Red Beans and Cauliflower Rice Bowls

Mardi Gras is next week and while I was going to share these Red Beans and Cauliflower Rice Bowls with you next week for Meatless Monday I decided to post it this week since I know many people shop at the end of the week or the weekend for the next week. Also for those that batch cook or prep for the week posting it next Monday might be too last minute. Even though my thought for posting it last minute is that it’s a quick and simple dinner option perfect for one of those last minute pull together meals.

There are so many reasons why I love these bowls, or bowls like this one in general. They are quick, delicious, and healthy! Perfect for weeknights, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Easily customizable with small tweaks so the whole family gets something they like without a lot of extra work.

While I was sitting there with another bowl, which will probably be the one I post next week since I already posted on Instagram last month and was asked about it, I got to thinking about the colors. While I was making some turmeric cauliflower rice, instead of my usual roasted turmeric cauliflower, with the bright yellow color and thinking about the purple sweet potato bowl, which usually contains avocado, I was like Mardi Gras colors! A traditional dish is red beans and rice so why not to Red Beans and Cauliflower Rice. Just taking a couple favorites, put them together, and poof a perfect quick dish perfect for Mari Gras. I just love colorful whole foods, they make me smile.

Now to making the bowl in less than 20 minutes, I bet I could even do it in 15. The only thing that takes time is the sweet potatoes, the rest is less than 10 minutes. You can either bake the sweet potatoes ahead of time, they take about 30 minutes for the small purple sweet potatoes tops. Bake them while you’re food prepping for the week, if you are like me and don’t really prep you can throw them in the oven while you get ready for work, take a shower, the night before, so they are ready for you. Instead of using dried beans used canned, which is what I usually do during the week unless I know ahead to prep them which usually I don’t unless it’s taco/nacho night or the weekend. Cauliflower rice takes minutes to chop in a food processor and while that is what I use to do it’s at Trader Joe’s and even in Costco (yeah and super cheap for 2 bags) I go that route as it’s not much money and takes up less space in the fridge if I know I’ll be making cauliflower rice out of it. So you sauté your cauliflower, cook and mash your beans, and assemble your bowls, simple as that!

While this dish is vegan, gluten free, and grain free you have options as I mentioned above for customizing it. Customize from person to person, leaving off avocado or adding more, making it more or less spicy, ect. You can also customize it for your needs when you make it that day, breakfast, dinner, or lunch. As well as what you like, if you want to add a soft boiled egg on top go for it. If you want to add in some spicy tofu, go for it. It’s all about using what you have, what you like, and what YOU want! I like to provide inspirational dishes that you may or may not make exactly as I have. This isn’t like bread where if you leave out an ingredient or add one it won’t turn out. I hope you are also inspired by some of the recipes linked up below for a Meatless Monday link-up hosted by myself and Deborah of Confessions of a Mother Runner.

Oh wait there is more before you leave, if you’ve made it this far, GIVEAWAYS! A Whisk and Two Wands turns 4 this week and with that I’ve teamed up with a lot of my favorite brands to bring you a whole week of giveaways over on my Instagram! Just because I love you all so much and thank you for your continued support I’ll drop a few hints for my loyal readers. 😉 I may or may not have my favorite protein powder, my favorite bars for on the go, favorite breakfast staples (sorry no homemade sourdough), favorite smoothie bowl toppings, salty snacks, sweet snacks, and something that rhymes with sea mut flutter!

Red Beans and Cauliflower Rice Bowls
Makes 4 servings
4 small purple sweet potatoes
1-2 ripe avocados
16oz cauliflower rice (can buy at Trader Joe’s or make your own in a food processor)
1.5-2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 15.5oz can of Dark Red Kidney Beans, low sodium
1/4c chopped yellow onion
1/8- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

*Optional you can also add a soft boiled egg on top.

Preheat oven to 350F. Wash sweet potatoes and wrap in foil. Bake potatoes for 30-45 minutes, until soft. Remove from the oven, leave wrapped and set aside. Rinse and drain the beans. In a skilled heat half to 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté onion, add beans and warm 3-4 minutes. Blend 1/3 to 1/2 of mixture in mini food processor (or you can smash with a fork) with 1 TBSP water return to pan and stir in with whole beans. Stir in cayenne pepper, sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. In While the beans are cooking in another skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Grate in garlic, and add cauliflower, sauté until tender, only takes about 5 minutes. Stir in turmeric and a pinch of sea salt. Remove foil from sweet potatoes and either cut in half and place one in each bowl if you want to keep the skins or remove from skin and place fork mashed sweet potatoes in 4 bowls, add cauliflower and beans. Slice avocado and top each bowl with 1/4-1/2 an avocado. If you’d like you can also add a soft boiled egg, in this case it was over cooked, as noted above. Enjoy!
Delicious nutritious Red Beans and Cauliflower Rice Bowls are perfect for Mardi Gras! #SweatPink #wholefoods Share on X

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Spreading the Meatless Monday love I’m also linking up with  Running on Happy and The Fit Foodie Mama!