Miso Sweet Potato and Broccoli Bowl

OK, don't be turned off by the title of the post. This meal was a-mazing. I mean it. And, honestly, if you do nothing else but make the miso-ginger dressing you will have a great day. This dressing would be awesome on a salad, on grilled meat or fish, on a stir fry, or on anything you want. I think it's safe to say that you could customize your rice bowl (or quinoa bowl, or noodle bowl, or whatever bowl) with any veggies and/or meat that you'd like, slap on this sauce, and be happy as a clam. For real. It is crazy good--IF you like miso. If you don't, well then, go read a different blog post. If you trust me, you will try the broccoli sweet potato combo. Broccoli is always good in Asian food (in my opinion), because it soaks up whatever sauce you are using in a unique way. I wasn't quite as sold on the sweet potato here, but since I trust Deb, I went along with it. Trust will get you pretty far, right? The dressing really works with the sweet potato. It's the perfect balance of flavors, and colors, and therefore makes for a lovely looking and lovely tasting meal. My husband gave it two thumbs up, and he doesn't even like broccoli, remember? I always forget that until I serve him some....

Miso Sweet Potato and Broccoli Bowl

-from smittenkitchen.com

For the bowl

• 1 cup dried rice or another cooking grain of your choice (I used jasmine rice because it was in my freezer)
• 1 to 2 sweet potatoes (about 1.5 pounds)
• 1 large bundle broccoli (about 1 pound)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds (they are pretty, but it's fine to just use all white sesame seeds)

For the miso-sesame dressing

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons white miso (the mildest kind). I used a product I found at Hy-Vee called "minute miso". It was labeled as "good for salad dressings" and apparently you can make instant miso soup with it. Sold.
• 2 tablespoons tahini (she says you can use other nut butters if you want. I'd encourage you to get some tahini, because you can make some killer hummus or tahini sauce with it)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Cook your rice or whatever grain you desire. Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet for a few minutes, or until fragrant--OR, you can skip this. I don't think it's totally crucial since there is so much going on flavor-wise in the whole dish.  Cut broccoli into small florets and peel/dice sweet potatoes into 1" cubes. Spread olive oil onto two baking sheets. Arrange broccoli on one and sweet potatoes on the other. Sprinkle both with salt and pepper. Bake tray of sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, flip/shake around, and return to oven along with the tray of broccoli. Cook another 15-20 min, or until sweet potatoes are tender and caramelized and broccoli is tender and slightly browned. Meanwhile, buzz all the dressing ingredients together in a blender or food processor. I think all of these steps can be done ahead of time, and then you can reheat your veggies/grain when it's time to eat. To assemble bowls, scoop rice into each bowl and top with veggies (or meat, whatever you decided on), drizzle generously with dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds. I loved this as-is, but my husband also doused his with soy sauce and a squirt of sriracha. It's your bowl and you can do what you want.