One of my very favorite spots to grab a bite to eat in the city is Nourish Cafe. Lucky for me, about a year ago, they opened a second location just minutes from my house! And the other happens to be conveniently located next to my son's preschool, so I'm not complaining! :) I LOVE their big salad bowls, and at the top of my list is this Golden Gate Bowl! I wanted to recreate the warm, delicious combination of textures, and still have it be easy enough to pull together for a quick lunch or dinner at home!
My trick is to have all the elements cooked in advance, and then I can make up a couple of these and have them ready to take on the go! Trust me, if you take this fancy salad to work, everyone will want to know what's in it ;) Here's what to do!
Golden Gate Nourish Bowl
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients:
8 cups of greens--spring greens and/or curly kale
squeeze of lemon
2 C cooked brown rice (2/3 C uncooked)
2 sweet potatoes, cut in 1/2" rounds
3 C broccoli and/or cauliflower, chopped
2 C small crimini mushrooms, whole
1/2 Tbsp avocado oil
heavy sprinkle of sea salt
heavy sprinkle of rosemary
black pepper, to taste
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced (optional)
Chipotle Almond Dressing (recipe here)
Pre-heat oven to 400. Start your rice cooking per package instructions. I like always keeping a batch of rice cooked for use throughout the week--making burritos, bowls, sushi, and salads like this super easy to put together! You could also sub any other cooked whole grain you have on hand!
Next, Slice and steam sweet potatoes. If you are not doing this step in advance, you could alternately roast them along with your broccoli and mushrooms. I just love the creamy texture of steamed sweet potatoes on this salad. This is also an easy ingredient to have pre-cooked for easy additions to things!)
Prepare large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat. Then place broccoli and mushrooms on it, and drizzle about 1/2 Tbsp avocado oil over them, mixing them with your hands to coat. You do not need much! (You could alternately use vegetable broth to avoid the oil, they will just come out slightly crispier.) Sprinkle with sea salt, rosemary, and pepper. Toss to coat. Place in oven at 400, for about 10-15 minutes, flip once, and cook 5-10 minutes more, watching close to get browned around the edges but not burned!
Assemble salad by splitting the greens in two bowls. If using kale, squeeze with a little lemon juice and massage for about a minute to soften the leaves and make less bitter and easier to digest. Add half of each ingredients around the top of the salad. Drizzle with Chipotle Almond or Sun-dried Tomato Dressing.
