I hope you all had an awesome weekend filled with lots of goodness! Whether that goodness came from football, oodles of bite-sized snacks, or laughter shared with friends, I hope it was available in abundance.
Other things available in abundance? Snow. I'm not sure whether I wasn't paying attention or if news anchors were bored with snowstorm coverage after Juno took over the east coast last weekend, but I had no clue that a storm was on Chicago's radar. So when we woke up to several inches of powder on Sunday morning, I figured the storm would soon relent. Umm, no. Totally wrong. It snowed and snowed and snowed some more. Since we do live in Chicago, this is less of a statement of surprise and more just an observation that there is a whole lot of snow on the ground today.
Extra-snowy, cold days always make me crave comfort food. Something warm, flavorful, and full of carbs; and this sesame-ginger broccoli macro bowl (quite surprisingly) fits the bill. It's also super simple to toss together in a pinch, which is just about a prerequisite for comfort food. The best part? This comforting dish is full of micronutrients and minerals, which means it satisfies in both the short-term and the long-term.
Steamed broccoli is nestled over warm brown rice and drizzled with a tangy sesame-ginger sauce. The base for the sauce is unhulled sesame seeds, but you can absolutely use hulled sesame seeds if that's what you have available.
Quick note: unhulled sesame seeds have an even higher mineral content than hulled sesame seeds, especially when it comes to calcium. One tablespoon of unhulled sesame seeds contains about 88 milligrams of calcium whereas the same amount of hulled sesame seeds contains just 5-10 milligrams. That's up to 95% more calcium. However, there is still some debate over how much of the calcium found in the hull is readily absorbed by our bodies. Bottom line, either hulled or unhulled sesame seeds pack a nutritional punch, but I try to reach for unhulled when they're available.
You'll make the sesame-ginger sauce by tossing sesame seeds, water, sesame oil, tamari, lime juice, pure maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and fresh ginger into a blender. After a 2-3 minute blend, you'll be left with a creamy, flavorful sauce that's the perfect complement to the brown rice and steamed broccoli. Drizzle it over with a generous hand and sink your fork into a bowl of nourishing comfort.
📖 Recipe
Simple Sesame-Ginger Broccoli Macro Bowl
Ingredients
- 8 cup fresh broccoli florets (about two heads of broccoli)
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- ¼ cup raw unhulled sesame seeds or hulled sesame seeds
- ¼ cup water
- 2 ½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari*
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
Instructions
- Steam the broccoli in a steamer or steamer basket for 10-15 minutes or until tender or to desired doneness.
- While the broccoli is steaming, make the sesame-ginger sauce by adding the sesame seeds, water, sesame oil, tamari, lime juice, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and minced ginger to a blender. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until smooth (note: if you're using unhulled sesame seeds, it's difficult to get it perfectly smooth but blend until it's close).
- Divide your cooked brown rice between 3 bowls. Top with the broccoli, and drizzle with the sesame-ginger sauce.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
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Katie (The Muffin Myth) says
Snowy days make me crave warm food too! I looooove the looks of that sesame ginger sauce. I'm sure it's great with these macro bowls, but I can think of so many other things I'd like to douse with it. I think a double batch is in order! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Ashley says
You're welcome, Katie, and thank you! It's hard to go wrong with sesame and ginger... throw in a little garlic and it's game over. I like your idea of a double batch -- smart woman! :)
Celeste Jackson says
This is intriguing. Where do you find hulled sesame seeds?
Ashley says
I find them in the bulk section at Whole Foods!
Celeste Jackson says
Thank you!
Lauren says
This looks delicious Ashley! Brown rice, chicken, and broccoli is pretty much a weekly occurrence around here, so I'll have to incorporate that dressing into our routine. :-)
Ashley says
Thanks so much, Lauren! It's always so nice to hear from you :) I love jazzing up staple meals with different dressings and sauces -- it's the best. I hope you enjoy it!
Hime says
Broccoli, brown rice, sesame, all my favorites in one single bowl. I'm gonna LOVE this one ;-)
Hallie says
This looks delicious! I love how you home make all your sauces. So many processed sauces have extra sugar among other processed ingredients. Thanks for posting, and I cannot wait to make this!
Ashley says
Hi, Hallie! Thanks for your sweet and thoughtful comment. I'm glad you appreciate the homemade sauces! I used to think homemade sauces were way too fussy or time-consuming, but they're actually incredibly easy to make and a great place to start when I'm trying to "clean-up" my diet and rid it of excess sugars and additives. It's shocking what makes it into a jar of sauce these days. I hope you enjoy the recipe and thanks again!
Megan says
This has been one of my favorite and go to recipes for years! So hearty and yummy!
Ashley says
Oh this makes me so happy to hear, Megan! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Means a lot! Happy cooking (and enjoying)!