Simple and Healthy Vegetarian Rice Bowl

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This Simple and Healthy Vegetarian Rice Bowl is just what you need to for a healthy, but also hearty grain bowl. You can use any grains you choose, but for this one I used a Wild Rice Medley, making it a gluten-free option. I also did this with the recent Gluten-Free Grain Bowl I made using oat groats. If you prefer, you can always use millet, farro, brown rice, or other whole grain of choice. Not only is this dish so good, but it also comes together really fast. It is all made and ready to go in about 30 minutes.

Cooking The Grains

I start by cooking my whole grains- rice in this case. They generally take the longest, so I want to get them going quickly. One valuable lesson I learned working in restaurants was deciding what to cook at what time. It was all about things coming out at the same time. As this is a savory bowl, you can either cook the grains in water or even vegetable stock. Of course, beef and chicken stocks are an option as well, just know it won't be vegetarian if you do. I used Organics Wild Rice Mix. It is a great blend of wild rice and basmati brown rice.

Roasting The Vegetables.

Next, while the rice is cooking, let's start our roasted veggies. You can use any veggies you like. I generally prefer root veggies and squash for mine as they are such a natural partner to whole grains. I also added turnips this time, it is a food I don't always use, but am using them for a challenge on Instagram. Truthfully, I don't care for them much! So, I used the turnips, butternut squash, onions, and brussel sprouts.

Cut them to size. Drizzle with a touch of olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. For roasting, I generally like the vegetables to speak for themselves, so I used minimal seasonings.

At the last minute, I decided to do a little Asian-style twist on this bowl. I sautéed some baby bok choy. If you have never done it, it is simple. I cut the bok choy right down the middle, lengthwise. Rinse is well. Then in a heated pan, add a little olive oil, and garlic. Saute for just a minute, then add the bok choy, face down. Sprinkle with salt, and let it cook like this for a minute or 2. Then add in a tablespoon or 2 of water, cover, and steam. Give it another 2 minutes covered. That is it! Done.

The Dressing

I went with a thick spicy peanut butter dressing to top this. It was a really good idea and so yummy. It is simple to make as well. It uses a few simple ingredients you probably have on hand already:

• Peanut butter
• Rice vinegar
• soy sauce
• sriracha sauce
• garlic
• ginger
• sugar or honey
• sesame oil

The Finished Simple and Healthy Vegetarian Rice Bowl

The rice and roasted vegetables should be done about the same time. To give this dish a little crunch, I also sliced some cabbage very thin and added peanuts. It was all so good together. The rice was perfectly done, veggies tender, cabbage crispy, peanuts crunchy, and the peanut dressing creamy and a little spicy. This is something we can get into!

More Options

The great thing about bowl like this is everything is a variable. I mean everything. Let's say you aren't feeling like rice, switch it out for another grain. Looking for different veggies? Use whatever you like! Maybe a different dressing? The sky is the limit.

If you decided on the peanut dressing, trust me when I say, don't go light. It is so good and lends itself well to everything in this salad. Go for it!!