Autumn Rice Bowl with Lentils & Creamy Apple Cider Vinaigrette

This vegetarian rice bowl is packed with all of your favorite seasonal flavors and then pulled together with the creamiest cinnamon-spiced apple cider dressing. Switch out the ingredients based on what you love and have on hand to make it easy.

this recipe

It was only a matter of time before I shared my favorite grain bowl! I am not exaggerating when I say I would eat some version of this for lunch 75% of the time if I could. The other 25% would be leftovers, of course.

Grain bowls are such a rockstar meal for so many reasons: they’re satisfying and nutritionally balanced if you follow my formula, a great way to use odds and ends from the fridge, highlights seasonal produce, and present so beautifully. What’s not to love?

Here are the ingredients you need to make this one.

Ingredients

• Brown rice. Any grain will work, but I love fluffy, slightly chewy brown rice in this particular bowl.
• Pre-cooked, French lentils. I’m a huge fan of the refrigerated steamed lentils from Trader Joe’s because you can eat them straight out of the package and the flavor is spot-on. If you don’t have access to a TJ’s, look for the canned version in the grocery store or online. Lentils are also an extremely nutritious plant protein!
• Spring mix. For ease of eating, I like to roughly chop it up. Charred kale or wilted spinach would also work great.
• Butternut squash. To keep it easy: I used frozen and microwaved, then tossed with olive oil, cinnamon salt & pepper. If you have time to roast one over the weekend that’s even better!
• Apple, thinly sliced. Any sweet, crunchy variety works. I used a SweeTango.
• Purple cabbage. An underrated ingredient yet so beautiful and vibrant, plus it adds an extra punch of nutrition (it’s a cruciferous vegetable).
• Pecans. For crunch, and heart-healthy fats.
• Dried cherries. My go-to dried fruit, for a touch of sweetness.
• Bleu cheese. If you don’t like bleu, swap it out for feta, parmesan or even extra-sharp cheddar. Bleu cheese pairs really well with the cherries and apples. I love using big flavor cheeses in small amounts.

The nice thing about bowls, is once you have everything prepped, it’s basically an assembly line. Start with the rice, lentils and greens as your base, then add the toppings per your personal preference. Using a shallow bowl really helps with the presentation because you can see everything.

Creamy Spiced Maple Dressing

Let’s talk about this dressing for a minute. It is SO GOOD you guys.

When I started dreaming up this bowl, I knew I wanted a creamy dressing that involved seasonal flavors like apple, maple and cinnamon. Tahini is a great way to make dressings creamy while bringing a deep, nutty flavor to the mix.

Pro tip: when you’re making a creamy dressing, use the stick blender and large mouth mason jar to get everything fully incorporated. It works really well and is easier to clean than a food processor or blender.

The key to getting the perfect, pourable consistency is to blend all of the ingredients and then gradually add in hot water (adding a bit, blending, tasting… adding a bit more, blending again). I ended up using 1/2 cup of water.

Drizzle the dressing over the top of the bowl to finish. If you’re anything like me, once you get the photo you’ll immediately mix everything up to get it all coated.

Dig in!

You might also like:

• The Formula for a Seriously Satisfying Grain Bowl
• Summer Farro Salad with Green Tahini
• Maple Tahini Snack Balls

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