Sweet Potato-Brown Rice Bowl

This is one of those meals that comes together effortlessly with a bit of prep and is so simple that it’s hard to call it a recipe. The ingredients are flexible, too. You can use any winter squash in place of the sweet potato—starchy vegetables play nicely with all of the ingredients used here. You can also use any grain in place of the brown rice. I’ve tried it with millet and quinoa and haven’t been disappointed.
By / Photography By | October 30, 2015

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 2 Serving(s)
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 chopped sweet potato, roasted
  • ¼ to ½ cup pecans, lightly toasted
  • 1 handful of coconut flakes, lightly toasted
  • 2-3 handfuls of spinach (arugula would be nice, too)
  • salt to taste
  • cinnamon
  • onion powder
TAHINI DRESSING
  • ½ cup tahini
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Chop sweet potato into desired size, toss with ½ tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch or two of sea salt, a dash of cinnamon, and about ¼ teaspoon of onion powder. Place the sweet potatoes on a parchmentlined baking tray and roast for 30-35 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Dry toast your pecans and coconut flakes over low heat in a pan for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until fragrant. Once they are done, remove them from the skillet and warm a very small glug of olive oil over medium heat to wilt the spinach.

When the spinach is nearly wilted to your liking, add the sweet potatoes to the skillet and stir to combine. Serve the sweet potato/ spinach mixture over brown rice and top with pecans, coconut, and tahini dressing. Note: you can toss the sweet potato-spinach mixture with a drizzle or two of the tahini dressing before serving over brown rice. Or just serve on the side so that you can add as you please. (This dish would be a delicious bed for grilled chicken also.)

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 2 Serving(s)
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 chopped sweet potato, roasted
  • ¼ to ½ cup pecans, lightly toasted
  • 1 handful of coconut flakes, lightly toasted
  • 2-3 handfuls of spinach (arugula would be nice, too)
  • salt to taste
  • cinnamon
  • onion powder
TAHINI DRESSING
  • ½ cup tahini
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • salt and ground black pepper, to taste
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