Build-a-Bowl: 77 Satisfying & Nutritious Combos: Whole Grain + Vegetable + Protein + Sauce = Meal

by Nicki Sizemore

Build-a-Bowl is a fun and healthy way to put good food on the table! Popular food blogger and teacher Nicki Sizemore’s fuss-free method starts with a grain base, whether it’s a popular favorite such as brown rice or an ancient grain like farro. Add a layer of fresh vegetables and herbs, follow that with a lean protein, then finish it off with a flavorful sauce for a delectable super-powered meal. 

Sizemore’s 77 creative combinations range from the Chicken Sausage Meatballs Bowl to the Crispy Fish Taco Bowl and the vegan-friendly Double Broccoli Power Bowl. Suitable for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the beauty of the bowl is that every combination can be customized, making it a perfect solution for feeding everyone at the table with their favorites — happily and easily.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Health

489 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Selena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free e-copy of Build-a-bowl by Nicki Sizemore from NetGalley for my honest review.

First of all I am absolutely in love with this cookbook. Three weeks ago I hired a personal trainer and I train with her 3 days per week. I also am being very strict with what I am putting in my body. This is the perfect book for me and anyone who wants to eat healthy. The recipes are wonderful and easy for anyone to make. The book outlines how to create a healthy bowl with a grain, veggies, protein, sauce and a bit of crispy. I will be purchasing this book for my kitchen. My favorite recipe in the book was the Huevos Rancheros, hands down. Other likes were Vegetable & Quinoa Fry up with eggs, Greek Goodness Salad, Kale Cleanse Salad, Buddha Bowls and Chicken Burrito Bowls. Healthy, amazing, easy meals for anyone. Teaches you to use what you have.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"GRAINS + VEGETABLES + PROTEIN + SAUCE + GARNISH = SUPERPOWER MEAL!"

I absolutely love this healthy build-a-bowl concept! We have a new restaurant in town offering these exact types of meals, and since checking it out, I've recreated the idea at home by cooking bulk brown rice then adding whatever to it. However, in this cookbook, the author educates you on just about every edible whole grain on the planet and the options are literally endless!

Nicki Sizemore's goal with the Build-a-Bowl cookbook is to provide families with easy ways to make homemade, healthy, and delicious meals from breakfast to dinner every day of the week. With eternal combinations and various flavors and textures, this cookbook's 77 recipes are sure to have some winning ideas for everyone out there. While these meals are not designed to be super-quick in their preparation, Ms. Sizemore educates how to make select components in advance so that each meal can be prepared in under an hour. Dietary restrictions are taken into account: every recipe is naturally gluten-free as long as the home cook chooses to use a gluten-free grain (which are all labeled for educational purposes), there are numerous plant-based dishes and noted variations for vegetarians, and if you are on a grain-free diet, Ms. Sizemore suggests to just leave out the grain component or use your preferred substitute.

I am so happy to have been able to review this cookbook. I've been wanting to explore this meal concept more and now I have all the education and ideas I could possibly need. Thank you Nicki Sizemore!

Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader's copy (ARC) of Build-a-Bowl. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.
Source: NetGalley
Author: Nicki Sizemore
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Genres: Cooking, Food & Wine
Pub Date: September 4, 2018

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always loved the idea of the Buddha bowl, but mine always tend to be the same: brown rice, spinach, sweet potato, egg. Yawn! I don’t love cooking but I have a family to feed, so I cook dinner every night and I’m not creative with food, so I sometimes put dinner on the table that looks like what I ate as a child, even though I never loved that meat/vegetable/starch (boring) dinner.

This book is fantastic. It provides information about various grains, time-saving preparation tips, a basic “add-your-favorite” recipe for Buddha bowls, as well as explaining the importance of balancing flavors with texture (crunch) and sauces! This is like the missing piece of the puzzle that I so desperately needed! It feels positive and healthy.

Sadly, this is due back at the library. I will circle back after I make a few recipes. I do wish it had a picture for every recipe because they are beautiful and inspiring, without looking fake or unattainable. 4 stars for now.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the olden days, before I bought a music CD, I wanted at least one or two really good songs I loved and a few I liked enough listen to repeatedly. I purchase cookbooks the same way. This book is full of great, simple recipes that are easy to modify. There are at least 5 I know will be added to our regular meal rotation. I was even able to try a couple out right away with ingredients I already had..and they were yum!

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, versatile cookbook that inspired me to want to try all kinds of new bowl dishes. It's broken up into the following sections:

Build a Bowl Basics
How to cook all kinds of grains (including gluten free, with paleo alternatives)
Build a Bowl Meals:
Fruits
Eggs
Vegetables
Legumes
Chicken, Turkey & Pork
Beef & Lamb
Seafood

Vegan and vegetarian options are given, but tofu is pretty much the only substitution mentioned for all of the meat recipes, which would mean an excessive amount of tofu (I'm sure an experienced vegan or vegetarian could come up with more substitutions). That said, vegans and vegetarians are likely to still enjoy the recipes with substitutions.

I wish there were photos for every recipe, but the photos that are there are definitely beautiful and sell the recipes. I'd estimate there are photos for maybe 25% of the recipes at the most.

I especially loved the fruit section, which is full of great breakfast options like Banana Bread Bowl, Appple Crisp Bowl, Millet Muesli and Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding, among many others.

The author recommends that each savory bowl consist of a grain, a protein, a couple of veggies, a sauce and something for crunch. The breakfast/fruit bowls are similar, with crunches like toasted nuts on top and lots of spices and flavors.

I have not tried any of the recipes but they seem like they would work well and provide tasty dishes. Most are fairly easy with ingredients that you're likely to have on hand, although there are also lots of interesting new flavors and ingredients to try that sound like fun things to sample.

The author recommends cooking up batches of all different grains once a week and if you do this, it could be quite quick and easy to make many of the dishes. I also like that she recommends a wide variety of really healthy ancient grains, with lots of information about the taste, texture and nutritional benefits for each.

I received a temporary digital ARC to read for the purpose of this review. If this cookbook had a photo for every recipe, I'm pretty sure I'd spend the money to buy my own copy. As is, I may look for it in my library and try a few recipes before making that decision.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the concept of this book. As someone who works in Manhattan, a quick grab-n-go lunch is crucial for me. I want something healthy and quality, but with flavor. grain and salad bowls are a go-to for me but it's easy to rack up fat and calories. I love the idea that these can be made at home with a simple recipe:

whole grain + veggie + protein + sauce = meal.

And truly, it is that easy.

The book discusses which grains are best to build a delicious bowl, as well as tips and advice for choosing your grains. It goes further by discussing the different grain varieties and how to cook them. The recipes are full of fresh, healthy, whole ingredients.

One of my drawbacks was that I like to see images of every recipe. I know this isn't common, but I prefer to see what I'm making beforehand as it gives me a guide and sometimes things look better than they sound. The other is that a lot of the recipes require ingredients that I feel the average person doesn't keep on hand (pine nuts, fennel, sesame oil, burrata,, etc.)

Overall, great recipes and a great way to make a quick and nutritious lunch or dinner!

I received an early copy of Build-a-Bowl: 77 Satisfying Nutritious Combos: Whole Grain + Vegetable + Protein + Sauce = Meal from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Kris Rafferty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been cooking for forty years, so I scrolled past most of the beginning of this book, but I understand the value of detailing ingredients. Most people don't cook anymore. They buy prepackaged. This book shows a different way to prepare a meal that relies on wholesome ingredients combined in interesting ways. There is lots to like with this cookbook. Using standard ingredients (and not so standard - I loved all the cashew sauces) meat, seafood, veggie meals prepared in new and healthy ways. Her Asian Lettuce Wraps, Lamp Kabobs are to die for. And her sauces are mouthwatering. Five stars.

[Jesica DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bowls are the new plate and while there may be a few bowl themed cookbooks there is none quite so flavorful or with attention to texture as Nikki Sizemore’s Build-a-Bowl which I might insert the word “better” into the title because this really is the bees knees of bowl themed recipes and absolutely deliciously inspiring.

[Guylou (Two Dogs and a Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading cookbooks. First of all, I love cooking and secondly, I love discovering new ways to prepare delicious and nutritious meals. The past year or so, I often encountered meal-in-a-bowl types of recipes. I tried a few and love the concept. When I saw that Storey Publishing was offering an ARC of Build-a-Bowl: 77 Satisfying Nutritious Combos: Whole Grain + Vegetable + Protein + Sauce = Meal by Nicki Sizemore on NetGalley, I jumped on the opportunity to request it. The book is a fast read and it offers wonderful insights into the provenance and nutritional values of grains. Nicki also offers great tips on how to cook the numerous variety of grains listed in the book. The recipes are well detailed and easy to follow. She suggests great substitutions to change up the recipe or to make it vegetarian. There is something for everyone in this cookbook. I am planning to try a few recipes this weekend when I will have some time to prepare the grain portion. I am really looking forward to it!

Thank you NetGalley and Storey Publishing for this delicious ARC. Build-a-Bowl: 77 Satisfying Nutritious Combos: Whole Grain + Vegetable + Protein + Sauce = Meal by Nicki Sizemore will be available at your favourite bookstore on September 4th, 2018. This is a great book to have in your kitchen or to give as a gift.

[Dree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for providing me with an Adobe Digital Edition ARC of this book.
———
I requested this from NetGalley because I love Bibigo and miss Shop House--I love the make-your-own-bowl method of grabbing a fast lunch.

Sizemore explains her "use what you have" philosophy--which is my philosophy when cooking as well. Reading her intro chapter really helped me wrap my brain around how to make this work better for me than it currently does (I have a tendency to make soup or to have "leftover night" to use up all the leftovers in the fridge). Her method of using bowls is much more effective AND it makes it look like I've actually made dinner LOL. I am cooking for 2 active adults, a male college student (former varsity runner), and a male high school student (and XC/track runner). These boys eat a lot.

This cookbook is beautiful. There are lovely drawings and beautiful photos. There are descriptions of and explanations of the best ways to cook a variety of whole grains. There are photos of bowls put together, and there are photos of the ingredients together before preparation.

On to the recipes! Between using what I have and some food intolerances, I didn't make any of her recipes from A to Z. What I did:
• made the Cashew Cream from the "Peaches and Cream" recipe. I used oatmeal, cooked up some overripe apricots with pie spice, and added cashew cream. No sugar added! It was delicious.
• did burrito bowls with barley, based on her "Chicken Burrito Bowl" recipe. It was delicious, and all 4 of us had slightly different meals. My kids are not big on grains other than oatmeal and pasta, and one of them plowed right through his barley, yay.
• planned to make a ground beef bowl of some sort, but when I got out my new Bob's Red Mill bulgur, opted to make the bulgur/ground beef croquettes on the package, and then filled in with veggies etc around the croquettes. Unknowing kid ate his croquette (and bulgur!) without knowing there was grain in it. Yay!

I have purchased several additional types of grain, and look forward to trying the dal recipe (with white and not sweet potatoes, however), and I will try some of her bean combos in the fall. I use dry beans and it is now too hot to cook beans.

Review on Instagram, with pictures: https://www.instagram.com/p/BlT1sDJF0...

[Joanne Liddement · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very inspiring book which gives recipes to create healthy and substantial lunches, which can be served in a bowl, which is the trendy way of eating now.
The chapters cover, fruit, eggs,vegetable,legumes,chicken turkey, pork, beef, lamb and seafood. There are lots of colour pictures of the finished dish which is important to me as i like to see the finished result to compare with my own results.
I was pleased to see adaptions and variations for vegetarians which as most of the recipes are based around grains is easy to do. Every grain used, is given it's own page, with cooking instructions and whether you need to soak the grains, or not, which again is handy if you have not cooked these before.
I cooked the Cucumber Tabbouleh with Chickpeas & feta, and the finished result was a lovely summer salad dish and filling enough as a main dish. It was easy to make with ingredients which are easily accessible and cheap to make for those on a budget.
All in all this book is great to have on the recipe shelf, and don't be put of if you are vegetarian or vegan too, as the recipes are easily converted.
I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion #Build-a-bowl #NetGalley

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's better than a meal that is easy to put together, visually pleasing, healthy and allows for a quick clean
up? Build-A-Bowl Very nice!
I have to admit as a home cook that loves cookbooks I was a bit sceptical about a digital e-book cookbook. I received an advance readers copy of the book and was not disappointed at all. It has all the best features of a cookbook, great photos and directions that are simple to follow...It is informative with photographs to help familiarize the reader with the many types of grains that are used. Creating a meal in a bowl with all the nutrients needed along with wonderful flavours and textures is a winner in my kitchen and I am sure it would be in many homes.
I can certainly see myself coming back to this book again and again and I am already thinking of the different people in my circle who would enjoy a book like this. From the young ones who are just out on their own and learning to cook to the more seasoned, skilled cook looking for new ideas.

[Sheena Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite cookbooks!

I've cooked about half the recipes in the book and all have been fantastic and received rave reviews from my family.

- great info on new (to me) grains; most readily available at bigger super markets & bulk store
- tips for make-ahead to make assembling dinner quicker.
- nice variety of ingredients and flavours; ingredients are real food and for the most part accessible
- works well for picky eaters to customize/deconstruct bowls.
- it's easy to get the hang of swapping and mixing and matching the elements to create your own combos
- there are several steps and parts to each recipe (which may put some people off) but they are simply explained, and really not that hard or time consuming to complete.

My only (very small) complaint is that I wish there were photos for every recipe to help with the plating- there are photos of maybe a bit less than half the recipes.

[Jessie Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous looking food in this book! Love all the less common ingredients they include. Each of these less common ingredients has a page dedicated to it with multiple cooking methods and great descriptions about the history and use of the ingredient. Love the arrangement of the recipes. They are clearly laid out. Easy to follow directions. Very clear ingredients list. BUT Need pictures of each recipe in the page with the recipe. Only a few of the recipes have pictures next to them. Great descriptions of the recipes. Make your mouth water. But it needs more pictures next to the recipes. The pictures that are available are so amazing. They make me want to eat it!
I received a digital copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Michelle Mock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion and review.

I love the idea behind this cookbook; the recipes are healthy, they contain the essentials and is (for the most part) pretty easy to throw together. The author goes into detail on ingredients at the beginning in order to set the stage on how to shop for the healthy and wholesome items; and so that if you're not knowledgeable on what to look for and what to shop for, you will after some preliminary reading. I really love the layout of this book. It's packed with recipes but also beautifully laid out and designed without being superfluous.
I haven't made any of the recipes yet, but I certainly will be!

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very thorough as it explains in details what the different types of grains are and how to cook them (from basic rice to more obscure grains that we don't often hear about). The concept of the bowl meal is explained clearly and simply, with lots of nice photographs and illustrations.

The recipes are varied, ranging from sweet to fish. I want to try so many of them. I often get bored of eating the same stuff for breakfast, so I particularly liked the sweet recipes.

I think this is a book worth owning and I do want to get my own copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pictures of recipes? Yes.
Commentary on recipes? Some.
Nutrition facts? None.
Recipe Style? Bowls inspired by various cuisine types.
Any keepers? A few.

Some of these recipes can be very involved, with various components to cook before assembling your final bowl. If you're willing to put in the effort, many of these look delicious and healthy. There is also a lengthy section dedicated to cooking almost every kind of grain you could get your hands on, so this is a great resource for that.

[Critterbee❇ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, hands on, easy to follow guide to learning how to easily construct healthy, balanced bowls of food. Make ahead options are included, as well as a few variations. I liked many of the recipes, as well as the basic information provided that would enable the reader to start inventing custom, healthy dishes to their liking.


*eARC Netgalley*

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very informative. As someone who needs a visual guide I found this to have a good picture to recipe ratio. I really liked the options and how the directions were broken down into sections. This was nice, easy to follow, and actually had appetizing recipes! The only downside was no nutrition info.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very informative, it has information on grains and other ingredients and info and pictures on all the grains used in the book. The recipes look very delicious and the pictures are wonderful.
The downside is the cooking and prep times. Without batch cooking the grains each recipe seems to take at least 30 minutes with some exceptions.
Thanks to netgalley for letting me read this.

[Ashley Nikole · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely cookbook. I appreciated how she went into explaining to her readers the different base's, so that we could mix and match and create a bunch of different recipes, by knowing what to do for the base of a bowl! While I haven't tried any of the recipe's yet, there were so many that I would LOVE to whip up and enjoy. There was great diversity among the recipes.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not the book for me but very interesting for someone who is into that type of thing. At the beginning of the book it goes into detail about different grains and what not for the bowls. Some of the recipes can be very intensive, a lot goes into making something like this. I liked the idea of the book but many of the ingredients for the bowls are not ones that I would go for.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited when I heard this author on a podcast. Then I actually picked up the book. The majority of the grains are unavailable in our smaller city and aren’t budget friendly. Many recipes take 45 min or longer. Disappointing since our family loves build your own style meals that satisfy both pickier kids and adults.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring! Attainable recipes that lend well to expansion, adjustment, and creativity. The introductory basics chapter and the chapter on grain types and how to prep them are both super helpful. Lots of photos and the pages are aesthetically pleasing - which is always a big plus for me when choosing a new cookbook to add to my collection. Another fantastic title from Storey Publishing!

[Eileen Breseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book, healthful easy to make recipes, my new go-to. Begins with discussion of grains, moves to the make ahead parts for time saving (pre cooked grains, doubling dressing sauces ), and addresses versatility in ingredients to top it.
Bonus points for making the book cover of a washable plastic coating.

[Bookworm Between the Sheets · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am obsessed with being able to Build-A-Bowl type meals. Especially with three young kids these types of meals are fundamentally essential in our weekly meals. I enjoyed the diverse meals along with the simplicity of ingredients to put some of them together.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, healthy cookbook that offers a lot of options and gives you the basics on how to build a bowl. I would have liked to have seen a whole chapter devoted to sauces, but they are mixed in with each recipe.

[BookBec · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish the recipes had all followed the grain + veg + protein + sauce formula. I'm on the lookout especially for sauce recipes to use in similar bowls. But while many recipes used the title formula, many others didn't. The sauce might be a marinade or salad dressing or some other integrated part of the dish, rather than a topping.
Overall, the recipes looked tasty, just not exactly what I was looking for.

[soulstar · Rating 4 out of 5]

On my list of books to buy...

I haven't actually finished "reading" this... but I have gathered some information and recipes. I know that I need to own this instead of constantly checking it out from the library...

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love bowls and love this book! Great recipes, and great instructions for how to prepare fresh and how to prepare for future meals. Also gives a lot of great information about different grains to use. A great variety of meal ideas! I will use lots of recipes out of this book. Highly recommended!

*I received this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!