My sweet friend Nicki of From Scratch Fast just came out with an amazing new cookbook called Build-a-Bowl, and she and her publisher were nice enough to send me a copy as a gift! I have really enjoyed flipping through the pages and planning out some meals—everything is gluten-free and super easy and delicious to prep and cook.

The chapter that caught my eye the most, though, was the fruit chapter—maybe it’s because fall is in full swing, but warm grain bowls with delicious fruit and nuts sound so amazing for breakfast right now! I had trouble picking just one to share, but finally decided on the banana bread bowl (next on my list are the apple crisp bowl and pumpkin pie rice pudding)!

Banana Bread Bowl, from Build-a-Bowl by Nicki Sizemore

Ingredients:

3 medium ripe bananas
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or virgin coconut oil, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 batch cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
Your choice of milk, as needed
Coarsely chopped toasted walnuts or pecans, for serving
Flaky sea salt, for serving

Instructions:

Using a fork, mash one of the bananas into a purée.
Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, for 1 minute. Scrape in the banana purée and coo, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. Slide in the rice and flaxseeds, and stir to combine. Pour in enough milk to loosen the mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Slice the remaining 2 bananas.
Spoon the warm grains into bowls. Top each bowl with a knob of butter, sliced bananas, toasted walnuts, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

I love these recipes because you can prep the grains ahead of time and then whip together everything when you’re ready to serve, which I especially enjoy for breakfast, when I’m not usually in the mood to cook a full meal. These banana bread bowls were seriously so good—I made a big batch of it so I can enjoy one every morning with my coffee for the rest of the week.