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Green rice packs dishes with color, variety, nutrition

Delicious. Colorful. Satisfying. What’s not to love about Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Bowls? (Lorie Hutson)

Here’s a delicious way to pack a quick dinner full of vitamins and flavor – try green rice.

Green rice (arroz verde) is a traditional Mexican dish, but I had never made it at home. These Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Bowls caught my eye while I was scrolling for supper inspiration among Pinterest food porn.

It can be hard to make a burrito bowl look great, but this dinner has the benefit of tricolor appeal – green rice and avocados, orange sweet potatoes and black beans. The photo and recipe were originally posted on CookieandKate.com, which turned out to be another nice discovery. The author features vegetarian dishes and drool-inducing photos galore on her site.

The long ingredient list looks intimidating, but dinner comes together without too much trouble. It will appeal to vegans, vegetarians and anyone who must steer clear of gluten. If you’d like to add some meat, consider shredded chicken or pork. Or, try roasting some shrimp with garlic and smoked paprika to throw on top of each dish before serving.

Don’t fuss too much over the sweet potatoes. Use the yellow flesh roots labeled “sweet potatoes” at the store if you like those. If you prefer the orange flesh of yams, go for those instead. They’re all sweet potatoes. Just be careful to check them during roasting so they don’t turn into mush.

And don’t skip the toasted pepitas. They add a nice crunchy texture to the final dish. Find pepitas in the bulk section of many area grocery stores.

Adapt the recipe for the heat tolerance level of your family or guests. It reheats nicely for lunches or leftovers.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Bowls

Adapted from CookieandKate.com.

For the green rice:

1 1/2 cup baby spinach, lightly packed

1/2 cup cilantro

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium shallot, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice

3 cups vegetable stock

For the sweet potatoes:

2 pounds sweet potatoes (3 to 4 medium sweet potatoes), peeled and sliced into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the seasoned black beans:

2 (14 ounce) cands black beans, undrained

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon lime juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)

1 avocado, pitted and sliced

Cilantro

Salsa verde

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet and one smaller baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Puree the spinach, cilantro, jalapeño, shallot, garlic, salt and ½ cup of the vegetable stock in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until shimmering. Add the rice and stir to coat. Spread the rice in an even layer on the bottom of the pot and let the rice lightly brown. Continue to stir until most of the rice has browned. Add the spinach purée into the rice. Stir until the rice is evenly coated and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for a minute. Add the remaining vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pot. Cook the rice on a very low simmer until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

While the rice cooks, toss the sweet potatoes in the olive oil, smoked paprika and salt until the sweet potatoes are evenly coated in oil. Arrange in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, turning over halfway, until the sweet potatoes are tender and caramelizing at the edges.

Combine black beans, cumin and chili powder and warm gently over medium heat.

When the rice is done cooking, remove the pot from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes.

To toast the pepitas, toss the seeds with ¼ teaspoon olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Spread the seeds out on the small baking sheet and toast in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes. They’ll turn golden brown and begin to make popping noises when they are done.

Fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt to taste. Remove beans from heat, stir in the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble, add green rice, then use a slotted spoon or fork to transfer beans to the bowls. Top with sweet potatoes and add a few slices of avocado. Sprinkle with toasted pepitas and cilantro. Serve with salsa verde.

Yield: 4 servings