5 mind-blowing nourish bowl recipes

Nourish bowls are a beautiful thing. They’re perfect post-workout meals and are positively bursting with flavour. Here’s your guide to creating the yummiest nourish bowls packed with nutritious and delicious ingredients.

1. Sushi poke bowl

If you have fallen in love with poke bowls (pronounced: po-kay), you’ll love this recipe! Poke bowls are a great way to combine healthy ingredients into one delicious meal. We’ve opted to include salmon as our main source of protein – as it’s well known to be a mood-boosting superfood. 

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make two servings:

• 225 grams of seafood – We’ve included sushi-grade salmon and tuna in this recipe. But you can always sub these out for crab meat or smoked salmon.
• 2 cups of rice – We’ve used cooked short-grain brown sushi rice for this recipe. You can use regular sushi rice, but make sure it’s short grain, as it sticks together easily.
• 3 tbsp of rice vinegar.
• 1 tsp of sugar – You can substitute this with honey or maple syrup.
• ¼ tsp of salt.
• 1 cup of peeled and diced cucumber.
• ½ an sliced avocado.
• 1 sheet of Nori seaweed.
• 2 tsp of sesame seeds.
• 1 tbsp of spring onions.
• 2 tsp of sesame oil.
• Optional:
  • Wasabi paste (if you like spice),
  • Pickled ginger (it’s refreshingly nice),
  • Soy sauce (it’s great with rice).
    

Instructions

A sushi poke bowl is all about layering and presentation. Measure out your ingredients and have them within reaching distance before you begin. Have a couple of bowls on hand, decent-sized spoons, and a spatula, then:

1. Place the cooked rice into a bowl.
2. Add your salt, one tablespoon of rice vinegar, and one teaspoon of sugar to the bowl and stir to combine with the rice.
3. Add diced cucumber, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and two teaspoons of rice vinegar in a separate bowl, then toss everything to coat the cucumber, and add a pinch of salt.
4. Next, spoon the cucumbers onto the cooked rice. Arrange the seafood and avocado slices atop the rice, then sprinkle with green onions and nori strips.
5. Serve your sushi bowls right away. If you’ve opted for the optional ingredients, add them before serving.

Itadakimasu!

2. Spicy peanut tofu bowl

What’s great about the spicy peanut tofu bowl is it has such complex flavours and textures but is super simple to make. You’ll need two rimmed baking sheets and a blender/food processor for this recipe.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for three servings:

For the bowls:

• 2 blocks of extra firm tofu.
• 1 tbsp of cornflour.
• 1 tbsp of olive oil.
• ½ tsp of salt.
• 1 small head of broccoli – make sure you cut and divide all the florets.
• 1 red capsicum – slice this into 3cm strips.
• 140 grams of uncooked white rice.

For the peanut sauce:

• 65 grams of smooth peanut butter.
• 2 ½ tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce.
• 1 tbsp each of sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, chilli, and sugar – you can substitute the sugar with honey or agave syrup.
• 12mm piece of ginger.
• ½ a clove of garlic.
• 30ml of water.
  

Instructions

1. Press the liquid out of the tofu. You can use a clean dish towel and cast iron pan. Ensure you have something to catch the liquid, like a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Cube tofu and toss (gently) with the cornflour until coated.
3. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
4. On a separate baking sheet, arrange your capsicum and broccoli.
5. Drizzle both sheets with olive oil and salt.
6. Roast both pans in a pre-heated 220-degree oven for 20-30 minutes until tofu is slightly crisp and broccoli and capsicum are roasted and delicious.
7. While the tofu, broccoli and capsicum are roasting, cook the rice.
8. Also, blend all of the sauce’s ingredients.
9. Once everything is cooked, serve the rice in the bowl first. Then place your tofu, broccoli, and capsicum on top. Finally, lather the sauce on top.

Enjoy!

3. Vegan Bahn-Mi Noodle bowl

Fresh, fragrant, and oh-so-healthy, Vietnamese cuisine is renowned worldwide for its delightful dishes. The vegan banh-mi noodle bowl, aka bun chay, is a perfect example.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for two servings:

The noodles:

• 60 grams of rice noodles.
• Bowling water to cook the noodles in.

Quick pickled veggies:

• 79ml each of rice wine vinegar and water.
• 128 grams of carrots, grated.
• 58 grams of sliced radishes.
• 1 tsp of sugar – You can substitute this with honey or agave syrup.
• ¼ tsp of salt.

Creamy sriracha dressing:

• 4 tbsp of vegan mayo.
• 1 tbsp each of water, rice wine vinegar, and sriracha sauce.
• 1 tsp of sugar – You can substitute this with honey or agave syrup.
• ¼ of salt.
• 1 tsp of soy or vegan fish sauce (whichever you prefer).

For the bowl:

• 170 grams of firm tofu patted dry and cut into cubes.
• 104 grams of sliced cucumber.
• 89 grams of thinly sliced cabbage.
• ½ red capsicum, sliced.
• ¼ cup of fresh, torn mint leaves.
• ½ thinly sliced jalapeño – Remember to vigorously wash your hands after handling these.
• Lime wedges.
• 2 tbsp of neutral-flavoured oil – such as canola or vegetable – to cook the tofu.
• Optional:
  • Brussels sprouts, avocado, or coriander.
    
    

Instructions

1. Pour the boiling water over your noodles and let sit for 5-6 minutes or until softened. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.
2. At the same time, heat ⅓ cup water and ⅓ cup vinegar on the stove in a small pot. Add the sugar, salt, radishes, and carrots, bring to a simmer, and toss to coat well. Turn the heat off.  Place them in a bowl and chill (we put this in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes). These can be made ahead of time.
3. Combine all of the ingredients for the creamy sriracha dressing into one bowl and mix.
4. Heat oil in a pan, and season the oil with salt and pepper. Add the tofu and sear over medium heat until all sides are crispy. Stir in a little sriracha for heat at the end.
5. Slice the cucumber, bell pepper and cabbage.
6. Divide the noodles into your bowls and arrange all the veggies around them. Grab the chilling pickled veggies and divide. Add the tofu to the bowls and spoon the dressing over the top.
7. Garnish the bowls with fresh mint, jalapeño slices and lime wedges.

ăn ngon nhé!

4. Chicken burrito bowl

Burritos are beautiful things, especially when they’re in bowls! This recipe is particularly tasty, combining juicy grilled chicken breast and gorgeous spices. You’ll be having a Mexican fiesta in no time!

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
• 1 cup cooked brown rice.
• 1 tbsp lime juice.
• 1 small, sliced avocado.
• 2 cups mixed greens.
• ½ cup black beans.
• ½ cup canned corn, drained or grilled.
• ⅓ cup cherry tomatoes cut into quarters.
• 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt.
• ½ diced red onion.
• 1 sliced jalapeño.
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
• A small handful of chopped coriander, plus more to garnish.

For the Chicken marinade

• 2 tbsp olive oil.
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice.
• ½ tsp paprika.
• ½ tsp ground Cumin.
• ¼ tsp each of chilli, garlic, and onion powder.
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• A pinch of salt and pepper, or to taste.
  

Instructions

1. In a plastic bag, mix all marinade ingredients until smooth. Add chicken, seal the bag and shake until chicken is evenly coated.
2. Heat a grill pan or an outdoor grill over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side until cooked through and no longer pink inside.
3. Remove from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
4. Mix cooked rice with lime juice, chopped cilantro, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl.
5. Toss to combine, then set aside. To assemble the bowls, add the greens at the bottom of each one, then 1 sliced chicken breast.
6. Divide the remaining ingredients among the 2 bowls. Garnish with fresh cilantro and jalapeno!

¡Provecho!

5. Açai bowl

Taking the world by storm in recent years, Açai bowls are a fantastic, refreshing treat, especially on a hot summer's day or after a great workout. You’ll need a rimmed baking sheet and blender for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 sliced and frozen banana.
• ½ cup each of frozen blueberries and strawberries.
• ¾ cup milk or juice – use your favourite milk (dairy milk, soy, almond, etc.) or juice (apple or orange).
• ½ cup plain yogurt – substitute with milk or juice if desired.
• 200 grams (2 packets) of frozen açai puree – broken into pieces.
• Your favourite toppings – nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, granola, coconut, etc.
  

Instructions

1. Slice your banana and place it onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with baking paper, alongside the blueberries and strawberries, then put it in your freezer. You can always purchase pre-frozen fruit from the supermarket to make things easier.
2. Once your fruit is frozen, add the milk and yogurt to the bowl of a large, high-speed blender with a tamper. Add the frozen blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and broken-up acai. With the blender on low, use the tamper to push the frozen fruit down, mixing around as much as possible. Continue to blend on low until smooth, only adding additional liquid when needed.
3. Divide the smoothie into two bowls and top with all your favourite toppings. Our favourites include sliced fresh bananas, nuts, seeds, granola, and berries. This is best enjoyed immediately, so tuck in.

Bom apetite!

Fitness fuel

The only thing better than enjoying a delicious nourish bowl is having one after a full-on workout at the gym. Get in touch today to book a session with one of our Personal Trainers. Or, discover the state-of-the-art Virgin Active clubs near you.