Green on Green on Grape

The most challenging thing about writing a food blog for fun isn't what you may think.

It's not the time, because despite my unrelated full time job cooking is something that I always make time for.  I've always loved grocery shopping, to go to different stores and daydream about what all the ingredients could become so it's not that the prep is a chore for me.   And yes, while others thing snapping pics of everything I eat before it gets to go in my mouth is takes some serious self restraint, it's more of an added enjoyment for me.

When I'm faced with an empty bowl I fill it without a problem.

The real challenge comes after all of that, at the end when I'm faced with a very blank page.  Like last week, when I sat starting at these pictures of this dinosaur bowl and couldn't stop feeling some type of way long enough to form words describing why it was so good.

Yes, this bowl starts similarly to any other empty "bowl" but along the way it's packed with roasted and fresh ingredients that come together in a perfect marriage of contrasting flavors and textures.

The nutty wheat berries bring the perfect amount of chewiness to the table and add to the warmth of the roasted broccoli while the freshly chopped celery and spinach add a little brightness and crunch.  The salmon, which is broken into bite sized chunks, brings the slightest hint of mustard spice into every bite.  And of course, no salad would be complete without a little salty and sweet like my favorite grape and feta combo.

So really this bowl is much more than just the typical come home and curl up on the couch bowl, a just ran forever and need to recover bowl, and a hand your guests spoons and feed them this for dinner bowl.


It's a celebration of everything delicious bowl, because more, is better!

Dinosaur Bowls

Ingredients

For the salmon:

• 3-4 portions of salmon
• mustard seeds
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes
• garlic powder
• mustard, powdered
• yellow curry powder, optional

For the salad:

• 1 scant cup wheat berries
• 2 large heads of broccoli, finely chopped
• 1 lemon juiced + zested
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 c grapes, halved
• 3 T feta, crumbled
• 1 c spinach, chopped
• 3 T balsamic
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine:

1. Place the wheat berries in a small pot and cover them with 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil over high heat for 15 minutes then reduce to low-medium heat and simmer covered for 30 more minutes, adding more water if necessary.  When cooked through, strain any excess water off and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Chop up the broccoli, toss it with two tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon juice and zest, and a little salt a pepper.  Layer on one baking sheet and place in the oven - this will need about 30 minutes or until the broccoli is starting to brown.
4. Place the salmon in the middle of the other baking sheet.  Sprinkle the salmon with as much of the spices as desired in the order listed above then add to the oven for about 20 minutes. When it is cooked as desired, remove the pan and let the fish rest for 5 minutes before chopping up.
5. Meanwhile chop the celery, grapes, feta, and spinach.
6. When the broccoli is cooked, add it to a large mixing bowl with the wheat berries, celery, and grapes.  Toss with the balsamic and more salt and pepper if desired.
7. Gently toss in the spinach, feta, and salmon.
8. Enjoy immediately and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.