T H E PA S S I O N AT E F O O D I E
Super Bowls by Taylor Whitelock
In my career as a chef, I’ve had a few people tell me that they have a hard time eating healthy because they find it bland or boring. I’m pretty sure that if these folks could just tuck into a bowl meal, they would find out with their very first bite that “healthy” can also mean “delicious.”
Bowls have become massively popular in the last few years. The #bowl hashtag has been used well over 3.2 million times on Instagram, usually accompanying gorgeous, colourful meals. No matter what you call them—power bowls, Buddha bowls, bibimbop—bowls are actually the exact opposite of bland and boring. They’re incredibly versatile. They’re great for families with picky eaters, or when you have some vegetarians and some meat eaters in your group. And they offer the perfect opportunity to explore different dressings, herbs and spices that you might not have used in the past. Bowls are generally based on some kind of grain (most often warm), which makes up about a quarter of the meal. I always keep easy-to-use grains in my pantry. For those who still haven’t tried it, quinoa is as good as steak for getting protein. It provides all nine essential amino acids (the ones the body doesn’t naturally produce) and it is similar to rice in that it can take on all kinds of flavours. I also love to work with whole-wheat couscous. It’s a pasta, so beware, gluten-intolerant folks. Other grain options are barley, rice, or noodles.
11 PASSIONS | SPRING 2020
