Category Archives: lunch

Spring Nourish Bowl

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Nourish bowls are one of my favorite ways to create a quick, easy meal with seasonal produce. All you need is a carbohydrate, veggies, protein, and a good sauce or dressing and you have yourself a deliciously satisfying meal!

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This week I created a nourish bowl with produce from Green BEAN delivery, an online grocery service that delivers fresh, local, and organic produce and grocery items straight to your door. It’s like a customizable CSA! You choose your produce bin based upon your family size and then you can choose from over 1,000 grocery items, including high quality meats, eggs, dairy, and freshly baked breads to add to your delivery. Your delivery comes in an insulated bin to keep all of your food fresh, which is reused, minimizing waste (win!). Green BEAN delivery’s mission is to help mend the broken components of our nation’s food systems. They are a family owned company that partners with local farmers and artisans to bring quality food straight to you. Green BEAN is focused on sustainability and has donated over 380+ tons of of food to local food rescues!

I have partnered with Green BEAN delivery to give away TWO $25 gift cards so you can try it for yourself! Visit my instagram page to enter! You can also use the code “BLOOMNOURISH” to get 15% off your first 3 deliveries!

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Spring Nourish Bowl
serves 4

Ingredients:

Rice:
1 cup rice
2 cups bone broth or water

Dressing:
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3 thai chilies, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 limes, juiced
2 tbsp coconut aminos or tamari
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil

Vegetables:
1 bunch kale, ribs removed and sliced into thin strips
8 oz sugar snap peas, trimmed and strings removed
2 bunches radishes, save 2 radishes for topping and quarter the rest

Top With:
Poached Egg
Cilantro
Mint
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Spring Onions
Radishes, thinly sliced
Kimchi (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 400°F.

Cook rice according to instructions. Set aside.

While rice is cooking, combine all dressing ingredients into a small, lidded jar and shake until emulsified. Place vegetables on a roasting pan and coat with dressing. Bake for about 20 minutes or until kale is crispy and the peas and radishes are tender.

Assemble the bowl: Add rice into a large bowl. Layer in the roasted vegetables, followed by the toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese, Toasted Walnuts, and a Warm Apple Cider Vinaigrette

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This is one of my favorite salads to make when the air grows cooler and my body is craving something healthy and warm. The roasted sweet potatoes add heartiness to the greens and the warm vinaigrette, inspired by Ina Garten, is the perfect complement. The first time I made this, my husband said it was one of the best salads I have ever made (and trust me, I’ve made a lot)!

{photos courtesy of Justin Chesney}

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Nourish a Child: Belly & Mind + an African Inspired Lunch: Sukuma Wiki

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65% of all South African children live in poverty. And nearly 20% of all children in South Africa are orphans, with approximately 1.9 Million of those children orphaned as a result of HIV and AIDS. (source)

This causes a great need for food provision, especially in schools. Providing lunch for these children encourages them to stay in school and continue with their education. Let’s learn about one hypothetical child’s story, we’ll call her Lilanie. Lilanie is a young, bright, school-aged child with a zest for life. She loves jumping rope, taking care of her little brother, and her laugh is absolutely contagious! Lilanie walks to school every day, tummy rumbling, as she looks forward to not only learning, but to actually eating a meal. This meal, provided by organizations like the Lunchbox fund, may be the only meal that young Lilanie receives for the day. Because Lilanie’s parents are affected by HIV/AIDS, they are unable to work and provide for their family, and then she, along with many other children, is often sent to find a source of food. When she isn’t able to get the food she needs to nourish her little body, her concentration and willpower diminishes and her potential is stripped away. Compound that with prevalence of HIV/AIDS or the trauma of losing parents and loved ones, without food, Lilanie’s attendance and performance at school is severely jeopardized.

My brother, Dylan, spent 2 1/2 years serving in the Peace Corps in Mozambique, which is an African country nestled along the border of South Africa. Although they are two separate countries, Mozambique and South Africa share a lot of the same beauty and a lot of the same hardships. Dylan served schools in the area where he lived, and said he frequently saw children, like Lilanie, who were forced to find food for themselves and their family because their parents were too sick from HIV/AIDS to find work or food. It saddens me deeply that children are left with this responsibility and if they don’t receive a meal at school, they may not eat at all.

This is where the Giving Table and the Lunchbox Fund comes in…this is where YOU come in! Through our support, the Lunchbox fund will be able to provide a daily meal to Lilanie and 100 other South African school children for at least an entire year! Think about all of the hungry bellies and brains being nourished. Think of all the potential that encourages for those 100 boys and girls! Please visit The Giving Table’s page and join me in donating to such a great cause. Just $10 can feed a child what may be their only meal for the day. Will you join me in nourishing a young child’s belly and mind?

Watch the video below to find out more about the Lunchbox Fund and how you can help!

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Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Sage

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{photography by Austin Gros}

This soup is a staple in our house during the cooler months. It’s delicious, slightly spicy, and perfectly creamy. Served alongside a salad it makes for an easy meal. This soup is also great to make a larger batch of and keep for easy lunches during the week. I recently served it with a drizzle of coconut cream and crispy sage for a dinner party that I hosted, and it was a hit. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Continue reading →

The Best Kale Salad

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This kale salad is one of the dishes I get the most requests for, and it’s also one of the simplest. The hearty kale, balanced by the acidity of the lemon with a zip from the chili flakes and a nice crunch from the breadcrumbs, is addicting and it’s probably my favorite way to enjoy this dark, leafy green.

Eat your vitamins:

I have a friend who wouldn’t touch kale for years because the only way he had experienced it was as a green buffet garnish covered in spilled food (sound appetizing?). Well, kale is so much more than that! It is a member of the brassica family, cousins to broccoli and cabbage, rather than romaine or other salad greens. Kale is a powerhouse of nutrients, fulfilling your daily requirements of vitamins A, K, and C in just one serving! It is particularly high in vitamin K (over 1,000% of our daily value in 1 cup), which is key in helping regulate our body’s inflammatory responses. It also boasts over 45 different flavonoids, making kale a front-runner against inflammation and oxidative stress, which can help lower your risk of cancer. Go Kale!

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Frittata with Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions, and Mustard Greens

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I believe we’ve just turned the corner here in Nashville. It seems like we are finally making our way into the cooler temperature of fall. I’m so thankful I live in a place that has distinct seasons. I always get excited when the seasons begin to change, and I start to see different produce in my CSA box. Oh how I’ve missed you butternut squash, dark leafy greens, pumpkin, beets, brussels sprouts, and carrots!

One of the things I received in my CSA box this week was a butternut squash, and I decided on trying it roasted in a frittata. Did you know butternut squash is actually a fruit, rather than a vegetable because it contains seeds? It’s really a powerhouse of a fruit! It’s full of vitamins A and C, which are helpful in maintaining good vision and a healthy immune system, and boasts loads of antioxidants, specifically carotenoids (think orange and yellow fruits), which can prevent cancer and heart disease. This squash also contains 15% of your daily value of folate, which pregnant women need for healthy fetal brain development. The seeds, which are a good source of iron, can be washed and lightly roasted for a delicious snack.

A frittata is very versatile, and a great way to enjoy vegetables from your farmer’s market or CSA, especially ones you aren’t sure what to do with. I will admit I’ve never had mustard greens, let alone cooked with them. So, for me this was a good introduction. Slightly spicier than kale, the mustard greens added a nice kick, nuzzled up against warming butternut squash, and complimented with the sweet, rich flavor of caramelized onions, this frittata is a great way to celebrate fall produce!

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