Asian Heavenly Grain Bowl

Want to live longer? Give this Asian Heavenly Grain Bowl a try!

You’ll love this vegetarian grain bowl packed with goodies. We start with Chickpeas, tossed with chopped tomato and chives piled onto your favorite whole grain. Crunchy cucumbers, creamy avocado and salad greens continue the fresh vibe. My favorite part is the full flavored Asian peanut dressing, spooned into the middle or drizzled on. Either way, it’s totally delicious. Chopped peanuts, cilantro, chives and lime wedges finish off our heavenly bowl of goodness. Yummy!

Living Longer – Asian Heavenly Grain Bowl

Ever heard of Blue Zones? These are places on earth that produce a high rate of centenarians (people who live to 100 or more), suffer a fraction of the diseases that commonly kill people in other parts of the developed world, and enjoy more years of good health. Dan Buettner has published a number of books about the Blue Zones including a new cookbook called The Blue Zones Kitchen. I discovered this recipe in a recent article featuring this book. So I wasn’t kidding when I said this recipe could make you live longer!

Many Options

There are many options for customizing your grain bowl. Here are just a few ideas:

• You can use a variety of grains. I selected farro because I had some cooked farro on hand. But barley, brown rice and quinoa are all great options. You can also use a combination.
• Add additional fresh vegetables like chopped carrots, bell peppers or sliced sugar snap peas.
• If cilantro is not your thing, you can use basil or parsley.
• You can substitute shelled, roasted sunflower seeds for the peanuts.
• While it departs from the Blue Zones suggestion, you can opt for some non plant protein by adding grilled or sauteed shrimp, shredded or chopped chicken or thin sliced Grilled Rosemary Flank Steak.

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Asian Heavenly Grain Bowl

Asian Heavenly Grain Bowl is a vegetarian meal featuring your favorite grain, chickpeas, crunchy cucumbers, creamy avocado and delicious Asian peanut dressing.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Adapted from David Buettner’s Asian-Influenced Heavenly Grain Bowl

Ingredients

• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1-2 Tbsp sriracha or hot sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 15.5-oz can chickpeas or black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Roma tomato chopped
• ½ onion finely chopped or 2 tbsp snipped chives, plus additional for garnish
• 3 cups cooked farro, barley, quinoa or brown rice (or a combo)
• 2 cups chopped spinach or shredded lettuce
• 1 avocado diced
• 1 cup chopped or sliced cucumber I used mini cucumbers
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• kosher salt to taste
• Chopped peanuts for garnish
• Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
• Chopped cilantro (optional)

Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk first 5 ingredients. If too thick, whisk in a little water.
• In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, tomato and onion or chives, a squeeze of lime and salt, to taste.
• Divide grain evenly among 4 bowls. Top with chickpea mixture, spinach/lettuce, cucumber and avocado. Garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds, additional chopped cilantro, snipped chives and lime wedges. Add dollop of dressing or drizzle over bowl.

Notes

If you prefer more protein, add shrimp, chopped or shredded chicken or thin sliced steak.