Mountaintop Gourmet: Boom! Bowl

On top of Mount Baldy, after hiking 3900 feet in elevation gain through hail and thunder, my friend Rachel and I sat down on our handkerchiefs for the most satisfying picnic of my life.  Rachel prepared this delicious Kale Salad with Red Quinoa the night before and served it in tinfoil packets.  It made my tastebuds go “Boom!” and gave me the energy I needed to continue our journey.

When I asked Rachel to share this recipe with all of you, I somehow managed to invite myself over for dinner to photograph and enjoy another delicious variation.  I dream of eating this every night, and I probably could, considering how many ways you can mix it up.  Thank you for sharing this recipe with us, Rachel!  (And thank you for making me dinner, too.)

Boom! Bowl

By Rachel

The Boom! Bowl was created from the idea of wanting to eat healthy with what was readily available in the kitchen. Creating this meal is less of a science and more of a culinary experiment. Trying variations on what we’ve provided today can also be very delicious.  We suggest changing up veggie combinations with the kale, using different grains like farro or couscous and trying a unique dressing to take your meal in an entirely new direction…we enjoy a good ginger miso!

On day 2, consider throwing everything into a wrap and taking it to-go.  Boom!

Ingredients:

Kale Salad

• 1 bunch of kale
• 2 ears of corn
• 1-2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
• 1/4 head of small head of purple cabbage
• 1/4c red onion diced
• 2 Tbsp chopped jalapeno
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2+ Tbsp olive oil as desired
• 1/2c Amy’s Goddess Dressing, also works well with a Ginger Miso style dressing
• Handful of Superhero Seed Mix: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, spirulina, nutritional yeast, coconut, slivered almonds, & bee pollen.  Mix together and store in a mason jar.  Add to any recipe for crunch and flavor.
• 1-2 avocados, diced and placed on top of each serving

Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa any color
• 2 cups water + bullion cube or 2 cups broth to prepare
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 Tbsp Shallot
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger

Directions:

Kale Salad

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat.  Do not add
   salt. Add the corn and boil for 6 to 8 minutes. Start step 2 while corn cooks. Remove to let cool.
2. Rinse Kale, Remove spines and slice the kale into roughly 2″X2″ size
   pieces. In a large bowl, add kale, juice of 1 lemon and olive oil.  Massage
   with your hands until the kale starts to soften and wilt.  Set aside.
3. Carefully cut the corn off the cob and add to the kale.  Also add the
   cabbage, red onion, jalapeño, tomatoes and Superhero Seed Mix.
4. Toss salad with dressing (we chose Amy’s Goddess Dressing this time).
   Season with salt and pepper to taste, sometimes cayenne if you’re in the mood for a kick.

Quinoa

1. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat.  Saute shallots.
2. Bring quinoa, water and bullion or broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.
3. Reduce to low heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.
4. Half way through cooking the quinoa stir in saute’d shallots, garlic and ginger.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered.  Fluff and enjoy.

Serve Kale Salad into shallow bowls, top with warm quinoa, choice of protein and fresh avocado.