Black Rice, Roasted Rutabaga and Sweet Potato Bowl

Salads tend to be a go to lunch for me but they can't be a wimpy lettuce and cucumber salad. Oh no, they must be PACKED with a variety of veggies and they require texture. That's why I love buddha bowls.  They're not wimpy salads, but are packed with feel good ingredients and contain both cooked and raw foods. Perfect balance of yin and yang :).

This recipe is great for either summer or winter because of the balance of cooked and raw foods. Salads in Chinese Medicine are generally not eaten because they have a tendency to hinder digestion. However, mixing of the raw ingredients with more warming ingredients found in the cooked veggies, provides this meal with a nice balance. It also makes a great family dinner, I've actually even made it for guests as the main course with some appetizers, including sweet potato fritters and zaalouk and it was a hit. Mind you, these were good friends with a similar palate to ours, but we all loved it :).  This is probably a bi-weekly family dinner for us as a family as well. I make the kids favourite veggies and they really enjoy these bowls especially given they love the black rice.  I will generally play around with the veggies, with whatever I have on hand, but in this recipe, I use sweet potatoes, onion and rutabaga. You likely all know what sweet potatoes and onions are, but may not be familiar with rutabaga. This is a root vegetable that's a cross between a turnip and a cabbage and is categorized into the cruciferous veggie category, making it a great detox veggie.  They're sometimes confused with turnips, however they're different as rutabagas become sweet when roasted while turnips have more of a peppery taste.

All crucifers veggies are high in antioxidants including, rutabagas. They contain high amounts of vitamin C. One cup contains 53% of the daily recommended value, making the rutabaga rich in antioxidants and immune boosting functions, protecting cells from free radical damage. They are rich in immune boosting beta-carotene and are also an excellent source of potassium and manganese (for energy),. They contain fibre, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, all essential for strong and healthy bones. So if you haven't tried them, give them a try - they really do taste quite delicious.

The recipe also features my quick and go to salad dressing recipe. It's simple to whip together and tastes great each and every time.

Hope you're able to give this a try and I would love to hear from you.

xx

Lara

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Black Rice, Roasted Rutabaga and Sweet Potato Bowl

Yield: 4

Author: Lara

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Simple, vibrant whole foods plant-based recipes.

Ingredients

• Black Rice
• 1 cup of black rice
• 1 3/4 cups of water
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (or to your liking)
• Roasted Veggies
• 5 cups of cubed rutabaga (approx. 1 medium cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
• 5 cups of cubed sweet potato (approx. 1 medium cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
• 5 cups of white onion sliced or cubed (approx. 1 medium cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp rosemary powder
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• Salad
• 1 beet spitalized
• 1 medium cucumber spiralized
• 4 cups of mixed greens
• 1 cup of mixed micro greens
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas
• Dressing
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic crushed
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Black Rice
2. Place rice, water and salt in medium sized pot on high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and allow it to simmer covered for 30 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and rice is fluffy. The rice should be cooked through (not crunchy) but also not mushy.
3. Roasted Veggies
4. Preheat oven to roast setting at 325 and place baking sheet in the oven to warm it up. Place veggies and all remaining ingredients into a large bowl and toss around until ingredients are covered with the herbs and oil.
5. Spread the mixture evenly onto the heated sheet, and roast for 20-30 minutes until the vegetables have softened and have cooked through.
6. Salad
7. Evenly place all ingredients into four large salad bowls. Place 1/2 cup of the cooked black rice and and 1/2 cup of roasted veggies. You may have rice and veggies left over.
8. Dressing
9. Place in a jar and shake vigorously and pour over the salad.

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