A quick, flexible bowl made with pantry staples and crisp vegetables.
Serves: 2
Assembly time: about 15 minutes, assuming cooked grains and prepared, ready-to-eat ingredients
Allow extra time if you need to cook grains from scratch or soak and cook dried beans. We have not timed or taste-tested this recipe, and the time needed will vary with your preparation and equipment. Here, one cup means 240 mL, one tablespoon 15 mL, and one teaspoon 5 mL.
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, about 400 g including the liquid, drained and rinsed (400 g is not the drained weight)
- 1½ cups cooked rice, quinoa, or another grain
- 2 cups chopped vegetables, such as cucumber, tomato, carrot, or bell pepper
- 2 cups leafy greens
- Fresh herbs or seeds, optional
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1–2 tablespoons water
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, optional, plus salt and black pepper
Prepare vegetables with clean utensils and rinse under running water. Follow instructions for packaged produce labeled pre-washed and ready-to-eat. Keep utensils used for raw meat away from vegetables you will eat uncooked. FDA: preparing produce safely
Method
- Divide the cooked grain and leafy greens between two bowls.
- Add the chickpeas and chopped vegetables.
- Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, one tablespoon of water, optional cumin, salt, and pepper. Add more water until the dressing is easy to pour.
- Spoon the dressing over the bowls and add herbs or seeds if you like.
Easy substitutions
- You can use lentils, eggs, or chicken that have already been cooked and stored safely. Tofu is another option if its package instructions allow you to eat it as served. The assembly steps here do not cook raw eggs or chicken.
- You can swap tahini for plain yogurt or sunflower-seed butter if it suits your dietary needs.
- For a gluten-free meal, use a grain and packaged ingredients specifically verified as gluten-free.
Saving some for later? Check when the ingredients were prepared
Assemble the amount you plan to eat and keep remaining ingredients and dressing separate. Mixing cooked rice or opened ingredients into a bowl does not give them a fresh storage period. Follow whichever ingredient has the shortest storage limit, counting from when it was originally cooked or opened.
FoodSafety.gov advises refrigerating perishable food within two hours, or within one hour above 32°C (90°F). Do not rely on smell to judge food left out too long. FoodSafety.gov: leftover handling
For rice, the UK’s FSA advises cooling leftovers quickly, ideally refrigerating within one hour, and consuming within 24 hours. Do not assume every bowl keeps for three days; check when the rice was cooked and how it has been stored. FSA: rice storage guidance
Nutrition will vary with your ingredients, brands, portions, and substitutions. This recipe has not been assessed for a particular medical diet.