The Grain Bowl of Your Dreams

Lauren5 Comments

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Bon Appétit regularly posts this picture and in what I can only assume is an act of pure cruelty, the link takes you to a recipe for some Turmeric-Tahini dressing and NOT to a recipe for that delectable-looking grain bowl.  Why, Bon Appétit, WHY?  Well last week, I took a closer look at that grain bowl and decided I could probably do it up myself.  And guys, I gotta say, I think I nailed it!

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We made this salad the week before (which, for the record, is phenomenal and will be in regular rotation from now on), so we had leftovers of both the lemon dressing and the tahini that came in really handy for said grain bowl.  Basically, it went like this.

  • Cook wild rice and mix it with a few tablespoons of lemon dressing
  • De-rib and finely chop a head of lacinato kale, then massage with lemon dressing
  • Roast two sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper
  • Pan-fry some slices of halloumi cheese
  •  Assemble bowl with rice, kale, sweet potatoes, cheese, a handful of sunflower seeds, a sprinkle of parsley (though next time I’ll use dill) and a generous drizzle of tahini

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In other news, an alternate title for this post would be: WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT HALLOUMI CHEESE?!  It tastes like Muenster, but saltier and non-melting, so you can actually grill/pan-fry slices of it until golden brown.  I mean, it’s also NOT cheap.  But for special occasions, like a Wednesday night, ya know?  Life as we know it has now changed.

So what do you think, Bon Appétit, am I hired? 🙂

Weekend Things

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If I had to sum up our weekend, I’d say it was an 11-miler and lots of lounging

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But there was also GORGEOUS weather (I love when it’s summer during fall!), lots of good food, family and re-arranging of my kitchen pantry.  On Friday, we headed over to my parents’ for dinner.  I told my mom I was bringing her a present… Not Your Father’s Root Beer!  Guys!  Have you tried it?!  It’s Root Beer BEER and it’s dangerously good.  Perfect for people who “don’t like beer” (what is that even??) and even those of us who do 🙂

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And it’s so good with spicy food.  I had it last week with curry and then my mom made jambalaya and they went together perfectly.  It’s like she knew!  The four of us almost killed the giant bowl of jambalaya, but there was a little bit left in the bowl which Joey volunteered to finish off, just straight from the bowl with the serving spoon.  I married this.

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I keep explaining to people that we’re so boring on Friday nights because of that whole half marathon training thing on Saturday mornings and this week was no exception.  My introverted homebody self kinda loves having a legit reason to be home and in bed early on Friday nights.  Our 11-miler went really really well and I felt so proud and excited and happy at the end.  Which is how I expected to feel after ten last week, so that feeling is a week late but I’ll take it.  All that’s left is the actual big 1-3 on Sunday.  I feel so ready!Read More »