10-Minute Turmeric Grain Bowls for a Healthy Meal on the Road

This post is sponsored by Maya Kaimal Foods

It can be challenging to eat healthy on a road trip, especially when you travel to remote areas with little-to-no options except for your typical fast-food restaurants and gas station snacks.

When Michael and I first started dating and we were hitting the road nearly every weekend to explore someplace new in California, we eventually got tired of eating gas-station chips & sodas and were craving something a little more healthy & filling on our travels. 

We wanted food that would fuel us and help us to feel full of energy when we got to the trailhead or the climbing area we were headed to for the weekend, but we also needed something that didn’t take a long time to make either since we still wanted to make good driving time on the road.

That’s when we discovered grain bowls.

Grain bowls can be warm or cold and are easily prepped in advanced for easy assembly on the road. Plus, if you pair it with an easy-to-cook rice like the Maya Kaimal Surekha Rice Packets then you can quickly put together a warm, healthy meal on the go in less than 10 minutes.

Seriously, less than 10 minutes. It’s that easy.

And just in case you were wondering (because I know I was 😉), Surekha is pronounced “sir-RAY-ka.”

In this post, I’m going to share with you one of my favorite combinations for a quick DIY grain bowl that can be quickly put together on the road whenever you pull over for a quick rest stop during your road trip.

This recipe is now a staple for Michael and I on our van travels, and I hope you’ll love it too.

10-MINUTE TURMERIC GRAIN BOWLS

One of my favorite combinations of grain bowls is pairing some fresh veggies with one of the Maya Kaimal Foods portable Surekha Rice Packets.

In this recipe, I’m going to show you how we like to throw together a quick grain bowl using the Maya Kaimal Turmeric & Cumin Surekha Rice packets , plus a little tofu, some veggies, and some hummus for a super-easy, and healthy roadside meal.

Having something warm to eat just makes it feel all that fancier, but the Maya Kaimal packets take the fuss out of cooking on the go. 

WHY WE LOVE THE MAYA KAIMAL SUREKHA RICE PACKETS

We’ve always been a big fan of Maya Kaimal Food products because of their focus on wholesome, healthy ingredients, easy grab-and-go packaging (perfect for camping and backpacking), and their products are full of rich flavor.

Here are some of the reason we love their Surekha rice packets.

• They are easy to grab-and-go and don’t take longer than 5-7 minutes to heat up.

• This Surekha rice is organically grown in South India and is closer in nutritional value to brown rice than white rice.

• I’m a big fan of turmeric rice but making it from scratch is a bit messy and time-consuming. I love that I can get my turmeric rice fix in easily with these grab-and-go packages.

• They’re great for not only road trips, but also camping and backpacking trips.

• And like with all Maya Kaimal Food products, you can feel really great eating them because:  they’re Non-GMO, USDA certified organic, Kosher certified, gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

• Oh, and when you look at the ingredient list on the back of any of Maya Kaimal Foods products, there are no surprises. Don’t you just love that?

EQUIPMENT TO PACK

You’re going to need to throw a few items into your car for this, but if you’re already headed out for a camping or hiking trip, you might already have most of these items packed up anyways.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1) A Small portable stove or backpacking stove + fuel – To keep things simple I typically just pack up my small 1-liter backpacking stove and fuel canister to heat up the rice packets when we stop for a lunch break. However, any camp stove set-up will do.

2) Eating Utensils – You’ll want a bowl for each person, and some spoons or forks to eat with.

And that’s pretty much it.

You can prep your veggies ahead of time if you want to make it super simple. Otherwise, throw a cutting board and a knife in there too for some quick chops on some veggies while the rice is cooking.

You’ll also likely want to pack a cooler to keep your veggies in, but again, this is typically something you’ll already have for a road trip anyways.

RECIPE - TUMERIC GRAIN BOWLS

So, let’s dive into this super-easy, but delicious recipe. We’ve listed out all the ingredients and steps needed below, and we’ve also created this fun recipe video below for the grain bowls, so be sure to check it out.

Serving Size: Serves 2 people

Prep & Cook Time: About 10 minutes total

 Ingredients:

1. 1 packet of Maya Kaimal Turmeric & Cumin Surekha Rice (or opt for the Perfectly Plain Surekha Rice Packet)
2. 1 package of tofu (or other protein of choice)
3. Some greens (in our recipe we used chard, but spinach or any green here is fine)
4. 1 avocado
5. A few radishes (sliced)
6. Crunchy chickpeas (or other kind of nut, its just nice to have something with texture)
7. Hummus
8. Lemon

Other Variations:

Honestly, you can mix and match these grain bowls in all kinds of ways. Sometimes I like to look at what I have leftover in my fridge from the week before and use that stuff up.

Here are some other items I enjoy putting in my grain bowls: edamame, cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, beets, snap peas... the options are limitless. That’s why grain bowls are so fun!

I also like to top them with different sauces as well from time to time like: tahini, or some kind of creamy jalapeno dressing. There are so many great variations.

Directions:

Start by getting your Maya Kaimal Surekha Rice packets cooking. So, turn on your little backpacking stove and dump the rice into the stove. Add about a tablespoon of water in with it to help it cook.

Again, the rice shouldn’t take longer than 5-7 minutes to heat up, so while the rice is doing its thing (stirring occasionally of course), start to assemble your veggies and sauces for the grain bowls.

If you’ve already done your veggie prep in advance, then this part is easy. I just like to get everything out and ready to dump into the bowls once the rice is cooked through.

When the rice is ready, dish it up into your two bowls and then start adding in the veggies and tofu. I like to put my rice on one side and my leafy greens on the other. Then I put my radishes, avocado, and tofu on top.

Top with a dollop of hummus and a squeeze of lemon, and add some of those crispy chickpeas to the top for a nice crunchy texture to the whole bowl.

Then enjoy!

The whole cook/prep time should really take no more than 10 minutes, and you’ll be eating a healthy meal and back on the road in no time.

Bye, bye gas station junk food.

We hope you love these grain bowls and the Maya Kaimal Surekha Rice Packets just as much as we do. Be sure to let us know in the comments below if you get the chance to try them!

For More Maya Kaimal Inspired Recipes for Camping & Backpacking, be sure to check out these posts: 

• 9 Easy & Delicious 5-Ingredient (Or Less!) One-Pot Camping Meals

• Insanely Delicious Vegan Backpacking Food with Maya Kaimal’s Everyday Dals

• Easy One-Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Tacos

• Camp Cooking Comfort Food: One-Pot Sweet Potato Goan Coconut Turkey Soup

• Backpacking Recipe: Everyday Chana with Surekha Rice and Cashews

Cheers,

Allison - She Dreams of Alpine

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