The Burrito Bowl

Burritos can be filled with just about anything these days: corn, beans--whole or refried/mashed, rice, meat of some sort, various veggies in small pieces, cheese, salsa, etc. And if you're like me, you will always fill that little tortilla to bursting and end up with a messy plate (or lap!). And if your kids are like my kids, they will take forever to learn to hold a burrito in such a way that the entire contents doesn't land in their plate (or lap).

Enter: the Burrito Bowl, one of our favorite Dinner Bowls. Easier to eat, cheaper (good quality tortillas can add up!), and adjustable to each family member. Bonus: the ingredients are easy to keep on hand for quick meals. I keep extra cooked rice in the freezer for these kinds of meals, too, so there's very little cooking involved. We usually make our Burrito Bowls vegetarian and save the meat for our Fajita Bowls (which are essentially the same thing but with slightly different ingredients). The picture above shows some browned, ground meat we threw in because we had some leftover.

The Burrito Bowl

(these are the usual suspects in the full tummies' household; vary to suit your tastes!)

• cooked rice (about 1/2-3/4 c. per person/bowl)
• black beans, drained (about 1/4 c. per person/bowl)
• corn (thawed, drained, whatever; about 1/4 c. per person/bowl)
• shredded cheese
• salsa
• cilantro if you've got it

Layer in order given. If we throw in veggies to this--which we don't usually because this is an "end-of-the-month" type meal or a quick-and-easy-to-throw-together type meal--just chop them fairly small.

The Javanese Bowl

This is a recipe from my dear friend Megan (with whom I've gone to college, survived grad school, blogged, and now work with at Redeemed Reader). This fits in perfectly with our "dinner bowl" approach these days, and meals like this are endlessly helpful when serving young eaters or when adapting to serve more than expected for dinner. As with some of our other bowls (like BiBimBap), there is a seemingly odd assortment of things...but it all works together. This is also a great choice if you have some cooked rice and chicken--you won't be slaving over a hot stove or turning on your oven. I don't have a picture yet--so sorry!

Javanese Dinner

Set out in individual bowls:

• Cooked rice
• Diced cooked chicken
• Pineapple tidbits
• Diced tomatoes
• Sliced green onions
• Shredded coconut
• Shredded cheese
• Diced celery
• Sprouts
• Chow mein noodles
• Chicken gravy (roux with butter/flour, add chicken stock and salt and pepper)

Everyone piles a little of what they want on a plate. Don't take too much of any one
thing, because you end up with a big pile). Try it!

BiBimBap

You know that face that the food guys on the Travel Channel make when they taste something a.ma.zing? (I'm thinking here of Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern--king of the "face," and Adam of Man v. Food.) My husband and I like to make the "face" when we taste something awesome--the meat at the Brazilian restaurant (where they bring it around on skewers and slice it right at your table), an especially delicious chicken korma at an Indian restaurant, and this: Korean BiBimBap. Mmmmmm

Now, I'll confess right up front that I'm not terribly authentic about this. But I do use the sweet and spicy Korean red pepper paste and it, my friends, is pretty crucial for this recipe. You will have to make a trek to the Asian store for some post haste. While you're there, pick up some inexpensive coconut milk, some Chinese black vinegar (for our Gyoza sauce), some super cheap cilantro, and anything else interesting that catches your eye. Our kids don't like the red pepper sauce (too spicy), but they will eat anything that is doused with our Gyoza sauce; I use the Gyoza sauce for them or, if I'm lazy, storebought teriyaki sauce.

This is one of those dinner bowls that is a catch-all for nearly any kind of vegetable you have lying around. You can use leftover/cooked veggies and meat as long as they were seasoned with Asian ingredients (garlic, ginger, etc.) or are very plain to begin with; with the exception of greens, they also need to be only lightly cooked--"crisp tender." If you have to make it all from scratch, it gets a touch tedious--not too bad, but be forewarned. I had a stellar combination of veggies from the Colvins this week, so I sauteed a bunch of veggies just for this. This is more a method than a recipe, but the sauce is KEY.

BiBimBap
~based on the recipe at Aeri's Kitchen (MUCH more authentic than mine and full of GREAT pictures--check it out!)

Sauce Ingredients: (this makes enough for 2-3 servings; can be doubled easily)

• 3 T. Korean red pepper paste
• 1/4 t. soy sauce
• 1 t. apple cider vinegar
• 1 t. sugar
• 3/4 t. sesame seeds
• 1/2 t. minced garlic
• 1 t. sesame oil (we don't use, but it's supposed to be in there....)

Bowl Ingredients:

• cooked rice (~3/4 cup/person)
• cooked meat (scant 1/4 cup/person)
• cooked veggies: think of a variety of colors and textures here (carrot/zucchini matchsticks, cooked greens, lightly cooked broccoli florets, peas of any sort, green beans, sauteed cabbage, bell pepper strips, sauteed onion, etc.)
• raw veggies (radishes and/or cucumbers cut into matchsticks, green onions, etc.)
• relish like kimchi if you want (we leave out)
• cooked egg (beat eggs and cook flat like an omelet; slice in slivers; use 1/2-1 egg/person)

Method:

1. Pile rice in a bowl.
2. Top rice with meat in small clump (in the middle).
3. Arrange vegetables (cooked and raw) around the outside with an eye to color (see the picture at the top and the one below for ideas). For my kids, I usually tell them to "pick 2" of the vegetables and they like the choice.
4. Place egg strips on.
5. Dollop red pepper sauce on top.

Dig in!!

The Breakfast Bowl

My husband cooks on Sunday nights, and breakfast is a recurring theme. This was his latest delicious creation--and it fits nicely with the other "bowls" we enjoy. As with our other "bowls," proportions depend on you/your family. In general, the starch (potatoes, here) is the base. Meat/protein is used more as an accent, and we add in whatever veggies in whatever amounts we like! Incidentally, like our other bowls, this is (or can be) gluten free if that's a concern for you.  [I have to admit that while we thought we invented this, I did see a frozen box at Aldi just this week labeled "Breakfast Bowls"--not sure what theirs are like, but... ]

The Breakfast Bowl
~The Husband

• Home Fries style potatoes (either frozen or fresh potatoes cut up into cubes)
• Browned bulk breakfast sausage (could sub in ham or bacon or other meat of choice)
• Chopped bell peppers
• Chopped onion
• Shredded cheese
• Eggs, fried over easy or over hard
  Condiments of choice (ketchup, salsa, etc.)

Cook all ingredients separately or reheat leftovers (always a plus!). Place potatoes on bottom and then top with desired remaining ingredients. Top with egg cooked to order and condiments of choice.

The "Bowl" Approach

I don't know about you, but sometimes it's hard to think of what to do for dinner. And sometimes, honestly, wrapping little things up in a tortilla is too much work (especially when you have little hands that CANNOT hold their burrito/taco in such a way as to keep the insides, well, inside). Or a stir-fry is just not the right "mood" but you still have lots of rice on hand....

Enter: the "bowl" approach

We've discovered several "bowls" that our whole family loves and they can be customized to suit the family member's taste/needs. My friend Megan, who blogs with me at Redeemed Reader, has been telling me for YEARS to try a Javanese dinner that's the same feel, so I'll be posting her recipe in this same line up. It's going in my try-this-soon-file for sure.

My "plan" is to post some of our favorite bowls regularly in the weeks to come. They're fantastic ways to use up bits and pieces of leftovers, odds and ends from the CSA basket, or ways to vary ingredients for picky eaters and/or food intolerances. So, look for these in the weeks to come:

• The Burrito Bowl
• The Fajita Bowl
• The Sushi Bowl
• The Korean Bowl ("bibimbap"--I actually have a "real" recipe I've used for this one!)
• The Breakfast Bowl
• The Javanese Bowl

While you're waiting for my recipes, have you tried this approach with your family? What's your favorite "bowl" combination?