The recipe for a delicious bowl is as follows: whole grain, cooked veggies, raw crunchy veggies, protein, sauce, toppings (herbs, nuts, cheese). For this one we’re making a super simple tahini dressing and using our fennel orange salsa for a sweet, crunchy bite. Get creative with your toppings!
Ingredient Highlight
Tahini! Is a Middle Eastern condiment made from ground sesame seeds, so it has all of the same benefits as sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are high in lignans, which are powerful antioxidants. They are also rich in fiber, monounsaturated fats, B vitamins, copper, magnesium, iron, zinc, and calcium.
If your tahini is very bitter, it’s likely gone bad or isn’t good quality. Soom is my favorite brand and totally worth the purchase!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 4 cups leftover roasted veggies
- 2 cups cooked protein or top with a fried egg or two
- ½ cup fresh herbs
For the fennel orange salsa*:
- 1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, halved lengthwise, cored, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
- 2-3 oranges, peeled, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
For the tahini dressing**:
- ½ cup tahini this brand is the best!
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- *Don’t want to make the fennel orange salsa? Skip the orange and just fennel or make an easy cabbage slaw. Prep any crunchy veg as a salsa or slaw OR just pickled some red onions!
- **This is a super simple lemony tahini dressing, but you could sub your favorite sauce or dressing (Hello Spicy Curry Peanut Sauce!). For a Soy Garlic version, substitute lemon with rice vinegar, skip the salt and add 2 tbsp soy sauce.
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the fennel, orange, cilantro (if using), lime, and salt. Transfer to a container to keep in the fridge for other meals.
- In that same bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, lemon, garlic (if using), and salt until smooth. Add more water if too thick. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Warm up grains, roasted veggies, and protein in the microwave or on the stovetop until warm.
- Divide between your bowls (about ½ cup rice, 1 cup veg, ½ cup protein) and top with a scoop of salsa.
- Drizzle the dressing all over the bowl and top with fresh herbs..
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make fennel orange salsa
- Make tahini dressing
Substitutions:
- If you don’t like fennel, use celery, radish, or apple.
- Use any fruit in place of the orange (apple, pear, pomegranate)
- Protein could be fried egg, beans, shredded chicken, meatballs, chopped up burger.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Salsa: up to 6 days in the fridge
- Rice: up to 5 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer
- Roasted veggies: up to 5 days in the fridge
- Tahini dressing: up to 5 days in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Turn any grain bowl into a salad by adding fresh greens and loosening up the sauce with some water and lemon to turn into a dressing.
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