freezer, and pull it out whenever you need it.  It tends to mold if kept in the refrigerator too long, however it stays perfectly good in the freezer, and it’s easier to grate it when it’s frozen.

Put the rice on to cook according to directions (or use a rice cooker – if you don’t have one, check out my Kitchen Gadgets You Need post!).  Next, place the eggs in a pan of cold water, covering the top of the eggs, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, set the timer for 6 minutes.  When done, rinse immediately in cold water, peel off the shells, and slice in halves or quarters.  Slice your avocado, cucumber, green onion, peppers, and lime.  Crush the peanuts and arrange all of the ingredients on your workspace.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat, then drizzle in the sesame oil.  Note:  don’t be tempted to use too much sesame oil, because a little goes a long way!  Add the meat and marinade to the pan and increase heat to high, stir-frying the meat until no longer pink.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Assemble your bowls by placing the cooked rice on the bottom, arrange some beef slices on top, and add the veggies and eggs in any order or amount you like.  Top with green onions and crushed peanuts or additional sesame seeds if desired.  Serve with your favorite Asian inspired sauce.  I use Maggi Sweet Red Chili Sauce and a little reduced sodium soy sauce. You can also use ginger salad dressing, peanut sauce, sriracha – whatever you desire! I also like to serve mine with a little kimchee.

This recipe makes 2-3 bowls depending on your serving size

Maggi Chili Sweet Sauce, 10.1 oz

(1) Organic Sky Valley Thai Peanut Sauce 14.5oz  

Annie’s Organic Gluten Free Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette Dressing 8 fl oz Bottle  

Huy Fong – 1PK —Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (Net Wt. 28 Oz.) by Huy Fong

BBQ Chicken and Sweet Potato Bowls

1-1 ½ lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed in 1” pieces
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup diced sweet yellow onion
2 slices turkey bacon (or regular if you prefer), diced
12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
cooked brown rice (2-3 servings)

Preheat your oven to 375 convection or 400 regular (convection works best, but don’t worry – a regular oven does a perfectly fine job!)  Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper (you’ll thank me later when it comes to cleanup!).  Drizzle the olive oil over the parchment paper, using a brush to coat it evenly.  Cut the chicken breasts and place the pieces on half of the cookie sheet.  Peel and cut the sweet potatoes and place those on the other half.  Liberally season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the onion powder, paprika, and garlic powder on the chicken.  Sprinkle the cumin and cinnamon on the sweet potatoes.  Place the sheet pan in the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes.  The chicken should be turning golden and slightly crispy on the edges and the potatoes should be tender when pierced with a fork.

While the chicken and potatoes cook, sauté the onion and bacon in olive oil in a medium sized pot over medium high heat until the onion is tender and golden.   Add the green beans, stirring to coat with the onions and bacon, season with a little salt, then pour in the broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Drain.

Place the brown rice in 2 or 3 bowls, and arrange the chicken, sweet potatoes, and green beans on top of the rice.  Lightly drizzle the chicken with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve!

Stone Brewing Co. Barbecue Sauce Box of 3

Reynolds Kitchens Cookie Baking Sheets Parchment Paper (Non-Stick, 22 Sheets)

Ultimate Organic Starter Spice Gift Set

Mahi Fish Taco Rice Bowls

2 Mahi filets, skinned and de-boned
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup gluten free flour  I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, 5 Pound
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 10 oz. bag of shredded cabbage
2 green onions, chopped
1 ½ 5 oz. containers of plain dairy-free coconut milk yogurt alternative – about 1-1 ½ cups (or sour cream if you’re not DF)
¼ cup mayonnaise Try Primal Kitchen – Avocado Oil Mayo (See COLD WEATHER NOTICE BELOW), Gluten and Dairy Free, Whole30 and Paleo Approved (12 oz)
1 teaspoon lime zest
juice from half a lime
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ avocado, sliced
fresh chopped cilantro
lime wedges

Rinse and pat the fish dry.  Cut into strips across the fillet, approximately 1 inch wide by 3 inches long.  Season the fish with salt and pepper and set aside.  In a shallow dish, mix the GF flour, cumin and garlic powder gently with a fork.  In a separate small dish, beat one egg.  Coat each piece of fish in the flour mixture, then dip in the egg, then back in the flour mixture again.  Set the fish aside.

In another small bowl, whisk the dairy-free yogurt, mayo, lime zest and juice, sugar, salt and vinegar.  Place the cabbage and green onion in a mixing bowl and pour ¾ of the yogurt mixture over it, tossing with a fork until mixed it.  Save the remaining sauce for topping your bowls.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat, place the fish pieces in the pan and cook 1-2 minutes on each side to form a crispy crust without over-cooking the fish.  Remove from heat and assemble the bowls.  Put the cooked rice in the bottom of the bowl, place the fish on top, along with the slaw, avocado, limes, cilantro and jalapeno. Serve with a lime wedge and the remaining yogurt sauce.

Deconstructed Chicken Noodle Bowls

1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thing 1-2” strips
salt and pepper
¼ teaspoon sage
½ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup + 2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of sliced carrots
1 cup of sliced celery
8 oz. GF egg noodles or other pasta
Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.  Add the onion and cook 1-2 minutes.  Add the chicken pieces to the pan, season with salt, pepper, sage, thyme, and garlic powder.  Stir and cook until no longer pink.  Add 1 cup of the chicken broth, cover, and simmer over medium-low for 10 minutes, allowing the broth to reduce.

In a separate small pot, bring 2 cups of broth to a low boil, add the carrots and celery and a pinch of salt and let simmer over medium until vegetables are tender.  Drain, reserving the broth for later use.

In another large pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt, and the egg noodles, and cook until al dente (don’t let them get mushy!), then drain but do not rinse.  Pour the leftover chicken broth from the veggies into the pot, add the noodles and cook for a minute over high heat, gently tossing the noodles to coat them in the broth.

To assemble the bowls, place the noodles in the bottom of each bowl, then arrange the chicken and onions on top along with the carrots and celery.  Drizzle any remaining broth from the pan over the bowls and garnish with parsley.

Certified International Large Cereal, Soup, or Pasta Bowls, Chelsea Collection, 6.1 Inch, Set of 6 Assorted Designs

Stacking Bowls with Handles, Set of 6

 Sweese 1104 Porcelain Bowls – Set of 4 – 28 Ounce for Cereal, Salad and Desserts, White