This one is a simple, healthy, meal that it worth making as a big batch for deliberate lunch-tomorrow leftovers. Any version of “grain bowl” that we make deserves a shout-out to Bouilla Restaurant, one of the two local places we deliver produce to, and make sure to eat at on a regular basis. Our homemade versions never reach the special saucy savory magic that their warm grain bowls manage (you should really go try them), but they provide inspiration and something to work towards in our own kitchen.
For this dish, enough to feed at least 4 people, or 2 people a couple of times, you’ll need:
-2 cups dry quinoa or equivalent of your favorite grain or grain/ legume combo
-4 cups of broth (or water), or enough to cook your chosen grains in
-about 4 cups of peeled and cubed squash (butternut, buttercup, or red Kuri are some of the easiest to prepare this way). We like small cubes for this, maybe half-inch, so they cook pretty fast.
-generous slosh of your favorite cooking oil, for sautéing
-1 medium sweet onion or yellow onion, diced
-2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-about 1 cup of fresh spinach per person/ serving (two of us used a 5—oz bag), torn or chopped into your preferred bite-size pieces.
-flavorings and saucy components of your choice. We used 12 oz lite coconut milk and a tablespoon or two of curry powder; you could also go with ~1.5-2 cups of frozen or canned chopped tomatoes, seasoned with cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder or red pepper flakes, or…..? Experiment with your favorites!
Directions:
First, cook quinoa or your choice of grains in the broth. We like quinoa both for the protein and because if you start it first, it will probably cook by the time you gather and prep the other ingredients, being a pretty quick-cooking grain. Just mix twice the amount of liquid with the quinoa, bring to a boil with the lid off, then cover, turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed and the grains are soft and fluffy.
While that is cooking, chop your onions, squash, garlic, and find/ choose your spices.
Sautee the onions and garlic over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes first, then add the squash to the pan. Stir everyone around for another few minutes, add the spices, then add a few spoonfuls of water or broth, and cover with a tight-fitting lid for several minutes. (This will help steam and soften the squash quickly—you can also just keep stirring and sautéing and just take a little longer). Remove the lid and stir periodically, to prevent sticking to the pan (bear in mind we cook entirely in cast iron).
When squash is almost s soft as you’d like in the finished dish, add the saucy components (coconut milk in our version), and continue stirring at medium-low heat, just gently bubbling and mixing the flavors. Taste, adjust, improvise, till your squash is soft and the flavors are to your liking.
Once that is ready and the quinoa is cooked, serve it up by making a layer of quinoa in each bowl, followed by a layer of spinach, and topped with a ladle-full of the saucy squash-y, mixture.
Leftovers of this are excellent re-heated, or just packed up for a lunch, without heating.