How to Make the Perfect Grain Bowl

What to do at dinnertime when your soulmate is a diehard meateater and you’re a vigilant vegan who screams bloody murder if a piece of meat dares to graze your plate? Easy: Just call in the DIY grain bowl (spoiler alert: meat is optional).

Desiree Wichmann and Miles Roxas are in love. One day they will marry. For now, they are enjoying the process of cohabitating in their one-bedroom Bushwick apartment, along with their one-eyed cat named Kooky. For the most part, they are incredibly compatible. They share the same tastes in Netflix, museums, locally brewed beer. But when it comes to food, their differences are almost comical.

Miles is obsessed with meat. He eats it at every meal. Burgers, steak, hot dogs—everything’s better, he believes, with bacon. But Desiree is at the opposite end of the spectrum. A vegan since the age of 14, her dream meal involves tofu, kale, and kombucha.

You would think this would make mealtime an incongruous experience, but in fact, it’s quite the contrary. The difference in Desiree and Miles’s culinary cravings has forced them to find creative ways to accommodate both of their appetites.

A favorite? The DIY summer grain bowl, assembled with veggies, topped with tempeh (Des) or grass-fed steak (Miles), cooked to perfection with a Joule sous vide, then finished off on the grill for a summer BBQ flavor. The result is a positively Pinterest-worthy looking dinner that’ll satisfies both the omnivore and carnivore within. See for yourself.

DIY Grain Bowl, with recipes by Chef Deena.

Sous vide farro recipe:

1 cup farro
3 cups vegetable broth
3 bay leaves
Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper

Set your sous vide to cook farro, place all ingredients in a vacuum bag, plastic zip bag, or mason jar, tightly sealed, and cook for 1 hour.

Glazed tempeh recipe:

1 package of tempeh
2 inches of ginger, peeled
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. tamari
1 tsp. honey

Cube tempeh. Mix the remaining ingredients. Marinate the tempeh for 1 to 2 hours. Set your sous vide to 180, cook in vacuum bag for 2 hours. Finish by grilling on the BBQ for 1 minute per side.

Roasted artichoke and radishes recipe:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon zested + juiced
Fresh Thyme
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic
Himalayan sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Trim tips of artichoke. Trim radish ends and cut in half.

Mix remaining ingredients together. Place vegetables and marinade in vacuum or plastic zip bag. Set your sous vide to 85, cook for 1.5 hours.

Sous vide steak recipe:

Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Sage
Himalayan sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Finely chop fresh herbs, rub into steak. Place steak in vacuum or zip lock bag. Set your Joule to desired temperature and cooking time. Finish by searing on the grill.

Miso ginger vinaigrette recipe:

1/4 cup white miso
1/6 cup tahini
2 tbsp. tamari
1 tbsp. brown rice vinegar
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp. raw honey
2 inch ginger
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup water

Add ingredients in blender, mix thoroughly.

To make the grain bowls, place cooked farro in bowl, then add your steak or tempeh. Build it up with steamed broccolette, roasted seasonal vegetables (we love radishes, artichokes and summer squash), sprouts, and sliced avocado. Drizzle with miso tahini or dressing of your choice.

Get more recipes:

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