For obvious reasons, most of my friends, family, and coworkers are leaning pretty heavily toward comfort food these days. So I figured maybe we’d take a break from kale salad and spicy chickpeas and share a couple of strategies for grain bowls. The nice thing about grain bowls is that you can be reassured that they are super nourishing even if it might feel like you’re eating a bowl of coffee cake.

First, choose your grain. It could be something as simple as rolled oats, but it might also be something slightly more adventurous — like steel-cut oats or millet or even the brown rice left over from last night’s dinner. I’m going to assume that your grains are already cooked, in which case you’re going to scoop out a one-half cup serving into a nice little round bowl. If you need directions on how to cook the grain you’ve chosen, there are lots of charts and how-to’s on line. My one recommendation would be to make more than you need. That way you’ll have some ready for the next recipe. And if that may be a long way off, cooked grain freezes really well and you can pull it out when you need it. Each grain is a little different and it’s worth trying ones you’ve never had before if you’re feeling up to it. If not, just stick with what you know. 

Back to your bowl. Add a tablespoon or two of water if the grain is too sticky or gummy or dry-appearing, sprinkle in a pinch of cinnamon, and then heat the grains in the microwave for a quick minute until they’re warm and cozy. Now comes the fun part. By the way, there are no wrong answers here, and no wrong ingredients. You’re just going to pick a few simple or exotic things to spoon over your grain. 

First pick one of these, and drizzle over the grain in one corner of the bowl:

1 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. almond butter

Now pick two or three of these and make small piles of each of these:

1/4 cup sliced banana
2 Tbsp. blueberries, rinsed
2 Tbsp. raspberries, rinsed
2 Tbsp. blackberries, rinsed
1 Tbsp. dried goji berries
1 Tbsp. raisins or currants
1 Tbsp. dried apricots, sliced thinly

Then choose one of these to sprinkle or pour all over:

2 Tbsp. almonds, slivered
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. flax meal
1/4 cup milk (dairy or nut milk is fine)
2 Tbsp. hazelnuts, crushed

And, finally, make space for one of these:

1 Tbsp. blackberry jam (or strawberry or blueberry)
2 tsp. orange marmalade
2 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. apple butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

And that’s it. You can have it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can double or triple the recipe. You can make extra and either share it or eat it tomorrow. Your grain bowl. Your choice. 

Virtual hugs to everyone.