Our Mediterranean rice bowl is easy to put together, healthy and filling. The perfect on-the-go lunch!
Taking inspiration from the ‘buddha bowl’ concept, this Mediterranean bowl recipe combines fluffy brown rice with olives, feta, rocket, cucumber and tomatoes, all drizzled with a sweet tangy tahini sauce and served alongside rich creamy hummus.
Served cold, this is one of the best rice salads for summer for any health conscious individual. Plus, it’s also a great lunch option if you are trying to lose weight!
Need a meal in minutes? Try a Mediterranean rice bowl!
We know that lots of our readers are busy people, so we’ve made sure this is a super easy dish to whip up – it can be ready in just 15 minutes.
However, that doesn’t mean we have compromised on overall healthiness!
One serving of our Mediterranean rice bowl contains 525 calories, 16g protein, 9g fibre, a quarter of your daily calcium requirements and almost a quarter of your daily iron intake (for a 2000 calorie/day diet).
Wow!
Wholegrain on the brain
The base of any ‘buddha bowl’ is usually a grain. It is very common to use rice, which is what we used in our smoked tofu and hummus buddha bowl, and what we have also chosen for our Mediterranean grain bowl.
But what are grains exactly? Grains are the edible seeds of certain types of grasses. They are a vital source of carbohydrates in diets all over the world.
You have probably come across the term ‘wholegrain’ before, particularly when talking about healthy eating. Ever wondered what it means? Like, is there a half-grain out there then?
Let us explain! When you buy any grain, it will either be ‘refined’ or ‘wholegrain’. You are probably used to eating refined grains, like white rice.
These grains have been ‘milled’, a process which removes their ‘bran’, a protective outer layer, and ‘germ’, the core of the grain, where lots of nutrients are stored.
Milling grains improves their shelf life, but gets rid of some of the important nutrients stored in the bran and germ.
‘Wholegrain’ means that the grain has not been milled, so they still have their bran and germ when you eat them. Wholegrain foods have much greater nutritional value than refined foods, as all their fibre, iron and b-vitamins remain intact.
That’s why in our Mediterranean rice salad, we use brown rice, which is wholegrain.
Mediterranean Rice Bowl
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Ingredients
Rice
- ½ cup brown rice
Tahini sauce
- 1.5 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
Bowl
- 10 black or green olives (pitted)
- 3 oz low fat feta cheese (crumbled)
- 1 handful arugula (rocket)
- 1 small persian cucumber (sliced)
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup hummus (can be store bought)
Instructions
Rice
-
Cook the brown rice according to package instructions.½ cup brown rice
Tahini Sauce
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To make the tahini sauce, mix in a small bowl the tahini, lemon juice, honey, onion powder, salt, and water.1.5 tbsp tahini, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp salt, 2 tbsp water
Bowl
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Plate the grain bowl with the brown rice as a base (doesn’t have to be warm) and top with hummus, olives, crumbled feta cheese, arugula, sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Enjoy with a lot of tahini sauce.½ cup hummus, 10 black or green olives, 3 oz low fat feta cheese, 1 handful arugula, 1 small persian cucumber, 10 cherry tomatoes
