Family Table: Power Up with Protein Bowls

Create a customizable power bowl with your favorite seasonal vegetables and grilled fare

By Cristen Clark

At our house, they are a fresh and fulfilling meal that perfectly tops off a hot summer day. We love pairing grilled fare with an interesting variety of other healthy additions to create customizable bowls.

Making flavor-packed bowls is easy with these steps:

Build a generous base. Fresh crisp greens, cooked grains, rice, beans or pasta make a great base for the bowl. Situated at the bottom, the base will sop up any juices from the other components and dressings, so you don’t leave any flavor behind.

Add a combination of vegetables of various colors. Not only will the bowl appear more appetizing with an array of colors, but it will also taste great, too! Sauté, grill, roast or steam veggies of your choice. It’s a great way to use fresh garden produce or farmers’ market finds!

Layer on the protein. Try steak pieces, pork tenderloin, turkey breast or other tasty Iowa-raised products. As you’re grilling, keep these tips in mind:

• Grilling meats to their desired temperature is much easier with a digital instant-read thermometer. And its use isn’t limited to the grill. Detect the temperatures of banana bread and birthday cakes to ensure doneness and you’ll never rely on the toothpick test again!

• Set meat out a few minutes prior to cooking to de-chill, and pat dry before seasoning. This will help cook the protein evenly and encourage desirable, flavorful browning.

• While the grill is fired up, add a couple of extra pieces of meat. The leftovers can be refrigerated and then sliced, to offer a chilled, refreshing protein layer to future bowls.

Dress the bowl by adding other interesting items of various textures. Make a quick homemade dressing for drizzling, and add a variety of fresh herbs, cheeses, nuts, edamame or pickled vegetables to complete the dish.

Trendy bowls can take on a variety of ingredients to fit any flavor profile you crave!

Cristen Clark is a pig farmer, creator of the Food & Swine blog and an award-winning baker and cook. She lives on a farm near Runnells with her husband Mike and children Halle and Barrett.

Mediterranean Steak Bowls

Mediterranean Steak Bowls

STEAK AND ROASTED VEGETABLES

• 1½ pounds steak, cut to 1½-inch cubes (sirloin, flank, skirt, flat iron or ranch)

• 1½ teaspoons Greek seasoning or seasoned salt

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 small zucchini, sliced to ¼-inch rounds

• 2 small red onions, halved and cut into thirds

• 2 bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 small eggplant, sliced ½-inch thick, cut into wedges

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

DRESSING

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• ½ cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons fresh herbs or 2 teaspoons dried herbs (a combination of parsley, dill and oregano)

GARNISH

• ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

• ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs (a combination of parsley, dill and oregano)

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss sliced vegetables in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread evenly over two sheet pans and roast in oven until edges are browned, around 20 minutes depending on actual thickness. Remove from oven, set aside to cool.

Sprinkle steak pieces with Greek seasoning. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add butter and cook steak pieces for 2 minutes, flip steak pieces over. Cook steak pieces 2 minutes more then remove from heat.

For the dressing, combine all ingredients and mix well. Mix 1/4 cup of dressing with drained and rinsed chickpeas and set aside.

Assemble in 4 serving bowls, and divide roasted vegetables evenly. Add steak bites. Drizzle a tablespoon of dressing over veggies and steak pieces in each bowl. Garnish with herbs, chickpeas and feta cheese. Serve warm or chilled on a bed of greens or grains — or for breakfast with a poached egg on top!

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