First Recipe Video
#letsberealmeals Project
I was so honored to be asked by Jenna (@jennagorham.rd) and Cynthia (@cynthiamiranda.rd) to join them in their #letsberealmeals project!
The concept is brilliant and something we greatly value here at The Complete Plate. Jenna had the vision to share quick 1 minute videos demonstrating that healthy eating can be easy and utilize simple every day ingredients.
Every Thursday a member of the team will be sharing a video and simple recipe under the hashtag #letsberealmeals. This Thursday I am up to bat! 😊
I know it can get intimidating when you are not comfortable being in the kitchen to begin with, and then you see this stunning food photo and elaborate recipe that you are expected to recreate! Well I am going to share a recipe with you today that is extremely simple, but the final result will be Instagram worthy I promise! In fact, I am so confident that you will be able to recreate this picture perfect dish, that I want to see your Instagram photos of the final product! Tag #letsberealmeals and share the photo of your final dish!
If you are new to the kitchen and would like examples of other simple recipes that don't require any kitchen appliances then check out the first episode of The Complete Plate.
The Anatomy of a Buddha Bowl
Buddha bowls are probably one of the best inventions since sliced bread! They are an amazing meal for using up leftovers out of your fridge and therefore reducing food waste (can I get an AMEN 🙌). You can make them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And best of all there are NO rules! You can pretty much add whatever you want into the bowl and it works (within reason, leftover lucky charms with kale and BBQ sauce would probably be a NO go! but hey to each their own!).
I usually try to theme my Buddha bowls: Mediterranean, Asian, Mexican or Italian flavors. Usually there is some sort of grain like quinoa, pasta or even rice. Then you can add pulses or beans, followed by veggies...lots of yummy veggies, or fruit, some cheese, seeds and nuts, and finish with yummy condiments like balsamic vinegar, lemon or lime juice, salsa, or hummus.
The Mediterranean Bowl
One of my favourite go-to buddha bowls is this Mediterranean bowl:
This sure does make a pretty Instagram picture, but trust me this dish is far from intimidating to make! All that is in here is: 1/2 cup mixed blend quinoa (which I get from the bulk bin at my local grocery store, but you could use regular quinoa too), Falafel that I didn't even make myself (Costco did, I just freeze and then cook a few at a time when I need them, takes like 10 minutes), cucumber, cherry tomatoes, dry curd cottage cheese (only because I had some in the fridge to use up, but you could easily use feta or regular cottage cheese), Tzatziki (which you can make yourself, or be like me a buy it already made) and finally hummus (again you can make your own, or buy premade, which is what I always do)! This dish looks beautiful, but literally took me 10 minutes to get to this Instagram worthy shot!
Why Farina?
So today I am going to be sharing a breakfast Buddha bowl recipe with regular everyday ingredients! Or at least ones that I always keep in stock in my pantry! I didn't go out of my way to purchase any of these ingredients for the video. I just looked at what I had available to me!
I have shared this before, but I am going to say it again. I have never really liked the term superfood! However, when I was writing the cookbook I was shocked at the number of foods that are considered "superfoods" that are really not that nutrient dense, and the number of foods that really should be considered "superfoods" but don't get the time of day because they are not "sexy!"
One of those foods is Farina or the less sexy name that we all know it by as Cream of Wheat! Why does this food not get more attention?!!! I guess it is because gluten has gotten such a bad rap in recent years. But if you are not Celiac, or have another medical reason for avoiding wheat you should seriously consider adding Farina into your diet. 1 serving of Cream of Wheat has 30% of your DRI for iron (see nutritional information below)!!!
In this video I am going to show that the economic Cream of Wheat cereal can be so much more than the gloppy mush we all remember from summer camp!!!
Chocolate Berry Breakfast Bowl
This dish will leave you completely satisfied and fully satiated until lunch!
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk beverage
1 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp quick wheat farina cereal (or cream of wheat)
1/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
1/2 tbsp cacao nibs (they just add a nice texture)
1 tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread (or any nut butter)
1/2 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tsp flax seeds
Instructions
1. Whisk almond milk and cocoa powder together in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat.
2. When mixture has reached a boil add wheat farina and reduce to a simmer until cereal thickens, about 3 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently.
3. Add cereal to a bowl along with remaining ingredients and serve!
Nutritional information
Calories 528
Macro
Protein 20g (41% DRI)
Carbohydrates 80 g (27% DRI)
Fat 16 g (25% DRI)
Omega 3 0.75 g (68% DRI (F), 47% DRI (M))
Vitamins % DRI values
Vitamin A 12
Vit-B1 13
Vit-B2 50
Vit-B3 6
Vit-B5 9
Vit-B6 7
Folate 8
Vit-B12 69
Vit-C 29
Vit-E 34
Vit-k 11
Minerals % DRI Values
Calcium 76
Magnesium 26
Phosphorus 32
Sodium 14
Iron 39
Manganese 59
Selenium 14
Zinc 21
