Nourish Bowls: Simple and Nutritious Balanced Meals in a Bowl

A matter-of-fact voice and nuts-and-bolts attitude combine to lend a sort of “Bowl Foods for Dummies” feel to this entry in the burgeoning bowl foods category, which outlines building blocks that will point any budding enthusiast in the right direction. “Nourish” refers to the holistic aspect of bowl eating, invoking the all-in-one feeding of body and soul. Sensible suggested percentages of base starch, protein, vegetable, and condiments increase chances of a happy result, putting helpful structure on the basically endless customization. Three sections include breakfast, light, and hearty bowls, with preparations ranging from super-simple buckwheat noodles, tofu, and green beans to coconut dal with homemade paneer—still fairly straightforward, but a step well beyond the usual. Indian, East Asian, and Middle Eastern flavors crop up in many preparations, and the book’s U.K. origin is revealed in some of the more unfamiliar-to-Americans ingredients such as smoked haddock, “corno” roast peppers, and nutrient-boosting powdered lucuma (one of the Andean “superfoods” that’s recently achieved wider popularity), but all can be swapped out as necessary for reasons of taste, simplification, or availability. This lushly photographed volume is a good choice for beginners. (Mar.)