raw veggie + ginger rice bowl w/ sriracha tahini / September 24, 2013 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

last week frank and i did a lot of birthday celebrating (as our birthdays are 3 days apart), so like any good pair we celebrated with dinners out and a good amount of birthday sweets. needless to say, my body was completely whacked out in reaction to my consumption of bits of gluten here and there, and sugary treats. frank and i both came to a quick conclusion that we needed to get back to our old routine of cooking at home, and not eating desserts almost every night. since the celebrations have ceased i have been consuming a fair amount of ginger to help calm and balance this body of mine.

with that in mind, i wanted to make a healthful and soothing dinner, and this rice bowl was just the thing to help do that. the rice was cooked with ginger to infuse some of that anti-inflammatory goodness, and loaded with raw veggies as to not let any of those good nutrients escape. the tahini sriracha was inspired by the flavors in this blog post, and by my friend who had us over the night and made a delicious and simple bok choy salad with toasted almonds and sesame oil dressing - yummo! i'm a big fan of veggie rice bowls, and this is similar to one i made awhile back, but here i used veggies that were a cinch to slice thin, making them easier to chew and digest. and i think by now you've learned that i love, love, love tahini! and spicy sriracha...with the tahini...mind. blown. if you're not so into the spicy factor, don't use the sriracha, the tahini will still be delicious.

here is to being mindful of what we put in our bodies - to healthful meals, and veggie-love!

raw veggie + ginger rice bowl w/ sriracha tahini

| serves 4 |

ingredients

for the rice bowl

1 cup black forbidden rice
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 bunch bok choy, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 large carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 large zucchini or 2 small zucchinis (i used 1 small zucchini and 1 small summer squash), ribboned, cut into matchsticks, or julienned with a peeler
1 bunch scallions (about 6), sliced thin
1 ripe avocado, sliced
2 tablespoons thai basil, chopped small
1/3 cup raw almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

for the sriracha tahini

| makes about 2/3 cup |

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon tahini paste
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (or more depending on how spicy you want it)
water to thin consistency

instructions

combine rice with ginger in a medium sized saucepan, cover with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. once water boils, stir once, cover and turn down heat to low. cook for 25-30 minutes. set aside
while rice is cooking make the sriracha tahini. in a medium sized bowl, combine tahini, sesame oil, rice vinegar and sriracha. one teaspoon at a time, thin sauce to desired consistency. set aside
in a large bowl, combine ginger-rice with the bok choy, carrots, zucchini, and scallions. serve and top with sliced avocado, basil, almonds and scallions
dress the bowl with a couple dollops of sriracha tahini and enjoy!

quinoa + black rice bowl / February 27, 2013 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

you're probably noticing that the ingredient list for this recipe is really long. you may be thinking that you don't have enough time to make it. but there isn't that much prep work, and all the sautéing doesn't take much time at all. all-in-all you'll be eating this rice bowl in a little over an hour. another awesome thing about this dish is that you can change the ingredients around, and still have the flavors marry well with the sauce.

the original recipe called for brown rice and red quinoa. however, i chose use black rice instead of brown, and regular quinoa instead of red. i chose black rice because while brown rice is good for you, black rice has a whole load of antioxidants that brown rice doesn't. plus, i think it looks prettier in the dish. i chose regular quinoa because it's all i had in the kitchen. i also chose to use swiss chard in place of kale. kale is everywhere this time of the season, i think it's the only thing that actually grows around here in the winter. i always try to use ingredients that are in season, but kale and i do not agree, hence, the chard. additionally, i could see spinach, bok choy, or dandelion, or beet greens as a substitute in this dish. i also added the toasted sesame seeds - in my humble opinion no salad is ever complete without some toasted nuts or seeds. plus, i thought they would play off nicely with the ingredients as well as add some crunch and nuttiness. lastly, i adjusted the sauce a bit. the recipe called for a 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice to a 1/4 cup tahini. after mixing the two i thought it was way too tart, so i cut the quantity of lemon juice in half. i would taste as you go, and adjust the sauce to your liking.

adapted from Gail Simmons for Food & Wine Magazine - March 2012

6 servings

:: for the bowl ::

1 cup black rice

1 cup quinoa

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, julienned

3/4 cup enoki, beech, and nameko mushrooms (or shiitake with caps thinly sliced)

1 small zucchini, julienned

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

fine grain sea salt

1 head of broccoli, de-stemmed and cut into small florets

4 large (or 8 small) swiss chard leaves, chopped

1 ripe avocado, sliced into chunks

1/2 cup mung bean sprouts

1 teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds

:: for the sauce ::

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 tablespoons warm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

:: directions ::

prepare a medium saucepan for the black rice. prepare rice according to the directions given on the packaging
prepare another medium saucepan for the quinoa. prepare quinoa according to the directions given on the packaging
in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on medium. once the pan is hot add the onion - cook until translucent (about 5-6 minutes)
add the carrot and cook for roughly 4 minutes - until they start to soften
add the mushrooms, cover and cook until tender - about 4 minutes
add the zucchini, season with salt (i used about 3 pinches). cook 3-5 minutes, until tender
transfer to a bowl

add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet. add the broccoli, cover and cook, stirring a few times, over medium heat. cook for 5 minutes
add the swiss chard, cook and stir a few times - about 4 minutes
season with salt and stir into the other vegetable mixture

// for the sauce //

in a small food processor (you can also whisk the ingredients together, i only use the food processor because i like it super smooth) combine the tahini, garlic, olive oil, water, lemon juice, red pepper, and salt. blend until combined and smooth

combine the quinoa and black rice in a large bowl - top with cooked vegetables
add the avocado, mung beans, and toasted sesame seeds
i wouldn't recommend adding the tahini sauce all at one, rather, use it for individual portions

:: enjoy ::