Vegetable Burrito Bowls with Cauliflower Rice & Sunflower Sour Cream (vegan, gf)

If I were tasked with the extraordinarily difficult assignment of picking just one meal to enjoy day after day for the rest of my life, I’m 99% positive I would choose a burrito bowl. A little bit of everything wrapped up in one colorful meal. Rice, beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, peppers, onions, and the option for a heavy-handed douse of hot sauce? That sounds like a meal I could live with for quite some time. And these vegan vegetable burrito bowls with cauliflower rice & sunflower sour cream are no exception to the hypothetical rule.

Whip it up and pile it high.

This burrito bowl is a veggie-fied remix on the classic. Cauliflower rice fills in for brown/white rice, and it gets a hearty twist with the addition of black beans and a sprinkling of cilantro. Sautéed peppers and onions offer a tender bite and a substantial quality to this bowl. A quick pico de gallo offers eye-catching colors and brightness. A dollop of guacamole brings a bit of richness. And the final touch? A tangy plant-based sour cream made by blending raw sunflower seeds with water, fresh lemon juice, and sea salt. The sour cream weaves throughout the other elements and melds the flavors together.

Although there are several components to this bowl, each one requires basic methods and easy-to-find ingredients. The entire meal comes together in 45 minutes, give or take a few depending on the deftness of your chopping skills.

And because it’s been almost 9 months since I last included a “Sound Bite” in a post (whoops. where’d that time go?), I’m relaunching the tradition.

“Let ’em Say” is a feel-good collaboration between Lizzo and Caroline Smith. The sunny vibes of the beat are backed by empowered, encouraging lyrics that suggest letting criticism or hate roll off your back like water. I think we can all relate to this song, and it’s a great reminder to embrace who we are and keeping doing what we’re doing.

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5 from 2 votes

Vegetable Burrito Bowls with Cauliflower Rice

This burrito bowl is a veggie-fied remix on the classic. Cauliflower rice fills in for brown/white rice, and it gets a hearty twist with the addition of black beans and a sprinkling of cilantro. Sautéed peppers and onions offer a tender bite and a substantial quality to this bowl. A quick pico de gallo offers eye-catching colors and brightness. A dollop of guacamole brings a bit of richness. And the final touch? A tangy plant-based sour cream made by blending raw sunflower seeds with water, fresh lemon juice, and sea salt. The sour cream weaves throughout the other elements and melds the flavors together.

Course Bowl, Entrée, Rice

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 2 to 3

Ingredients

Fajita Veggies

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded and sliced into 1/3-inch-thick strips
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into strips
• Sea salt, to taste

Cauliflower Rice

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• 1 15- ounce can black beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed

Pico de Gallo

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 cup finely-diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped
• sea salt, to taste

Guacamole

• 1 small avocado, pitted and peeled
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Sea salt, to taste

Other Ingredients

• 1 batch Sunflower Sour Cream (see recipe below)
• Lime wedges, for garnishing (optional)

Instructions

Fajita Veggies

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the peppers, onions, and sea salt over medium heat. Cook for 14 to 16 minutes or until veggies are tender and golden, stirring occasionally.

Cauliflower Rice

• Meanwhile, add the cauliflower florets, cilantro, and lime juice to a food processor and pulse 30 to 40 times to rice the cauliflower. In another large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the riced cauliflower mixture and sea salt. Cook for 6 to 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and just barely turning golden, stirring occasionally. Add the black beans, and cook another 2 minutes to heat.

Pico de Gallo

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, stir to combine, and adjust seasoning.

Guacamole

• In another small bowl, combine all ingredients and use the back of a fork to mash the avocado.

To Assemble

• In 2 to 3 bowls, divide the cauliflower rice, peppers and onion, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Drizzle with sunflower sour cream and serve.

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5 from 2 votes

Raw Sunflower Seed Sour Cream

This tangy vegan sunflower seed sour cream requires just four ingredients and comes together in a pinch. Simple blend together filtered water, raw sunflower seeds, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and sea salt until completely smooth and creamy. This simple plant-based sour cream is the perfect topping for burrito bowls, burritos, nachos, and the like.

Course Sauce, Sour Cream

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

• In a high-powered blender, combine the water, sunflower seeds, lemon juice, and sea salt. Blend on high for 3 to 5 minutes or until completely smooth. Pour into an airtight jar and refrigerate until ready to assemble.