Balanced Bowls

Why tahini dressing and what is it? Tahini is a Middle Eastern food which in its most basic form is sesame seeds ground into a paste. When the paste is thinned by lemon, vinegar or other liquid it forms the popular Tahini Sauce. When asked what type of paste or food can I most compare to tahini I would say, Sunflower Seed Butter.

Tahini Sauce is high in protein and sugar free which fit well into the paleo, low glycemic, gluten-free, vegetarain and vegan diets. Below is the nutrition information for 2 tbsp of tahini paste:

Balanced Bowls

Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free
Serves: 2

Bowl Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice (will yield 2 cups cooked rice)
• 1 small head broccolini
• 2 cups baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 ear corn on the cob, cut the kernels off with a serrated knife
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/4 red onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 2 cups small purple and red skin potatoes

Bowl Instructions:

1. Thoroughly wash the potatoes and place into a 3 quart pot with water and boil for 15-18 minutes, until fork tender
2. Cook rice according to package instructions
3. While the rice and potatoes cook add 2 tbsp water, avocado oil or olive oil to a large non stick pan and heat to medium.
4. Add the red onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccolini and corn to the pan
5. Lightly steam/saute the vegetables while keeping them separated and cover with a lid for 3-4 minutes to lightly cook
6. Uncover the pan and set aside to begin assembling the bowls
7. Fluff rice with a fork and divide the rice between two bowls
8. Cut the potatoes in half
9. Top with warm vegetables and red pepper sauce — Recipe Below

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp tahini
• 3 tbsp hot water
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 chili powder

Sauce Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place red pepper on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes
2. Let pepper cool and remove the skin and cut open to remove the stem and seeds
3. Combine the cool pepper with the remaining ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.