this comforting warm harvest grain bowl combines wild rice with hearty roasted vegetables, chickpeas and creamy feta cheese for a winter bowl you’ll come back to time & time again!

Okay so tell me, are you a “wait until the weather is warm until I eat salads” again type of person? Or do you generally eat them year round?

I tend to eat whatever happens to sound good in the moment (including salads & smoothies in the winter!), but there is something to be said about certain foods feeling better during certain seasons. I love ice cream year round, but there’s nothing quite like one on a warm summer day. And soups are always great, but there’s something particularly comforting about them on a snowy, cold winter day.

So while I regularly include salads made with crisp veggies in the winter, I also love a warm grain bowl when the weather really dips. It’s warming from the inside out and oh-so-satisfying.

Enter this warm harvest grain bowl. Wild rice combines with hearty roasted vegetables, chickpeas and creamy feta cheese for a mid-day meal or dinner that’s perfectly comforting.

If you’re not into chickpeas, it’s also delicious with some warm roasted chicken. And you can drizzle it with whatever vinaigrette you like. I personally like a balsamic, but a lemon herb would be amazing as well.

Better yet? If you prep some of the roasted veggies and the grains over the weekend, it takes just minutes to pull together. Store them in the fridge, then heat (re-crispping the veggies in the oven right before serving if you so desire!) and eat!

warm harvest grain bowl

Author: Cait
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 1 large grain bowl; 2 smaller grain bowls 1x
Category: lunch

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Description

this comforting warm harvest grain bowl combines wild rice with hearty roasted vegetables, chickpeas and creamy feta cheese for a winter bowl you’ll come back to time & time again!

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup wild rice (brown rice, farro or quinoa would also work well!)
1–2 handfuls kale, stems removed, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 cup roasted brussel sprouts halves (see recipe below)
1 cup roasted sweet potatoes cubes (see recipe below)
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained & rinsed (warm roasted chicken also goes well here)
1/4 – 1/3 cup feta cheese
2–3 tablespoons dried cranberries
1–2 tablespoons walnuts, roughly chopped
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Dressing of choice

Instructions

For the Roasted Veggies:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Halve brussel sprouts and peel sweet potato, cubing into 2 inch pieces
Drizzle parchment paper with olive oil (~2 tsp) then place prepared veggies in a single layer. Add another drizzle of olive oil, then toss to coat the veggies.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, as desired.
Roast for 20-30 minutes or until veggies are just fork tender.

For the Bowl:

While veggie cook, prepare grain of choice.
In a large bowl, layer wild rice, kale, roasted brussel sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas, feta cheese, dried cranberries and walnuts.
Sprinkle with salt & pepper as desired, then toss salad with dressing of choice and enjoy!

Notes

I like to cook my rice in the Instant Pot. To do so, I combine 1 cup wild rice with 1 cup cold water then, with the valve in the “sealed” position, I set to cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to naturally release pressure. Fluff with a fork, then serve.
You can choose to massage the kale (mix kale leaves with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and a pinch of salt, then massage with your hands for 3 minutes or until leaves are tender) or you can just chop small and toss well once the salad is dressed.

Keywords: lunch, vegetarian, grain bowl, kale, easy meal