Eating the Rainbow: Salmon Soba Veggie Bowl
In the summer months, it’s all about “eating the rainbow” of vibrant colours of reds, greens, orange, purples and whites/browns.
If you have young kiddos, you’ll know they can be very fussy about food, especially with green vegetables. We all remember when our parents told us to “eat your vegetables and be strong like Popeye the Sailor.” Well, if you believe in karma, then karma does come around.
Once loved by Lady Yeya, she now avoids peas, green beans, courgettes. Basically anything “green” except avocado. Now I am the one telling my own child that she needs to eat more vegetables. I try to incorporate as many fruits and vegetables as I can in our daily diet, buying seasonal fruit and vegetables and subscribing to a regular vegetable box. I especially love it when all the colours of the rainbow come together in a nourishing and satisfying “superfood” bowl. Plus Lady Yeya is fascinated by rainbows which make eating vegetables more fun.
To celebrate the “unofficial” end of summer, I made a tasty miso-glazed salmon soba “rainbow” vegetable bowl for a super healthy Sunday supper. The main source of protein is salmon, an easy and versatile fish packed with omega-3s. For the carbohydrates, I used soba, which is a Japanese buckwheat noodle, but you can also use traditional Japanese ramen. Then it’s all about the fresh vegetables.
“Rainbow” Vegetable Bowl
- Greens: Green-colour fruits and vegetables are packed in lutein, vitamin K, antioxidants and folates, essential for blonde and bone health. In this veggie bowl, green vegetables include mixed salad, avocado, edamame, cucumber and a medley of herbs such as coriander and mint to draw out the Japanese flavoured salmon.
- Reds: The main antioxidant giving red fruits their colour is lycopene. Here I use some red bell peppers and red radishes for a pop of colour, flavour and texture.
- Oranges: Beta-carotene gives orange vegetables their distinct vibrant colour which converts to vitamin A to keep our eyes healthy and regulate hormones. I added some julienned carrots for colour and a crunchy texture.
- Whites: Anthoxanthins are the pigments that create white or cream coloured vegetables such as mushrooms, bananas, and turnips. To complement my Asian-inspired rainbow bowl, I added some bean sprouts. This delicate vegetable is also a good source of nutrients.
Then I assembled the rainbow assortment of vegetables in a bowl together with the soba noodles and a serving of baked salmon. Add some toasted sesame seeds, scallions and a splash of ponzu sauce for a light and healthy dinner.
Eating the rainbow and eating healthy isn’t hard when it is fun and tasty for the whole family. A win-win for everyone.
Salmon Soba “Rainbow” Bowl
Ingredients
Baked Miso-Glazed Salmon
- 850 g side of salmon skin on
- 5 tbsp miso paste
- 2 tbsp brown sugar or honey
- 1.5 tbsp sake
- 1.5 tbsp mirin Japanese sweet rice wine
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- Toasted sesame seeds to garnish
- Finely sliced scallions to garnish
Soba Noodle
- 400 g soba noodles cooked according to instructions
“Rainbow” Vegetables
- 1 large carrot peeled and julienned
- 1 small cucumber peeled and julienned
- 1 medium red bell pepper julienned
- 1 large avocado sliced
- 50 g mixed green salad
- 100 g frozen edamame beans cooked and cooled
- Handful of red radishes thinly sliced
- Handful of fresh coriander roughly chopped
- Handful of fresh mint roughly chopped
- Handful of bean sprouts
Instructions
- Mix the marinade ingredients (miso paste, brown sugar, sake, mirin, and sesame oil) together in a bowl.
- On a large baking tray, lay salmon skin side down on a cling wrap. Slather the marinade on the salmon on both sides. Carefully cling wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425F/218C. Line the baking tray with foil (make sure the foil is large enough to loosely wrap the salmon). Remove the salmon from the cling wrap and place it skindown on the foil wrap. Wrap the salmon with foil wrap. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
- In the meantime, cook the soba noodles according to instructions.
- Prepare the vegetables.
- Assemble the vegetables and soba noodle in a large bowl into 4 portions and add a portion of baked salmon on top. To garnish, add toasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallion.
