Corn and Pinto Brown Rice Bowl Recipe

Brown rice bowl with corn, pinto beans, avocado, red bell pepper, and chipotle dressing

Corn and Pinto Brown Rice Bowl Recipe

This corn and pinto brown rice bowl is topped with a creamy chipotle sunflower seed dressing. A balanced vegan meal perfect for meal prep.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings serves

Calories 893kcal

Ingredients

2 ears corn about 300 g or 2 cups kernels, kernels removed
1 2/3 cups cooked pinto beans 280 g, drained
3 medium green onions 45 g, sliced
2 medium avocados 300 g, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper 130 g, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil 15 ml
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 g
1 teaspoon ground coriander 2 g
1 teaspoon lime zest 2 g
1 clove garlic 5 g, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt 3 g
4 cups cooked long-grain brown rice 500 g

Creamy Chipotle Dressing

1 cup raw sunflower seeds 130 g, soaked 8 hours
4 tablespoons olive oil 60 ml
2 tablespoons lime juice 30 ml
1/2 cup canned chipotle in adobo 130 g
1/2 cup water 120 ml, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons brown sugar or maple syrup 9 g
2 cloves garlic 10 g, peeled and lightly crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin 4 g
2 teaspoons ground coriander 4 g
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika 3 g
1 teaspoon salt 6 g, more to taste

Instructions

Prep the dressing:

Rinse the sunflower seeds and soak in water in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight. Once soaked, rinse several times (this will help remove some of skin on the seeds).
Combine drained sunflower seeds with lime juice, 4 tbsp/60ml olive oil, and 1/2 cup/120ml fresh water in a blender.
Puree on high speed until very smooth.
Add in chipotles, brown sugar, garlic, 2 tsp/4g cumin, 2 tsp/4g coriander, 1 1/2 tsp/3g smoked paprika, and 1 tsp/6g salt.
Puree until smooth. Add more water to reach desired consistency.
Dressing can be made and stored for up to 1 week in the fridge. For an even creamier dressing, add oat or soy milk in place of ½ cup/120ml water.
Left thick, dressing can be used as a dip for vegetables and chips (or even taquitos) or a spread in sandwiches and wraps. Thin with water to drizzle on salads and grain bowls, fajitas, or other proteins.

Rice bowl:

Remove the kernels from the corn cobs. Thinly slice the green onions and separate into dark green portions (reserve for garnish) and white and light green portions. Mince 1 clove garlic.
In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp/15ml olive oil over medium-high.
Once hot, add corn, beans, and white and light green portions of the green onions. Cook for 1 minute, stirring to distribute the heat for a quick sear.
Add 1/2 tsp/1g cumin, minced garlic, 1 tsp/2g coriander, 1 tsp/2g lime zest, and 1/2 tsp/3g salt.
Cook for 7 minutes, stirring regularly, until the beans are heated and the corn is fully cooked.
Wash and slice the bell pepper into thin strips. Slice the avocado.

Assemble:

For each bowl, top 1 cup/125g cooked brown rice with a quarter of the bean and corn mixture, a quarter of the sliced bell pepper, and 1/2 an avocado.
Drizzle 2-3 tbsp/30-45ml dressing over the top and garnish with dark portion of reserved green onions.
For best flavour, serve while rice and corn mixture are still warm.
To prepare in advance, portion out the rice and corn mixture in their own container to be reheated. Have sliced red pepper and green onions on the side. Avoid cutting avocado until ready to eat. For easier transport, have half a cut avocado sliced, but still in the peel and tightly wrap it in plastic wrap. It will go slightly brown, but not as much as if left open.
Rice and corn mixture can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Notes

Texture/taste Notes: A healthy and hearty brown rice bowl with lightly seasoned corn and pinto beans along side refreshing sweet peppers and avocado, all topped with a creamy chipotle sauce. The easy grain bowl with lots of fiber and a complete complement of protein is great for meal prep or lunches (recipe serves 4). The creamy dressing is nut free, based on more wallet friendly raw sunflower seeds with spicy and smoky canned chipotles in adobo and other spices. A thick sauce that can be thinned into a dressing or used as a dip for all kinds of foods.

Corn: Frozen and defrosted corn can be substituted for the fresh corn.

Nutrition