Kickstart Kale and Grains Bowl
Once you start making salad bowls, you'll fall in love with them! Here's one to get you started. Prepare the ingredients ahead of time for fast and easy prep later.
Servings: 3
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked grains (quinoa, brown rice, farro, millet, etc.) warm or cold, as desired.
- 3 cups kale or other greens (spinach, rapini, collards, etc.) raw or steamed
- 2 cups cooked, cubed sweet potato
- 1 15-oz can cooked beans (black, garbanzo, kidney, scarlet runner, etc.) or 1½ cups cooked beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper any color
Dressing
- 3/4 cup mango chunks fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds or other seeds, such as sunflower, sesame. Can use 1 tbsp nut butter, instead, especially if not using a high-speed blender.
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice or vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp chopped shallots or white portion of a green onion
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup or coconut nectar, to taste
- ¼ cup water plus 2-3 tsp, if needed
Instructions
- Combine dressing ingredients in a blender. Puree until very smooth, adding water, if needed to thin. Set aside.
- If using raw kale, tear leaves from the stalk, put in a large bowl. Sprinkle with some salt and massage the leaves with your hands for a minute or two so they soften. Skip this step if using cooked kale.
- Arrange equal amounts of the grains, greens, sweet potato, beans, and bell pepper among three bowls.
- Drizzle on dressing.
Notes
If you'd like a flavor and antioxidant punch, add 1-2 tablespoons fresh basil, cilantro, mint, or other herbs to the dressing when blending.
Adapated from Dr. Neal Barnard’s Cookbook for Reversing Diabetes by Neal Barnard, MD; recipe by Dreena Burton. https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/plant-based-diets/recipes/kickstart-kale-and-grains-bowl. Used with permission from PCRM.