The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon

January 19, 2015
What could be more comforting and convenient than a dish served in a bowl? That’s the thinking behind Sprouted Kitchen blogger Sara Forte’s collection of easy-to-prepare one-vessel meals that draw heavily on the familiar. The roughly 80 produce-heavy recipes, all crafted to be eaten in a curved dish, include breakfast foods, salads, soups, pastas, grains, seafood, and sweets. The collection is loosely organized by the type of meal and course to be served. There are Morning Bowls (cereals, fruits, and egg dishes, some laced with cream or cheese), Side Bowls (tempting salads such as the wonderfully and morbidly named Last Meal Salad), Big Bowls (a mashup of mains such as soups or beans and a protein such as fish or tempeh), and Sweet Bowls (simple desserts such as double-chocolate pudding). There’s also a short list of dressings and sauces. But the bowl conceit is not always a convincing one—even to the author herself, who concedes in the book’s forward that “the naysayer could argue a number of these recipes could also be served on a plate and I wouldn’t disagree.” Though some dishes, such as smoky black-bean chili, appear perfectly suited to a curved dish, others, such as turkey meatballs in tomato sauce, cry out to be served on a plate with a fork and knife. Still, there are plenty of recipes, illustrated in color, to entice those searching for a somewhat different take on the usual comfort-food presentation.

January 1, 2015

Forte follows her wildly popular debut, Sprouted Kitchen, with a new collection of healthful "bowl foods," many of which are well-seasoned combinations of grains, proteins, legumes, and vegetables. When it comes to breakfasts (golden quinoa and butternut breakfast bowl), salads (mixed greens with beet walnut puree), and mains (seared scallops in Thai broth), Forte favors whole foods and clean eating. She keeps dessert (double chocolate) traditionally indulgent and doesn't skimp on butter, sugar, or cream. VERDICT Vegetarians and flexitarians will find plenty to love here, as will vegans, though they'll have fewer choices. Readers interested in healthy bowl foods may also like Ruth Tal and Jennifer Houston's Fresh: New Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes from Fresh Restaurants.

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