After celebrating my birthday last weekend with cake, pie, quiche and then more cake, I was in the mood for something a little bit healthier this week. This vegan lunch bowl with black rice, broccoli, courgette ribbons and my own homemade, red cabbage sauerkraut did the trick. Lunch bowls should be fuss-free, so as long as you have a tangy element in there, i.e. something pickled, the rice and the vegetables can be swapped for any grains and green vegetables you fancy. In the end, they are all essentially just a vehicle for this delicious za’atar and tahini dressing. Za’atar is a Middle Eastern blend of wild oregano, sesame seeds, dried sumac berries and salt and, lucky for me, some close friends of mine who know how much I love cooking (and eating!) brought some of the stuff back with them from their recent trip to Israel. Mix it with tahini, a bit of lemon juice and salt – yes it really is that simple – and marvel at how it instantly jazzes up everything it’s drizzled across. 

Ingredients (for 2):

suggestions for the bowl:

75 g black rice

half a head of broccoli

1/2 courgette, in ribbons

a few spoonfuls of red sauerkraut

for the dressing:

4-6 tbsp white tahini

2 tsp za’atar (or more to taste)

a squeeze of lemon juice

pinch of salt

water

• Boil the rice according to instructions (30 minutes in case of black rice).
• Cut the broccoli in florets and the stalk in strips. Boil or steam until tender.
• Slice the courgette into thin ribbons and arrange everything in a bowl.

 

• Make the dressing. First add the lemon juice as this will make the tahini thicker. Then add little bits of water, all the while continuing to stir, to achieve your desired consistency.
• Add the za’atar and season to taste with salt.
• Spoon the dressing over the vegetables and finish off with any extras you fancy, such as black sesame seeds, chili flakes, toasted nuts or sea salt flakes.

Welcome to Cuisine d’Eli. My name is Elizabeth and I’m a personal chef, writer and photographer with a passion for sustainable food. I’m based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Contact me for more information and/or bookings.

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Welkom bij Cuisine d’Eli. Ik ben Elizabeth: duurzame kok aan huis, schijver en fotograaf. Meer weten? Neem gerust een kijkje op de rest van mijn website of neem contact met me op voor meer informatie.