Hola, chicas! Today, I woke up and was filled with gratitude. I experienced a deep sense of appreciation wash over me, for this wonderful world we live in.

And then…I woke up again to my mother telling me I overslept.

Whoops!

Anyways - I decided to give a lil’ back to my community anyway. Now, how exactly will I do this? Aha! Well, by sharing my personal favourite (lazy!) girl dinner with you, of course!

Behold…my renowned rice bowl recipe. Eternally customisable to fit whatever cravings you’ve got, I can guarantee that you will literally end up licking the bowl. Or plate. You should probably eat it in a bowl, though.

Either way, let’s dive right into it!

Ingredients:

My mother likes to say that I jest too much. I like to blame it on my dad. Then my sister joins in, and we’ll all sit around until it gets close to 8PM. My mother will then inquire “Right…what’s for dinner? I’m worn out. I don’t want to cook.”

Being the dutiful daughter I am, I immediately go to prepare my incredibly easy meal with ingredients that you most likely already have. And if you don’t, well, I think you need a trip to the supermarket because that right there, my friend, is not healthy.

RICE BOWL CONTENTS:

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  Protein

  
  


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  Salad

  
  


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  Rice (duh)
  
  PROTEIN:

  
  

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  You can use a wide variety of foods for your protein. The most common one is meat. You can use lamb (or keema), beef (I personally, like pulled), chicken, or even fish. But if you’re a vegetarian, on a diet, have a medical condition, or just don’t feel like eating meat, you can substitute with tofu, beans (refried or chana), or even scrambled eggs. You do you - but protein is incredibly important for your body, so I suggest you find something you enjoy.

  
  

SALAD:

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  Look, I know this is controversial, but I simply LOVE salads. Why? Because they’re perfect for whatever I feel like eating. You can put an endless variety of ingredients in your salads. My younger sister used to despise salads, but now, she’s actually okay with them. Why? Because she found out how to make something she actually enjoys eating 

  
  

Thus, some things you can use as the base of your salad include lettuce, spinach leaves or any kind of salad leaves. Alternatively, you can also put cucumbers, which I like to chop up into coins or medallions (Let’s not beat around the bush - basically just circles). Really, any fruit or vegetable you’re good with eating, cram it straight in there.

I’m going to share with you my classic recipe for a lettuce, cucumber, and avocado creamy salad. It may sound a bit off, but I promise you, it’s absolutely heavenly. Just remember: the key is in the sauce.

You can prepare any kind of salad you like, of course. There are a ton of recipes on the internet. Just search up (insert fruit or veggie) salad recipe quick and easy, and you’ll get 1000+ results. I genuinely love Google.

Anyways!

THE INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALAD:

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  Lettuce leaves 

  
  


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  Eighth of a red onion

  
  


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  1-2 cucumbers

  
  


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  Avocado
  
  * All of these amounts are determined by the serving size and what you have on hand.
  
  THE INGREDIENTS FOR THE DRESSING/SAUCE:

  
  

* keep in mind that this can be also used on rice and/or protein!

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  Mayo

  
  


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  Ketchup (very little) (optional)

  
  


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  Mild hot sauce

  
  


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  Seasonings (I’ll explain my mix)

  
  


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  Lemon juice

  
  


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  Oil (any kind)

  
  

MY PERSONAL SEASONING MIX:

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  My personal favourite seasoning mix is fairly simple. It consists of:

  
  




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  Paprika (my favourite!)

  
  


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  Salt

  
  


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  Pepper (very little though, I’m not too fond of pepper)

  
  


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  Everything But the Bagel seasoning (this can be substituted with onion and garlic powder, which can be substituted with raw garlic.)

  
  

METHOD FOR THE SALAD:

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  Wash your lettuce. Dry. Tear into tiny pieces (not that tiny though) and put in your salad bowl.

  
  


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  Slice your cucumbers into coins (circles). Wash and pat dry. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle salt to drain the moisture. Leave for a bit and then drain it. Dump in.

  
  


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  Dice your avocado into chunks. You can use as much as you’d like. Dump in.

  
  


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  Cut up a quarter or an eighth of an onion (depending on the serving size) into thin slices and add it to the bowl.

  
  


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  Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

  
  

METHOD FOR THE DRESSING/SAUCE:

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  Combine mayo and mild hot sauce. Use a 1:2.5/3 ratio for the hot sauce:mayo. 

  
  


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  Add your seasonings.

  
  


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  Stir thoroughly. Add a bit of oil. Not much. It helps to thin the sauce and add volume. So…more sauce. Can you tell I’m not a chef? (probably)

  
  


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  Add your lemon juice. If you add too much (taste it as you go) adjust it with a SMALL amount of ketchup. Don’t overload - trust me.

  
  


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  Mix thoroughly and store in the refrigerator until you need it. Spill over the salad and your rice bowl.

  
  

METHOD FOR THE RICE:

Now, I’m no expert in prepping rice, especially as I’m not too sure what kind of rice you’re using,

So - take this super-easy step by step guide from Food Network (trusted source. Better than me, at least!)

https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/articles/how-to-make-perfect-rice-a-step-by-step-guide

METHOD FOR THE PROTEIN:

You can prep your protein, again, in any way you like (see how customisable this is?) but I’m going to walk you through an easy method that you can use to prepare chicken or tofu.

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  Chop the red peppers and onions. Slice the peppers lengthwise and chop the onions finely.

  
  


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  Saute in a pan with a little oil. I like to use sunflower oil or olive oil. You can even use avocado oil if you have it. (If you ask me, all oils work wonderfully)

  
  


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  Cook your chicken in the same pan after the onions become transparent and start to caramelise.

  
  


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  When it’s done, make sure your rice is ready. Serve hot.
  
  Avengers assemble your bowl!
  
  Dish out the rice (don’t overload…you can take another helping! Make sure to only consume what your body can handle!) and then spoon your protein over it. Get your salad out and place it directly over the rice. If you want (it’s extra) sprinkle a bit of grated cheese over the top. It’ll melt on the hot protein, which’ll be really delish. Last part - my personal favourite - dump the sauce. I swear that it’s so, so good.

  
  

Mix - if desired - and eat up! It’s filling, delicious, and nutritious. The ideal lazy girl dinner that comes together in less than 30 minutes.

Enjoy, loves <33

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go prepare some dinner…bye!

Written by Sara Rowan.
Edited by Marlee Potter.
Proofread by Sara Rowan.