Vegan burrito bowls with lime rice and cilantro lime dressing
It’s a lime-a-licious week over here, friends. Lime-a-licious…does that work? While we were on vacation, we were gifted with some lovely Tahitian limes, and I’m still thinking about them. They were so perfectly squeezable, full of flavor, and just the right size. In an effort to convey just how luscious, tangy, and zesty they were in one word versus those three, I tried to play around with portmanteaus (which is a very fun word in itself, right?), but poorly. Lime on the mind connotes a brain full of slime, and ‘limey’ just feels like I’m poking fun at Brits— so lime-a-liscious it is.
This lime-rich dish is all I’ve been craving this week. While we were away, we cooked our own food, but it still felt like shortcut, vacation fare. It’s been a wonderful boon of being back to get back to fresh salads and bowls with some of our own garden produce. The lightness takes some sting out of jumping into the swamp of ‘getting back into things’.
I love to cook, but it’s summer, and it’s hot. Who doesn’t feel a little listless when it comes to cooking over heat? Even the idea of standing over an outdoor grill makes me wilt. Right now, I feel like I could eat burrito bowls like this one for days on end and be perfectly content. So simple, and made sumptuous with especial thanks to our own sun-ripened cherry tomatoes (is there anything more perfect?), garden green pepper, and a whole bunch of lime zing. You can enjoy again and again, incorporating festive variety with everything from different vegetables to specific cuts and sizes.
Speaking of our garden, it was a glorious jungle when we got home! We tend to think of vacations as a vehicle for personal transformation but don’t really consider the changes that may transpire at home while we’re away. Our modest beds are now a rich rainforest. Tomatoes hang from vines like shiny baubles, shedding a whole new light on the phrase ‘Christmas in July’.
Stretching this vine-like train of thought a little further, in speaking of transformations there is a small-big moment that I want to share. It will probably give you either a warm nod/smile or turn your stomach and cause some eye-roll, so depending on your frame of mind right now, maybe stop here. In Kauai, on the beach, I found myself people-watching a lot. To be honest, it was women-watching really, with the masochistic default of comparing myself with others. As often as I coach myself with mantras—comparison is the thief of joy, etc, I can’t help doing it. Can you? If yes, I’d love your tips!
Wistfully taking note of confident women and their beautiful bodies, I felt myself drowning in self-beratement over things I can’t control. I internally bemoaned how tabletop flat-chested I have always been, and chastised myself for softness and bulge that “shouldn’t” exist considering all my running, plant-rich-strictly low-sugar diet, and generally working out. And then, all of a sudden— I stopped. Instead, I looked around and for a brief moment saw other beachgoers only as these softly radiant souls, and I felt peacefully radiant alongside them. It was…nice. I hope I can hold onto that. I hope you get that, too, or even have that all the time. If you do, please cherish it.
But, back to dinner. What could be better in summer than simple and fresh salads and bowls? Transform them how you like. Enjoy them, be present in their flavors, and cut yourself some slack. xo
Vegan burrito bowls with lime rice and cilantro lime dressing
serves 4
*Let’s be honest, all you really need is the dressing and maybe the rice!
For the bowls:
1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained or seasoned)
1 bell pepper, any color
2 cups fresh sweet corn kernels, cooked
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4 good handfuls of leafy greens, chopped
1 small avocado
1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
1 recipe lime rice, below
1 recipe cilantro lime dressing, below
For the rice:
2 cups long grain brown rice
4 cups water or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Juice and zest of 1 small lime
For the dressing:
1 cup fresh cilantro
½ cup parsley
1 garlic clove
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons agave
pinch sea salt
¼ cup oil
Prepare the rice: I love first cooking in a rice cooker; or, add rice water/broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until water is absorbed, approximately 40 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in garlic powder, lime juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare the dressing: In a food processor, place the cilantro, parsley, garlic, lime juice, agave, and salt and pulse to combine. With the blade running, pour in the olive oil and process until smooth. Add a little chopped avocado if desired for creaminess.
Assemble the bowls: evenly divide the rice and vegetables in bowls and drizzle with dressing. Serve with lime wedges and fresh salsa.