Whether you call it a nourish, poke, or Buddha bowl, this skin-friendly meal offers a powerhouse of nutrients, fibre and protein, and it tastes great too. Nourish bowls were invented to use up leftovers, so you do not need to use every element in this recipe — use what you have. I love this topped with cashew cream or white bean sauce, as it makes the zucchini pasta creamy; or try omega salad dressing with chives for a vinaigrette.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients
150g edible shungiku chrysanthemum greens
150g bok choy
150g komatsuna Japanese mustard greens or mustard greens
150g spinach
75g mitsuba
135g Japanese aubergines peeled at intervals for a striped effect
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
150g daikon or other root vegetable such as turnip scrubbed and cut into thin julienne
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with a silicon mat or baking (parchment) paper and set aside. You can boil, steam or roast the baby beets. First, wash and scrub the beets then, if roasting, place the beets onto a tray and cover with a little oil (you will peel the beets after roasting). Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes or until soft.
Place the chickpeas into a pot or container that has a lid, coat with 1 teaspoon of oil (if using), sprinkle on salt, close the lid and shake lightly to evenly coat the chickpeas. Then place the chickpeas and sweet potato onto the same baking tray as the beets — these ingredients will take 30 minutes to cook, so add them to the beet tray 15 minutes after the beets have been placed into the oven. To cook the quinoa, rinse with water in a fine sieve then place into a pot with the water. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then remove the lid and turn to a low heat, which will allow for a light simmer. Once the water has reduced and the quinoa is just cooked turn the heat off, cover with the lid and set aside to continue steaming for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the chicken if you are using it instead of mozzarella. If using chicken, salt the chicken and pan fry it on medium–high heat until thoroughly cooked through and nicely browned. Now prepare the zucchini. Rinse it and cut off each end. The zucchini noodles can be made with a vegetable spiralizer (like we did in the photo) or use a basic vegetable peeler to create a long, flat noodle shape. Remember to check on the vegetables and chickpeas throughout the cooking process to ensure they do not overcook.
Remove the mozzarella from the refrigerator and slice it into 1 cm thick slices. You can briefly fry the slices in a pan on low heat to make it look like halloumi. Remove the vegetables from the oven and peel the beets. Assemble all the ingredients into two large, wide bowls, top with chives or pea shoots and serve alongside your dressing of choice.
Extracted from The Healthy Skin Kitchen by Karen Fischer (Exisle Publishing), $37.99.
