A salad fit and mighty as a main dish protein salad bowl featuring shredded chicken, quinoa, red cabbage, Brussel sprouts, snow peas.
Quinoa is nutritious whole grain that can be easily added to vegetable salads and make salads a meal. Make Smoked Salmon Turmeric Quinoa Bowl, Broccoli Cauliflower Celery Quinoa Bowl, Biryani-Inspired Quinoa Pilaf, Asparagus Quinoa Bowl.
These bowl-meals are usually built in a few steps which include preparing the vegetables as the base and portioning the protein.
Protein feature in today's bowl is tempeh, and hard-boiled eggs (discover this Rapid Egg Cooker) paired with vegetable base that includes steamed broccolini, red cabbage, mushrooms (check this multipurpose Stainless Steel Steamer)
Made with in-season sweet corn, fresh crisp cucumbers and juicy tomatoes, this Sesame Chicken Salad is easy to put together and very delicious (addictive!) to enjoy especially in the summer months.
It is also the perfect summer protein bowl, created with everyday easily available produce and one the most versatile leftovers - chicken breast. Have you tried this 20-minute Leftover Chicken Breast Salad (and many of its variants) yet? Leftover shredded chicken can be easily reheated/warmed up using small kitchen appliances such as electric food steamers. These appliances including this rapid egg steamer are great kitchen helpers and save the busy cook a lot of time during meal prep.
Store-bought frozen wontons is one of my freezer stash. It might not be the healthiest (homemade ones are always better than store-bought) to stock up in the freezer but it is a convenient choice especially when you want a quick and reasonably balanced meal on a busy day.
This Wontons (Chicken Dumplings) Salad is best enjoyed warm, most suitable during spring weather when the temperature swings from 70Fs to 60Fs within the same day, and varies similar range in the same week. I still love wonton dumpling soup and dumplings in egg-drop soup but not so much when the temperature inches up.
There are different variations of Wonton Salad made in the past e.g. Wontons with Pea Sprouts and Snow Peas, Wontons with Broccoli and Cabbage, colorful variations Wonton with Beets and Kale. Each time, it gets bigger and better, worthy of a bowl meal e.g. Wontons with Butternut Squash, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Wontons with Egg, Broccoli, Zucchini.
Chanced upon lovely bunches of chayote shoots (what a rare find!) at the local farmer's market and decided to make Chayote Shoots Salad. In the like of Edible Chrysanthemum Shungiku Salad, Spiced Edible Chrysanthemum Shungiku and Celery Tofu Salad, these vegetables are given a quick blanch, cooled, then served with a simple dressing of extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar mix; or for Asian greens e.g. Edible Chrysanthemum/Shungiku (also known as Tung Hao in Mandarin) a drop (or two) of sesame oil and pinches of ground white pepper occasionally does the trick.
Depending on its consistency, tahini - made from ground sesame seeds, also works well as dressing (e.g. Okra with Tahini Dressing) for almost all kinds of vegetables including Chayote Shoots Salad.
There are two interpretations of London Broil. One describes it as the cut of meat (top round, lean cut) while the other is the method of cooking (with the word "broil" in it, using high heat over a short period of time). Which is the correct one?
An attempt on London Broil was made, adapted from this roast beef recipe.
To make a much easier equally delicious beef salad bowl, here's a short-cut is to use ready-cooked beef e.g. this Sous Vide Sliced Grass-Fed Beef Sirloin from Cuisine Solution, sold at Costco. Simpler, hassle-free, and delicious.
Make a batch of roast beef, have different meal variations and enjoy steak salad for days.
A simple and easy salad is always a refreshing and welcoming treat during the hot summer days.
Today, this Marinated Feta Cheese Salad is the star of the salad. Basically, if you have prepared marinated feta cheese in the fridge, this salad comes together in less than 15 minutes.
The marinated feta cheese perfectly flavors up the entire salad of lettuce, cucumbers and red onions. This salad is very versatile and goes well with everything, almost everything. You can enjoy on it's own, use it to fill wraps or sandwiches, pair with avocado and eggs for breakfast or brunch, serve as side-salad with an entree dish.
Instead of making Korean Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps or Tuna Chickpea Lettuce Endive Wraps, consider these light, refreshing vegetarian alternatives such as Peas and Corn Lettuce Wraps or Tofu Salad-Veggie Rolls.
I have not made rice paper rolls for the longest time ever since these Summer Rice Paper Rolls. Just like salads, these low-carb gluten-free rolls is quite the perfect summer food. Minimal cooking, fuss-free preparation to save you from stove-top cooking; yet refreshing and satisfying to enjoy on warm summer days.
These rolls are quick and easy to put together with this tip/trick: Buy your favorite store-bought salad-box vegetables (Note: combination with leafy greens + finely julienned carrots, beets, radishes, bell peppers preferred) so that you do not have to prep (rinsing/drying/slicing) a variety of vegetables from scratch. Fill rice paper wrapper with rainbow veggies straight from the salad-box, add thinly sliced firm tofu (Note: needs to be firm or super-firm tofu to ensure minimum moisture that is preferred for wrapping) and this 15-minute healthy meal is ready before you even know it.
There are already a couple of recipes in this same website featuring yuba/ tofu skins/ tofu sheets. However, that does not stop me from visiting and improving older recipes, for example this classic Yuba Salad.
The main ingredient yuba and sesame oil-soy sauce based dressing stays the same; with new addition of enoki mushrooms, edamame, and generous topping of cilantro. Albeit how simple this may sound, these additions impart much more flavors and textures when combined together - making it such a deliciously addictive side-dish appetizer.
The major difference between this Cabbage, Woodear Mushrooms Salad and the regular raw veggie salad is: these finely julienned/thinly sliced vegetables (including the mushrooms) are blanched to cook - vegetables become warm, tender and infuses deeper with sesame oil-based dressing.
Wonton salad is a viable option if you are shunning /staying away from piping hot wonton soups especially in summer. It may sound strange to you but I am perfectly fine, enjoying cooked wontons with pea sprouts and snow peas. A meal with all components (carbs, protein, fiber) considered, isn't it?
If solely greens isn't your cup of tea, add some colors and enjoy this bowl of wontons with steamed beets, and cabbage.
It is not officially summer at point of writing but we are beginning to experience bouts of heat wave. What comes to mind are summer-ready and heat-wave friendly chilled salads such as Coleslaw, Celery and Dates Salad, Grapes and Radish Salad, Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Cheese Salad, Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad.
Today, this Celery Carrot Tofu Salad is an improved, easier to prepare version, better than this celery tofu recipe.
Wontons/ dumplings, dough-based skin wrapper (carbs) filled with meat-veggies (protein and fiber) is a combination of meal components all in one morsel. In fact, a plate of 12-20 wonton dumplings (depending on dumpling size) can be stand-alone meal for some of us. Homemade or store-bought, freezer-friendly wontons also make great versatile recipes in soups, salads or side-dishes.
Personally, I prefer to enjoy wontons/dumplings with veggies - wonton salad or call it wonton dumplings veggie-bowl e.g. Broccoli Cabbage with Wontons or Asparagus, Cauliflower with Wontons or this Oven-Roast Zucchini and Steamed Broccoli with Wonton Dumplings.
Following this autumn-worthy Winter Squash and Apples Chicken Salad Bowl , let us continue autumn footsteps with a light and refreshing salad with antioxidants-packed persimmons and pomegranate.
Round-shaped Fuyu persimmons are preferred for this salad as they are sweeter and able to maintain a little firmness and crispness when ripe; compared to the elongated Hachiya persimmon which needs to be absolutely ripe to be sweet (soft when gently pressed on the exterior, sometimes to the extent of being mushy when ripened).
Pillars of the dry pantry, beans is a great source of plant-protein, fiber, essential vitamins and minerals. Raw and bought in bulk, they are super budget-friendly. Canned and cooked, they can be used straight out of the can, particularly time-saving when building healthy and nutritious vegetarian veggie bowls.
Pinto Beans Veggie (Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot) Bowl
My pantry stocks a variety of canned beans or lentils including chickpea/garbanzo beans, black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, even black soybeans.
Cruise through summer with this super easy, fresh and flavorful Tomatoes, Kale, Brussel Sprouts and Almonds Salad, especially when you have lost your cooking mojo in the scorching summer heat.
Still think it's a chore? Think no further. Get your favorite store-bought salad blend (mine's from Trader Joes) and make this Cruciferous Crunch Salad with Almonds and Apples.
My go-to pre-packaged salad is Trader Joes Cruciferous Crunch. Occasionally, I would also change it up with Trader Joes packaged Kohlrabi Salad* - blend of shredded kohlrabi, red cabbage kale,and golden beets. This salad can be consumed raw, like any other salad blends; but usually, I will have it lightly steamed, then easily upgrade with healthy proteins such as sardines and beans.
Store-bought packaged salad blends is amazing meal-prep hack to save time and effort when preparing these grain bowl/ veggie bowl workout meals. This is also a chance to pamper oneself when there is no need to be behind the kitchen counter for prolonged periods slicing/shredding vegetables, and able to go straight to assembling these bowl-meals.
My favorite package salad blend is the Trader Joes Cruciferous Crunch Collection of shredded kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli, green cabbage and red cabbage.
Homecooks (like myself) who are still using kitchen knife to slice and dice vegetables (we have no other gadgets like this Multi-Blade Adjustable Mandoline Slicer, Cutter, Shredded for shredding, slicing, dicing etc. ) will probably agree that especially for vegetables, this part of meal-prep is the hard-core.
All said, store-bought bagged salads do not come cheap (and I am still a budget-conscious meal-planner, hoping to stretch the dollar as far as it goes), so cheat-days for convenient, no-fuss meal-prep, are saved for times when a mental and physical break from these tedious kitchen chores is much needed.
This assorted vegetables pasta/noodle salad bowl is a great summer option when you want something light yet able to fill in protein, the meatless way. When I use protein-based pasta/noodles (e.g. Explore Cuisine Bean Pasta), I prefer to make the entire dish vegetarian - allowing the plant-based protein to take center-stage.
Today, this Greens and Bean-Pasta Noodle Salad Bowl, is made with greens variety- broccoli, green beans and leafy kale. The vegetables are totally interchangeable, depending on what you have, so feel free to get creative.
Vegetarian option
Other vegetarian meatless recipes made with Explore Cuisine Bean Pasta:
Edamame and Mung Bean Fettuccine Veggie Salad Bowl
Gluten-Free Bean Pasta with (more) Beans and Veggies
Bean Pasta with Vegetarian Tofu Curry
