A tropical version of black beans and rice, this Sweet Potato + Black Bean Rice Bowl has diced mango, cilantro and dressed with a creamy avocado-lime sauce.
How to Make Black Bean + Rice Bowls
Mixing avocado into the rice is one of my favorite ways to eat black beans and rice. Here are the steps to prep these yummy vegan black beans and rice bowls:
Step 1: Boil brown rice.
Since this takes a good 45 minutes, you’ll have time to prepare the rest while the rice simmers.
Step 2: Roast Sweet Potatoes
Dice the sweet potatoes and pop them in a preheated oven to roast.
Step 3: Make the creamy avocado lime dressing.
To make this Simple Avocado-Lime Dressing you’ll need:
- 2 Limes
- 1 Avocado
- Kosher Salt
- Mayo
- Water
- Seasoning/Herbs of your choice:
- for Mexican flavors try chili powder, cumin and lime juice
- for garlicky flavors – well, add garlic!
- any fresh herbs can be added, I prefer to chop them and mix them in gently rather than blend them in the Cuisinart.
Will Avocado Dressing turn brown?
Typically Avocado Dressing is made with lemon or lime juice, the citric acid from the lemon/lime juice helps prevent browning. I’ve kept mine in the refrigerator – plastic wrap placed on the surface to prevent air from touching it – and that’s kept it from browning for days.
How long will Avocado Dressing last?
Avocado Dressing will last 3-5 days. I guarantee you’ll finish it off before then.
Step 4: Dice the fresh mango.
One of the most delicious parts of this black bean bowl is the fresh chunks of mango. We all struggle with peeling mangos, right?
They’re slippery and have that annoying center pit that seems impossible to figure out where it exactly is located in the center of the mango. On the other hand, the end result is bright, juicy chunks of sunshine. And then, if you’re like me, you get a little messy biting off all the leftover bits stuck to the pit.
I found this kitchen hack for peeling mangos and I’ve started using it – it does work! You’ll still have a few pieces that you’ll trim from the pit, but the rest is a cinch.
How to Peel a Mango
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- Slice off each side of the mango as close to the pit as possible.
- Using a rimmed glass that’s roughly the same width as your mango slice, wedge the edge of the glass between the mango skin and flesh. Don’t be afraid to push a little hard to get it going.
- Put pressure down on the skin to slide the flesh into your glass. As a bonus, there will be a few sips of juice in the bottom of the glass, so drink up!
- You get perfectly peeled mango halves – ready to dice into chunks, no peeling required – yay!
- Note: the mango needs to be ripe to make this work well.
Have you ever added chili powder and lime zest to mango? So amazing! Trader Joe’s has a chili lime seasoning for this exact purpose. These shrimp tacos go well with a side of mango salad.
Step 5: Rinse Black Beans + Combine All
PIN IT
you’ll be very happy when you remember to make it!
Roasted sweet potatoes, fresh mango, black beans and brown rice with a creamy avocado dressing for a tropical, packable lunch.
- 4 cups chopped sweet potato (about 2 medium potatoes)
- 1 cup dry brown rice (about 4 cups cooked)
- 1 mango, peeled and diced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1.5 tsp Kosher salt (divided)
- 1 avocado
- 1 Tbs mayo (vegan or regular)
- 1-2 limes, zest and juice (about 2.5 Tbs)
- 2-3 Tbs water
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- pepper
- 4 Tbs chives, cilantro or parsley
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Heat oven to 400F.
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Prepare brown rice according to package instructions. My favorite brown rice is Lundberg Short Grain Brown Rice - which takes 45 minutes to cook - and I use a small dutch oven to cook brown rice because they have nice, tight fitting lids.
Add salt to the cooked rice, to taste. Once your rice is simmering, move onto the potatoes.
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Chop sweet potatoes into 2" cubes. Toss with 2 Tbs olive oil and 1 tsp Kosher salt. Roast for 30 min @ 400F.
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While the potatoes are roasting prep all the other components.
Peel and chop mango. Season mango with 1 tsp chili powder and zest of 1 lime. Set aside.
Drain and rinse black beans. Add zest of 1 lime to the beans. Set aside.
Prepare the the Avocado- Lime Dressing below.
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Combine avocado, lime juice, mayo, salt and pepper in a small Cuisinart. Blend until smooth adding water 1 Tbs at a time until desired consistency. Mix in any fresh or dried herbs. I used chives and saved some to top the finished dish. Season with more salt and pepper. Set aside.
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Divide each component into 4 containers for meal prep - I add the avocado dressing to the top and mix when ready to eat.
Or divide between 4 bowls and top with avocado dressing. Mix everything together and enjoy immediately!
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A big bowl of rice and beans always makes for a great dinner! I add lots of cilantro to this dish.