I absolutely LOVE eating food from a bowl, it seems to be a trend now but even if and when it wanes I shall still be eating from a bowl whenever I can!  I’ve heard of so many names for the same thing, Power bowls, Buddha Bowls, Abundance Bowls and so on.

What some don’t realise though is that the bowls of delicious food they see all over the internet aren’t just flung together, no, a bowl of food needs to be planned and the components prepared in advance for optimum ease of pulling it all together!

I do keep some things to hand in the fridge a lot of the time, e.g. cooked quinoa (to add to Miss ND’s porridge for protein) and black rice which I love, but there are a lot of food items that can be sourced quickly like hummus, avocado, beans, etc to add good fats and protein to your bowl.

There are so many permutations, but it’s important to balance your bowl of food with protein, carbs and good fats.  Add in some colourful raw or cooked vegetables and for more texture, some nuts  and seeds.  Walnuts and Pumpkin seeds are my favourite combination.  Hard boiled eggs and Avocado, another favourite too!

How to Build a Bowl:

As mentioned before, forward planning is recommended, anything that can be cooked in advance and stored in the fridge is a time-saving bonus.  For this particular bowl I used:

Cooked white Quinoa for the base.  Protein-rich, quinoa contains all nine of the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein, plus anti-inflammatory phyto-nutrients, some omega-3 essential fatty acids and iron and zinc.
Cooked red Quinoa – red and black Quinoa have more health benefits than white because they have significantly more antioxidant content.

Cooked Black rice, provides the richest nutritional value, providing higher levels of vitamins, minerals and fibre of any rice and one of the highest levels of anthocyanin antioxidants!
Grated carrot contains a good source of beta-cartotene, vitamin K, potassium and anti-oxidants.
Red Cabbage Kraut, homemade and so easy to prepare.  It is a probiotic rich nutrient-dense superfood great for immune and gut health.
Beans!  Protein-rich and highly nutritious.  I used kidney, Borlotti and Black-eyed beans.
Radishes and Rocket leaves.  Take a look here for the nutritional benefits of radishes, truly amazing little salad vegetable.  And Rocket (Arugula) another nutrient-packed food, so many benefits read about them here too.
Cooked and mashed Sweet Potato – an excellent source of beta-carotene. Very good source of vitamin C, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6 and a good source of fibre, potassium, vitamins B1, B2, B3 and phosphorus.
Avocado – another nutritional powerhouse, high in good, healthy omega-3 fatty acids, many essential vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and fibre.
Beetroot Hummus – homemade, chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic. lemon juice and Beetroot!
Beetroot is an acquired taste, quite earthy but in hummus it totally works.  Beetroot contains magnesium, iron, potassium, iron, vitamins A, B6, folic acid and C.  Plus antioxidants due to it’s vibrant colour and soluble fibre.
Chickpeas have a whole host of health benefits too, protein-rich, good source of folic acid, (veg) iron, zinc, copper, manganese and phosphorus.

And finally!  A good few handfuls of Pomegranate seeds and  a sprinkling of crunchy sunflower and flaxseeds over everything to finish off with a flourish.

Pomegranate seeds, loaded with vitamins B6, C, K, folic acid, phosphorous and potassium with very powerful antioxidant values.
Sunflower seeds – good source of vitamins B1,B3, B6, E, folic acid,manganese, selenium, phosphorus, copper and magnesium.
Flax seeds, I used golden this time, but also use brown.  Another excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, vitamin B1, B6, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, magnesium, selenium, phosphorus and are high in fibre.

If you like a dressing on your food, try a tablespoon of olive oil and honey and a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, mix and drizzle, delicious!

You only need a small portion of everything but all put together in a balanced bowl of food like this one, can give you health benefits galore!

Olive It! and Tapas Revolution restauranteur Omar Allibhoy recently held a culinary masterclass at The Brighton Cookery School. It was to celebrate the Olive and to teach people about their health benefits, which olives work well in which dishes, their seasonality and new and delicious ways to enjoy Spanish olives.

Spanish chef and cookbook author Omar Allibhoy who has been called the Antonio Banderas of cooking by none other than Gordon Ramsey, runs four Tapas Revolution restaurants, three in London, one in Birmingham and one newly opened in Sheffield.

The exclusive hands-on cookery tuition session by Omar showed a a variety of tapas inspired recipes using olives. We also learnt how the olive starts out as green on the tree, turning purple and then finally black, all from the same tree!  Olives are low in calories (unless you eat the whole bowl of course!), they contain monounsaturated fats, over three quarters of their fat content is oleic acid.  They are a good natural source of vitamin E, with black olives also containing a good amount of iron.

Omar showed us how to prepare an olive, candied cherry and goats cheese dessert with double cream and a splash of sherry. I am always up for different flavour combinations and this sweet and salty fusion did not disappoint, I could have eaten two portions, oh wait I did as there was some left over at the end, utterly delicious!

We then made a couple of olive oil marinades using cayenne and oregano for the green olives and ginger, cardomon and cinnamon to combine with black olives. I must admit to a huge penchant for olives, we cook with them (tapenades, hummus, with pasta, etc) but also love a bowl of green olives with a glass of wine. I have never marinaded them before but it’s certainly on my another way with olives list now!

Our main course was salad based with a thick and very filling Romesco dressing.  Into a food processor went the roasted red peppers, tomatoes and garlic (I absolutely love roasted garlic), hazelnuts, toasted bread and a healthy dose of olive oil.  The dressing was then blobbed onto a bed of salad leaves along with flaked Tuna and chopped anchovies, with more black olives scattered over the finished dish.

There was plenty of Spanish wine flowing to accompany the dishes which we devoured at the end of a very pleasant and knowledgeable evening. We were given a goody bag with tins of olives, an apron and the Olive It! cookery book which as you can imagine is crammed full of olive recipes which we will be trying.

Thanks to Omar, Olive It! and the Storm Communications team for the invitation and a wonderful evening.

Inspired by the Spelt Buttermilk Soda Bread we made at River Cottage cookery school last month, this loaf was made with the buttermilk from the butter I made earlier in the week (I couldn’t resist having another go, the butter tastes so deliciously creamy too!).

My loaf contains Pumpkin, Sunflower, Sesame, Flaxseeds and Walnuts which are packed full of health giving properties.  

Pumpkin seeds are full of omega 3 essential fatty acids, along with some omega 6, rich in B vitamins, selenium and zinc. They are also a good source of calcium and magnesium.

Sunflower seeds too are a valuable source of B vitamins, vitamin E, omega 6 essential fatty acids and monounsaturated fats.  The seeds are rich in calcium and magnesium too.

Sesame seeds, these tiny calcium rich seeds are brilliant non-dairy bone builders, rich also in zinc and vitamins B and E as well as magnesium.  They contain both omega 6 and 9 fatty acids.

Flaxseeds have an abundance of balanced levels of omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids plus vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, E, Folic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc.  A true wonderfood!

Walnuts, fabulous Walnuts, my go-to snack and a wonderful addition to breads.  They are one of the richest sources of antioxidants plus vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, E, biotin, Folic acid, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc.

Spelt Seeded Buttermilk Soda Bread

Makes 1 Loaf

Pre-heat your oven to 200C/180C fan

Ingredients

175g Spelt Flour
50g Oats
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon each of Pumpkin, Sunflower, Sesame and Flaxseeds (more or less to your own taste)
100g Walnuts (more of less to your own taste)
100g Cheese (Cheddar and Goats cheese are favourites)
1 tablespoon Honey
275 ml Buttermilk

Extra seeds and cheese to sprinkle on top before baking.

Method

Combine the Spelt flour, oats, bicarbonate of soda, salt, seeds and nuts in a large bowl.  Mix in well.

Add the Cheese, Honey and Buttermilk and stir in until it all comes together, form into a ball and transfer onto a floured surface.  Gently knead until all ingredients are well combined, do not over work.  

Pop the dough onto a greased and/or lined baking tray and shape into a round, cut the dough with a knife twice, making sure not to go all the way though.  The bread should pull apart easily once baked into four generous pieces.

Sprinkle with the extra seeds and cheese then place into the oven to bake for around 25-30 minutes until nicely golden brown.  This soda bread comes out of the oven with a delicious crusty finish, soft and pillowy on the inside.