What exactly is a “wellness bowl”, well I guess it’s just exactly that. A bowl of tasty, nutritious food which makes you feel well. They usually consist of some sort of grain for the base – quinoa, rice, freekah – something like that, then a few cooked veges and some fresh garnishes. They are intended to nourish your body and make you feel good, or well. They can pretty much be anything you want and you very easily swap out the grain, veges and garnishes – there’s no set rules!
I chose quinoa as my grain as I always have it on hand, it’s got more nutritional value than rice and less carbs and it’s gluten free. I wanted a wintery vegetable as it’s starting to get a little colder so I went with pumpkin. I had actually intended to go with squash but I couldn’t find any so settled with pumpkin. I would recommend butternut squash over pumpkin if you can get it. It cooks nicer and more caramelisy and is softer and silkier to eat. Pumpkin (depending on the variety) I tend to find tastes kind of drier and is harder. It’s also way harder to cut. But whichever one you choose I suggest leaving the skin on as there’s heaps of nutrients in there! Chickpeas are a great addition as they are a really easy way to get more protein and fiber, you don’t need to prep them just throw them on a pan with some spices and into the oven they go!
I made a dressing to go on top out of spinach, coconut youghurt and lemon juice. Most of the cooked ingredients are a bit dry (particularly the pumpkin if that’s what you’re using) so the dressing really helps. When I first made the dressing I made it last and it was quite thin but still fine. Then I had leftover and so put it in the fridge overnight and when I got it out the next day it had actually thickened a lot and was a much better consistency. So if you have time and remember I would suggest making the dressing the night before and leaving in the fridge, otherwise just make it at the beginning of the recipe and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
For the garnishes I have used spinach – a really good source of iron, beetroot – folate, manganese plus some really nice colour! And sauerkraut – amazing for gut health which will help you body absorb all those nutrients. I’m a big fan of eating colourful – different coloured veges have different nutrients and vitamins so if you eat lots of colours you’re going to get a bigger range of nutrients!
This meal would do a delicious lunch or dinner, and will keep you going for a long time. It’s also super filling!