Coconut Kale Rice Bowl

If I were to design a perfect day for myself it would be relatively simple. Sure there are so many places and countries I would love to be able to spend a day in, but my perfect day of relaxing would involve laying outside on a hot sunny day by a pool or other body of water, reading and just lounging. I love the sun and warmth- I feel like my body is a sponge just soaking it up. I think growing up in Montana which has hot and cold extremes and where the cold usually lasts a lot longer than the warmth, I appreciate warm, sunny days. During the summer months I would rather be outside doing almost anything than being in doors. The past few days have been a treat for March in Minnesota. It has been in the 60s-70s, warm and sunny. I have been using the trails outside our house, taking Jake for longer walks, and sitting out on our patio. Last night Aaron was gone, and so I ate my dinner out on the patio. It was this coconut kale bowl with cashews, alongside it I had some apricot goat cheese smeared on whole wheat flax pita crackers. It was so healthy yet filling and eating it outdoors just felt like I was treating my body right. I love bowl meals as you might have guessed, Thai curry , black bean burrito bowl, green risotto, steak salad bowl  peanut noodle bowl, veggie stir-fry bowl, chicken sausage with peppers and penne bowl and many others I have not posted. There is something comforting about sitting down to a meal served in a large bistro bowl. Last night I made this bowl based on recipes from Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks, book Super Natural Every Day and Joy the Baker. I used a mixture of red and brown rice cooked in chicken broth for mine since I haven’t been able to find any faro yet. I also didn’t have large shredded coconut, but the small shavings worked fine to me. I also added some toasted cashews which paired nicely with the nuttiness of the sesame oil. This dish is basically a warm, crispy, crunchy salad and I think you will enjoy it as much as I did! Enjoy!

Coconut Kale Rice Bowl

(serves 1)

1 cup cooked rice or faro (I cooked in chicken broth for more flavor)

~2 cups lightly packed kale

¼ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

1 oz chopped cashews

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp chili sauce (optional)

½ tsp garlic powder (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine sesame oil, soy sauce, olive oil and chili sauce and garlic powder if using. Add the kale and coconut and mix until covered with the oils.
2. Lay coconut, kale mixture on a sheet of parchment paper on a large roasting pan.
3. Place pan in oven and bake for about 10 minutes, redistribute and then cook for another 3-8 minutes or until kale is crispy but not burnt
4. While kale is cooking, place cashews in a dry pan on the stove. Heat to medium and toast until nuts are starting to brown and you begin to smell the nuts toasting. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Place rice in the bottom of a large bowl, top with coconut and kale mixture and cashews. Add more chili sauce or more dressing if desired.