I grew up on casseroles and family-sized food. So, my first forays into cooking were mostly learning how to recreate all the church potluck eats I'd loved as a kid.
Tater Tot Casserole...
Green Bean Casserole...
Taco Rice Casserole...
See where I'm going here? There was a lot of tots and beans and rice and casseroledness.
Since then, I've learned to cook from Instagram. Believe it or not, it's true. Eyeballing beautiful, fresh food feeds like @lonijane and @fullyrawkristina mezmerized me.
Suddenly, instead of cookbooks and casseroles, there were bowls. Just simple, round, basic bowls, filled to the gills with all the stuff I really wanted to eat.
And not salads, mind you. But, happy things like rice and fruit and the flavors of nature.
Turns out, bowl-making is much easier to fit into your life than casserole-cooking ever was. And it's tres mucho more satisfying.
A big bowl, stuffed with all the right stuff is splendid and simple to make. Filled with savory, salty, sweet, chewy.
And thanks to the brilliant buyers at Trader Joe's, they're infinitely simple to make. Because instead of ricey carbs, I'll just whip up a batch of frozen cauliflower rice and prep these babies in 5 minutes or less.
In factaroo, everything in this bowl is a Trader Joe's shortcut. (You guys, I'm a woman obsessed).
If you've got one nearby, grab the Grassfed Sirloin (ready to go in the refrigerated section), snag some pre-popped pomegranate arils. And don't forget the flake salt.
For lunch or dinner, this paleo bowl is da bomb.
Which, like a dank meme, I will totally never type again.
It's highly possible learning cooking from Instagram also teaches you words you should avoid forever. But, obviously, not bowls. Let's never avoid such splendor. Capiche?
Summer Rice & Cilantro Steak Bowl
Learn more about this recipe on Instagram @cheekykitchen
Makes 2 Bowls | 25 miutes
- 1 (12 oz) bag Trader Joe's frozen cauliflower rice
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1-2 cups baby arugula or baby spinach (optional)
- 1/2 pound Trader Joe's Grassfed Beef Sirloin Roast strips
- 1 nectarine, sliced
- 1 avocado pitted, peeled, and sliced
- 2 green onions, finely diced
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
In a skillet, over medium-high heat, melt coconut oil. Cook cauliflower until it begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat, squeeze lime juice over rice. Add cilantro. Stir until well mixed, salt to taste. Transfer into two serving bowls, top with arugula.
Place sirloin strips in skillet, return to stove and heat just until hot. Cut into pieces. Transfer atop rice.
Top with nectarine and avocado slices. Garnish with green onions and pomegranate arils, if desired.
Flavor note: For extra flavor, drizzle with apple cider vinegar and olive oil just before serving.
VARIATIONS:
Chicken Taco Bowl. Use grilled chicken, instead of beef. Omit the avocado and nectarine. Top with fresh-made guacamole, instead.
Seared Salmon Bowl. Swap the steak for salmon. For added flavor and color, top with fresh blueberries or cherries.