simple grilled sweet potato + black bean burrito bowls (with spicy cumin garlic drizzle)

Today’s post is another episode of “things we actually eat all the time.” I was stumped last week on what to share here and was about thisclose to throwing my hands up again when I remembered that whole overarching ethos thing about cooking seasonally with accessible ingredients/methods so that we can all be a bit healthier and happier. That’s the thing that I love and this bowl is something that we eat weekly, in one form or another. When a dish repeats and cravings/excitement are detectable, it’s time to share, no matter how simple it is. I even started a new category here for this sorta dish called “everyday eats.” I’m excited to share more of those meals that are thrown together with pantry stock and seasonal bits, but still have an overall vibe of wellness and vibrance too. Hope you can feel me on this.

We’ve been spending most of the hours outdoors, sometimes for fun and most often times working on something or other. There have been going away parties, roller coasters, funnel cakes (oy), birthdays, hangry pizza lunches after visits to the “natural regeneration” portion of the dump, big and half-dead cedar hedges ripped out with my badass mum, deck planning, smoke alarms in the middle of the night (to choruses of “FUCK, COME OOOON”), talks on creating, long walks after dinner, chats about a lot of upcoming projects (one of which will have me getting my bake on in a serious way–yesssss), tons of iced coffee, thunderstorms, and a decent handful of major career-shifting questions. Just lots of sweat, laughs and growth I guess. And we still haven’t been to the drive-in, a baseball game, Algonquin or the beach yet. Maaaan, summer though.

So when the season is full and the meals are needed in a more relaxed sort of way (but still have to be mega-nourishing), this burrito bowl works out pretty nicely. If you’re even a little bit like me, this is all pantry stuff for you: sweet potatoes, canned black beans, herbs, brown rice, spices, chilies, citrus… It’s just a little blend, boil and grill away from yummy supper on the porch/balcony/kitchen counter with a cold beer (or iced tea!) in your favourite cut-offs. Hope you’re all eating well, loving each other, and adventuring often out there. Big hugs and some fist bumps for everyday good eatin’. xoxo

simple grilled sweet potato black bean burrito bowls with spicy cumin garlic drizzle
serves: 4
additional gear: 4-5 pre soaked wooden skewers
notes: The cumin garlic drizzle serves as a protective coating for the sweet potatoes and peppers as they grill, but also as a light sauce too, so just make sure you reserve enough for serving at the end. You could make these up with any and all types of of salsa, various cheeses, extra lime wedges, sour cream (dairy or non-dairy based), some fresh corn etc etc. Burritos are personal preference driven (duh that’s why they’re so awesome), so this bowl is no different.

spicy cumin garlic drizzle:
1 small jalapeño, seeded
1 clove of garlic, peeled
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
juice of 2 limes a little bit of zest
1 tbsp agave nectar/other liquid sweetener
salt pepper
1/4 cup neutral tasting oil (I used avocado)
big splash of water

bowls:
1 medium-large sweet potato, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 cups cooked black beans
1/4 cup small diced red onion
big handful fresh cilantro leaves, divided
2 red bell peppers, stems/seeds removed
cooked brown rice
1 ripe avocado

In an upright blender, combine all of the ingredients for the spicy cumin garlic drizzle. Blend on high until you have a smooth, liquid-y mixture. Check for seasoning, adjust, and set aside.

Put your pot of rice on if you haven’t got any on hand. Place the cut sweet potatoes in another medium saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the sweet potatoes to a boil over medium heat and simmer until a knife just goes through when you try to prick one, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, toss the black beans with a hearty pour of the spicy cumin garlic drizzle, the diced red onions and almost all of the cilantro. Season them with salt and pepper, toss once more, and set aside.

Preheat your grill to high. Skewer the sweet potatoes onto the bamboo sticks, making sure you don’t weigh them down too heavily. Place skewers on a dinner plate along with the pieces of red bell pepper. Pour some of the spicy cumin garlic drizzle on top and lightly toss everything to coat. Grill sweet potatoes and red peppers until char marks appear and vegetables have softened slightly, about 10-12 minutes total. Remove from the grill and cut peppers into bite-sized pieces if you like.

Portion the rice into 4 bowls. Divide the black beans among the bowls. Top rice and beans with grilled sweet potatoes, red peppers and extra cilantro leaves. Pit and peel the avocado, and then dice into chunks on top of the bowls. Finish all of the bowls with extra spicy cumin garlic drizzle and some more salt and pepper. Serve warm.

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