I love me some dinner in a bowl. 

One of my favorite memories from traveling in China was eating with a bowl of rice in one hand and chopsticks in the other, serving myself bite after bite of spicy green beans and crispy tofu. There may be fewer chopsticks in my weekly meal plan, but the principle of rice paired with a few flavorful dishes has persisted. 

This recipe highlights my favorite things about summer eating: seasonal veggies and lots of herbs. Shop at the farmers market for the best ingredients. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup pink or brown rice, soaked overnight*
• 14-oz firm organic** tofu
• 1-2 Tbsp sambal
• 1-inch ginger, grated on the fine side of a box grater
• 1 1/2 Tbsp organic** tamari or soy sauce, separated
• 1 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, separated
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbsp basil, chopped
• 1 qt (4 cups or more) snap peas, strings removed
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 3 garlic scapes, chopped or 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
• 1 sheet toasted nori (optional), crushed

Directions

1. ​Drain your soaking rice in a wire mesh strainer. Rinse and put in a small saucepan. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cook for 20-25 minutes, keeping an eye on the liquid level to prevent burning. 
2. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan or skillet. 
3. Drain tofu. Cut into 1/2-inch x 1/2-inch cubes. Place in a container with a tightly fitted lid. Add sambal, ginger, 1 Tbsp each tamari and toasted sesame oil, cilantro and basil. Put the lid on and give it a good shake to evenly distribute the seasonings over the tofu. This can be done in advance to marinade the tofu - the flavor just gets better with time! 
4. Add the snap peas to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, or until the peas are bright green. Reuse that wire mesh strainer, drain and return to the pot/pan. Place the sliced scallions and garlic scapes to the peas, stir and cover for a few minutes to mellow the bite of the alliums. 
5. While the peas are finishing, divide the rice and tofu into bowls. Add the peas, sprinkle with sesame seeds and nori flakes. Serve with tamari, toasted sesame oil and sambal so your diners can personalize their bowls.
6. Enjoy (chopsticks optional)!

​
*Soaking whole grains for 6-12 hours provides two nutritionally beneficial gifts:

1) It starts breaking down phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that has anti-cancer properties, but also binds to zinc and other minerals in our food, prohibiting their absorption in our digestive tract, and 

2) It shortens the cooking time by almost 50%! That means you might be more likely to choose brown rice and other whole grains over their refined counterparts.  To soak: Measure your rice into a large bowl or saucepan and cover with 1-inch of water. Cover and leave on your countertop for up to 12 hours. Longer soaking is fine, but you'll want to rinse and refresh your water after 12 hours and/or move the soaking mixture to your refrigerator. 

**Soy is one of the most heavily engineered crops in the US, making buying organic soy products a priority. 

With meatballs and a good broth, a simple and delicious soup is steps away from perfection. This recipe brings together ingredients of my favorite Thai wonton soup in a gluten-free and Paleo fashion. ​

For this recipe, you will need:

• Ginger Lemongrass Broth (recipe below)
• Shrimp + Pork Meatballs (recipe below)
• Kelp noodles (prepared as directed)
• Spinach or other tender cooking green
• Spicy toasted sesame oil 
• Other condiments of your choosing (fish sauce, tamari, toasted sesame oil, sriracha, kimchi, etc.)

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for the freezer. Plan ahead and leave out the Mediterranean spices (bay, basil, etc.) of a broth recipe, swapping cilantro and ginger in instead. 

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. chicken bits - I recommend a combination of backs, necks, hearts and feet
• 1 yellow onion, halved
• 3 stalks of lemongrass
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 2-3 inches fresh ginger root, sliced thinly
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 4 quarts of filtered water
• 8 whole peppercorns

Directions

1. Place the ingredients in a large soup pot, cover and bring to a slow simmer. Keep covered and simmer for several hours or over night. Do not boil. This can be done days in advance and freezes well (so make a double...or triple batch!). 
2. Store in an airtight container and bring to a simmer to prepare a serving of this soup.

​These meatballs can be easily frozen for a quick weeknight meal. 

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb pasture-raised ground pork
• 1 lb wild caught shrimp
• 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce

Directions

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. 
3. Scoop 2 Tbsp of the mixture into your hand and form into balls. Lay the meatballs out on the cookie sheet. 

For each person, serve:

• 2 cups broth
• 3-4 meatballs
• serving of kelp noodles
• a generous handful of greens

Place condiments on the table for everyone to customize their dish to their individual tastes. 

Make this recipe and post a pic! Tag @jessehaasnutrition on Facebook or Instagram.

Recipe from Vegetarian Times 

I've been holding onto this recipe since it was published in 2009 and just finally got to making it today. I LOVE green burritos. I wish to the vegetable gods that they weren't so painstaking to make. I feel so fresh and nourished when I eat them. 

I ate my first green burrito in Nevada City, CA with my bestie. It wasn't too different from this version, actually: sweet potato puree and lots of ginger (always a winner). We used Swiss chard for our wrapper, stuffing thinly sliced carrots, bell pepper and cucumber in for a veggie-packed meal.

This recipe can be used to build a formula for green burritos of the future:

• Wrapper green: Swiss chard, collard greens, lacinato kale
• Something sticky to be the base that keeps everything else together: hummus, guacamole, sweet potato or winter squash puree
• Protein: tofu, tempeh, edamame, beans, chicken, beef, etc.
• Yum-yums that make it delicious: aromatics like onions and garlic, spices and seasonings like ginger, curry powder or fresh herbs

The sky is the limit when you approach recipes like this. Try it with some of your family favorites and see if you can come up with combinations that keep you creative in the kitchen...and looking forward to dinner time! 

Ginger-Miso Yam Wrap ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 small yams or sweet potatoes (1 lb)
• 2 Tbsp white miso paste
• 2 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped shallot
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 6 oz firm tofu, crumbled
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 8 collard green leaves, stems removed

For the complete recipe, go to the Vegetarian Times.

One step I would encourage you to add to the instructions is blanching the collards before wrapping the filling in them. Collards are dense, bitter greens that are awesome for detoxification and hormone balance, but not super duper pleasant to eat raw. Blanching them for 30 seconds or so has no negative impact on their health benefits, while promoting greater enjoyment of the meal. Insert this step after instruction #2. 

For a greens-blanching and green burrito-wrapping tutorial, check out my colleague Amber Hanson's Instagram highlight on the topic. 

Word to the wise: double or triple this recipe. A) It's delicious and you'll want more, and B) maximize the time you spend blanching and wrapping.

As soon as the weather cools, I grease my roasting pans and get to work.

Every Sunday I do a big food prep. I spend 2-3 hours chopping, marinading, washing, blending and roasting so we're set up with food for the week. 

Roasted veggies are a staple in my house and something my family never really tires of. We switch out the veggies, spices and sauces to keep the flavors fresh and fun. 

This recipe could easily turn into a formula - get creative! 

Ingredients

• 1/2 head cauliflower
• 2 medium beets
• 2 watermelon radishes
• 6 carrots
• 4 green onions
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Chop the veggies into similar sizes. 
3. Mix oil, turmeric and cumin.
4. Toss the veggies with the oil mixture and lay out on a cookie tray in a single layer. 
5. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until the veggies are fork-tender and slightly browned on the edges. 
6. Sprinkle with coarse salt to finish and try to save some for leftovers.

​Makes 4 servings.