Home/Blog/Winter Sweet Potato Bowl

Winter Sweet Potato Bowl

By Holly Darnell, RD

January 23, 2023

During wintertime, there's less overall enthusiasm for a salad for obvious reasons: less fresh ingredients, salad is a cold dish and most of us prefer warm dishes during the cold weather months, etc. (Speaking of, you should still try our butternut squash salad, as that is a warm salad!)

Instead, try this winter bowl, a play on the Buddha bowl concept. Using sweet potatoes and wild rice as the base, it's best served warm and can be an ideal lunch or dinner. It's loaded with nutrients and will please any palate.

What Is a Winter Bowl?

These days, Buddha bowls are all the rage. Also known as grain or macro bowls, they have a balanced blend of macronutrients: carbohydrates, fat and protein.

Typically, a grain bowl contains five ingredient groups: whole grains, veggies, protein, dressing and sprinkles like nuts or seeds. This winter bowl features wild rice as the grain, and then it goes with winter veggies for that portion: namely nutrition-rich sweet potatoes, red onion and Brussels sprouts.

For the protein, rather than adding a meat, the wild rice is cooked with our own Bone Broth Protein Butternut Squash. This sipping broth makes for a great way to cook this rice and add both flavor as well as valuable protein. With 15 grams of protein per serving, this Bone Broth Protein also features collagen types I, II and III, glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid as well as 18 amino acids.

The maple dijon vinaigrette completes the sophisticated, warming flavor of this dish. It's highlighted by own own version of apple cider vinegar. Called Herbal Cider Vinegar, this tincture can be used in drinks but also in salad dressings. It includes 10+ organic, regenerative superfood ingredients that generally support healthy detoxification.

Nutrition Facts: a Powerhouse

Each hearty bowl is 789 calories, so it can also work as a half-size for a lighter lunch or you can serve as a side salad. Macros include 97 grams of carbs, 26 grams of fat and 34 grams of protein.

Vitamins? This sweet potato bowl is loaded with them. For your Daily Value, it provides 474 percent of vitamin A, 292 percent of vitamin K and 142 percent of vitamin C.

It’s also full of minerals, reaching 73 percent of magnesium, 73 percent of phosphorus, 75 percent of zinc, 79 percent of copper and 130 percent of manganese. It’s like having a multivitamin/mineral in a bowl. (For a multi on a plate, try our liver and onions recipe — the nutrients are similarly off the charts.)

It also provides more than 50 percent of your Daily Value (DV) in the following amino acids: tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, valine and tyrosine.

How to Make a Winter Sweet Potato Bowl

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat and set aside.

In a medium-sized stockpot, get ready to make the wild rice with bone broth. Add three cups of warm water and two scoops of Bone Broth Protein Butternut Squash. Turn to medium heat and whisk well to combine.

Add the wild rice to the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook the rice for around 50 minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, add sweet potato, red onion, garlic powder, cumin, olive oil, sea salt and cracked black pepper. Mix until combined. 

In a separate small bowl, add Brussels sprouts, olive oil and sea salt. Stir until combined. 

Place both the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts mixtures on a lined baking sheet and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until sweet potato is fork tender and Brussels are crispy. 

While the vegetables are roasting and the rice is cooking, make the maple dijon vinaigrette. 

In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, dijon mustard, garlic, Herbal Cider Vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Whisk until combined; taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. 

Final step, assemble the winter bowl. Place arugula, wild rice, sweet potato and red onion, Brussels sprouts and microgreens in a bowl. You can mix them all together or place them in sections. Top with maple dijon vinaigrette and serve.

If you choose to serve a half-portion as a side salad, consider serving with our delicious chicken pot pie or mushroom risotto.

More Healthy Bowl Recipes

• Quinoa Bowl

• Dr. Axe's Immune Supporting Bowl Recipe

• Liver and Onions Bowl

• Broccoli Slaw

Recipe developed by Holly Darnell, RD. Holly is a registered dietitian nutritionist who unlocked self-love at the intersection of exceptional food and practical solutions for healthy living. She’s passionate about helping others make simple, positive lifestyle changes on their individual path to healing.