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Coconut Roasted Lentil Nourish Bowl with Tahini Sambal Sauce

Recipe starts at 09:22

A hearty and creamy nourish bowl that you can load with your favourite toppings. Fresh, crisp, wholesome, delicious.

▸ ▹ Vegan, nut-free, gluten-free

Yield: 3 - 4 servings Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 30 min Total Time: 45 min

1½ cups (275 g) dry brown rice, soaked overnight*

1 can (400 mL) light coconut milk

6 cardamom pods, cracked (optional)

1 vegetable boullion cube

1 head broccoli

1 red onion

2 parsnips (or sub for carrots)

1 can (1½ cup / 270 g) cooked brown lentils

1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

1 tsp (4 g) ground cumin

1 tsp (4 g) garlic powder

1 tsp (4 g) onion powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp fresh ground pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

⅓ cup (85 mL) tahini

¼ cup (60 mL) water

1 Tbsp (15 mL) sambal oelek (or other hot sauce)

½ lime, juiced

2 tsp (10 mL) sodium-reduced soy sauce

2 tsp (10 mL) agave syrup

½ tsp onion powder

Fresh carrot ribbons

Red bell pepper, diced

Fresh cilantro

Toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

To medium pot on high heat, combine the rice, coconut milk, cardamom pods, and crush the bouillon cube over the rice. Stir, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff the rice, remove the cardamom pods and leave covered for now.
While the rice is cooking, pre-heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut the broccoli, parsnips and red onion into bite-sized pieces. Spread the veggies over a parchment lined baking tray, along with the lentils, and toss together with the oil, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Bake for 10 minutes, stop to give it a stir, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
While the veggies are baking, prepare the sauce by combining the tahini, water, sambal, lime juice, soy sauce, agave syrup, and onion powder in a mason jar. Shake or stir to combine into a smooth sauce.
To assemble: layer some rice on the bottom of your dish. Top with a generous heap of roasted vegetables and lentils. Add some fresh cut up veggies of your choosing, sprinkle on some roasted almonds and some fresh cilantro. Drizzle the tahini sambal sauce on top and enjoy!

* If unable to soak the rice overnight, cook according to the package instructions, as more water will need to be needed to cook the rice in. Keep in mind we are also cooking the rice in coconut milk, so subtract this from the amount of water the package says to add in.
Storage: store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the sauce separately until you are read to eat.
Variations: try the bowl with other root vegetables, like turnip, sweet potatoes or beets. Try with roasted chickpeas instead of lentils. The options are endless!