Whole Grain Abundance Bowl with Garlic-Ginger Pumpkin Seed Sauce
Looking for a meal that’s nourishing, comes together in under an hour, and can be made in one pot? This protein-packed, fiber-rich whole grain abundance bowl checks all of the boxes. Whether you’re looking to try out a new good-for-you recipe, a perfect post-workout recovery meal, or you’re just not a fan of cleaning up a bunch of dirty dishes after you cook, this healthy dish by holistic nutritionist Sarah Britton is for you.
Whole Grain Abundance Bowl Recipe
Serves up to 6. Freeze the leftovers for a quick and easy meal.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup brown rice
1/3 cup green lentils
1/4-1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 head of broccoli
1 medium sweet potato (leave the skin on if it’s organic)
2 cups shredded red cabbage
Juice of half a lemon or lime
A drizzle of cold-pressed olive oil
Directions:
Combine rice and lentils in a medium bowl. Cover with water and rinse well, rubbing grains and legumes together. Drain and continue rinsing until the water is clear. Cover with water again and soak overnight or for up to 8 hours, if possible. Drain and rinse.
Place the rice and lentils in a medium saucepan, plus 1 1⁄2 cups water if soaked (add 2 cups water if un-soaked) and sea salt, and don’t stir. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook covered until water has been absorbed and rice and lentils are cooked through (about 30-45 minutes depending on if you soaked the grain or not).
While the rice and lentils are cooking, chop the broccoli into florets and the sweet potato into bite-sized cubes. About ten minutes before the grains have fully cooked, add the sweet potato. (Note: Check the water level in the saucepan before adding veggies — if it’s dry, add a little more liquid.) After five minutes, add the broccoli on top of the sweet potato.
While the rice and lentils are cooking, you can also blend together the sauce (see recipe below) and prepare the cabbage. Shred the cabbage using a mandoline slicer or sharp knife. Toss with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and some salt. Massage lightly and season to taste.
To assemble the bowl, simply spoon in the cooked rice and lentils with the steamed veggies, add the cabbage on the side, and pour the sauce over. Give thanks for the abundance and enjoy.
Tips:
If you have time, soak the rice and beans beforehand to remove extra starch and impurities.
Cook the rice and lentils together in one pot to save yourself from doing extra dishes, then use the steam from both to cook your vegetables. Simply place your vegetables to steam on top after about 35 minutes of the rice and beans cooking, or when there is about an inch or inch and a half of water left on the bottom.
Make extra for leftovers, as this dish saves beautifully.
Massage the lime juice and olive oil into your cabbage to break down the cellulose of the plant. This will make it softer and easier to chew and digest, as well as help infuse it with flavor
Garlic-Ginger Pumpkin Seed Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup / 150g pumpkin seeds
1 - 3 cloves garlic, as desired
A knob of fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
3/4-1 cup /175- 250 ml water
3/4 tsp. fine grain sea salt
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste
Directions:
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast pumpkin seeds, stirring every so often until they begin to pop. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a food processor, pulse to mince garlic and ginger. Add cooled pumpkin seeds and blend on high until sand-textured. Add remaining ingredients (start with 3/4 cup water) and blend, scraping down the sides periodically. Add remaining water as needed to suit your desired consistency. Season to taste. Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Tips:
This recipe makes a lot of sauce, but since it keeps for 5-6 days, it’s a wonderful thing to have on hand to dress salads, roasted veggies, and cooked whole grains. You can easily halve the recipe if you know you won’t eat it all before it spoils.
You can also make a raw version of this sauce. To do so, soak the pumpkin seeds for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse well. Skip step 1 in the instructions and carry on with the others. Enjoy!
Recipe Courtesy of Sarah Britton
Sarah Britton (BFA, CNP) is a Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Nutritional Practitioner. Following her philosophy of “making healthy choices every day”, she has been creating recipes for her readers all over the world since 2007.
Winner of the 2014 Saveur “Best Food Blog – Special Diets Blog” Awards, Sarah currently teaches cooking classes, runs workshops on detoxification and cleansing, food as medicine, and nutrition fundamentals. She creates exclusive menu plans and recipes for various media and gives lectures and speaks in public forums such as TEDx.
