Mexican Rice Bowl

Having recently embarked on a primarily plant based diet (we do eat seafood occasionally), it is a learning experience to come up with delicious new dishes that are not pasta based, or resemble a soup or chili which have been my plant based favorites in the past. I am working hard to incorporate grains and beans into our diet in place of meat and poultry and have found that in over a month and a half of this new eating adventure we do not miss meat at all. Since we are presently living in Italy, our meals tend towards Italian cuisine, but every once in a while I crave something Asian or Mexican. It can be challenging finding the ingredients for cuisines other than Italian here, so compromise is always necessary.

I recently decided I would make a vegetarian Mexican rice bowl, or a burrito bowl if you want to call it that. I used whole grain rice, black beans, red peppers, onions, and roasted diced sweet potatoes. Cilantro is not to be found anywhere, so I simply used parsley although cilantro would have added a little extra authenticity. I made my own guacamole, pico de gallo, and used a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt (I love Fage brand) in place of sour cream. With lots of seasoning, this dish was really tasty and I certainly would make it again. You could also serve the rice/bean/potato mixture in wraps if you wanted something different.

• Brown rice brown rice as an excellent source of manganese, fiber, and a good source of the minerals selenium and magnesium.
• Black beans are high in fiber and a good source of low fat protein.
• Sweet potatoes are true superstars. They’re loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.