The Bowl

It all started with the Chipotle burrito bowl. When I ate meat, I'd get it with chicken. Now, I get it with grilled veggies. I always top it with guacamole rather than cheese, and add black beans and pico de gallo. With the bowl's base of brown cilantro lime rice, it makes for one delicious dinner.

After reading a bunch of vegan cooking blogs and cookbooks, I discovered that the bowl is a versatile and balanced meal, combining whole grains, protein and veggies. Although I'm not vegan, I often eat vegan when I make a bowl. I've just discovered smoked tofu which is a delicious protein to add to a bowl. But today, I'm skipping the vegan part and embracing dairy in my bowl.

Building the bowl

My lunch bowl today consists of quinoa, kale, peas and cottage cheese. I had a similar bowl yesterday, but added a quarter of an avocado on top. It was delicious, but sadly that was the last of my avocados and I haven't had time to go to the store.

This recipe is my basic bowl, but bear in mind that you can use any grain, such as rice, millet or bulgur, any veggie you have on hand, and any protein, whether it's meat, vegetarian or vegan. I chose kale and peas because they are quick-cooking and I don't want to spend too much time making lunch. Usually I use beans or tofu, but today I used cottage cheese because I had some in my fridge and I love it.

The finished bowl

Quinoa, Kale, Peas and Cottage Cheese Bowl

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups kale, shredded
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup cottage cheese

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Meanwhile, steam peas and kale either in a steamer or in the microwave.

Once quinoa is done, top with veggies and dollop your cottage cheese on top. Mix well and enjoy!

Kale-licious!

 It was a looooooooong day today, one I don't care to repeat. I actually got peed on at work. That's right, a dog lifted his leg and peed right on my boot. Luckily, they were $10 at Walmart about 3 years ago and I hate them, but still. I was happy to get home and take a long, hot shower.

I took out a sockeye salmon fillet from the freezer this morning and I had a bunch of kale in the fridge that needed using. Ben hates kale, but when I bought it I didn't think he would be home this week. So my mission was to make boring kale into something super yummy that both of us would enjoy.

Along with the kale, I decided to break open the bag of millet my mum made me buy when she was visiting. I was a millet virgin, so this was a special moment for me.

I also had some crimini mushrooms left over from last week's veggie box that were starting to look sad, and some fresh garlic cloves.

I heated up some olive oil in a deep skillet and added the minced garlic and mushrooms. Once those were looking almost done, I threw in my kale. I had a little help from a couple of munchkins who thought I was cooking something much more canine-friendly than kale (and they were sadly mistaken!) 

Kale makes Dougal sad

Stumpy's natural pose

The finished product was something tasty, healthy and different, and went really well with the millet and salmon. Now I know how easy it is to make kale more appetizing it might become a more frequent visitor to my kitchen!

Garlicky Sauteed Kale


2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 or 6 crimini mushrooms (or any other kind of shroom)
1 bunch kale, destemmed

Heat olive oil in a deep skillet or wok. Once hot, add garlic and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add kale to skillet and stir to coat with olive oil. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until kale starts to wilt. Serve immediately and enjoy!