I don't know about you, but after eating all. the. things during the holidays, my body is always craving some real tasty, whole, nutritious foods. I love winter veggies, but sometimes it can be hard to find a way to cook them in a new and fresh way.
Enter this winter grain bowl. AKA: your new go-to winter meal. I cooked this for Will and me on Christmas Eve and it was like a warm hug for my insides. It's packed with hearty veggies, so much flavor, wild rice blend, and a delicious balsamic dressing. Top it all off with some pistachios, dried cherries, and goat cheese and holy yum. It's just too good. I originally found this on Pinch of Yum and I did a few teaks to it to add my on twist.
The recipe really is so simple and easy, you chop everything up and throw it all together to make a big bowl of deliciousness. The most time consuming part is peeling and chopping the beets and sweet potatoes. I recommend doing this ahead of time to save some minutes on the day-of!
BONUS: this also makes great leftovers for lunch the next day!
Add this to your meal plan for this week and let me know what you think!
HEARTY WINTER GRAIN BOWL WITH BALSAMIC DRESSING
INGREDIENTS
- 3 large red beets, peeled & cubed
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- olive oil and salt for roasting
- 1 cup wild rice, uncooked
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 8–10 cups of shredded kale
- 3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 3/4 cup pistachios
BALSAMIC DRESSING
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional but deliciously creamy)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss beets and sweet potatoes in with the paprika, garlic powder and a little bit of olive oil and salt. Spread on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Place the shredded kale in the bowl you had the sweet potatoes & beets in and massage it with your hands (this will make it less firm). Toss it around to coat in the extra olive oil and seasoning in the bowl. When there are 5 minutes left on your roasting timer, place the kale on top of the beets & sweet potatoes to roast slightly.
- Cook wild rice according the package directions.
- In a blender or food processor, blend dressing ingredients together until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine beets, sweet potatoes, wild rice, and dried cherries. Toss with a little bit of dressing.
- To serve, scoop the pre-made wild rice salad onto a pile of kale. Top with goat cheese, pistachios, and extra dressing.
*recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum