5 Great Grain Bowls

If you've spent any time at health-conscious restaurants recently, you've probably noticed the uptick in menus featuring grains as mains. No longer relegated to the side dishes section, rice, oh-so-popular quinoa and other grain varieties provide the perfect canvas for a medley of colorful vegetables, proteins and sauces. To come up with some tasty grain bowls of our own, we looked to the globe to reference an assortment of international flavors. They're perfect for lunch, dinner or even a savory breakfast.

Every grain bowl should have a successful balance of crunchiness, creaminess and bold flavor. In this Mexican-inspired bowl, the crunchy tortilla chips and roasted pepitas are nicely complemented by avocado cream and hearty quinoa. Make a big batch of quinoa and keep portions frozen in resealable bags for up to 1 month; thaw and reheat as needed. Having a whole-grain arsenal in your freezer will help cut down on prep time.

It's hard to choose our favorite part of this Indian-inspired rice bowl. Is it the earthy roasted cauliflower, the fresh and tangy green chutney or the crunchy potato sticks? Fortunately, we don't have to choose — they all work together quite perfectly in this balanced bowl. To cut down on your prep time later, cook batches of brown rice, freeze portions in resealable bags for up to 1 month, then thaw and reheat as needed.

A grain bowl and a classic French bistro salad probably don't seem like a natural fit, but we love the way the egg yolk and garlicky tomato-pepper sauce coat the barley in this hearty dish. We prefer to use hulled barley, because it has slightly more fiber and toothsome bite than its more refined cousin, pearled barley. But feel free to use pearled; the cooking time will be less. For quicker lunch or dinner prep, cook bulk batches of barley, freeze portions in airtight bags for up to 1 month, then just thaw and reheat.