Peanut Mandarin Rice Bowl

The fifth week in Meatless Mondays from A to Z is for the letter E and the food is Edamame!

I actually had a recipe I wanted to try from pinterest that had edamame in it so I knew this would be a perfect opportunity to make this rice bowl.

This recipe was adapted from here.  The original recipe is for a single serving.  I doubled the recipe so I would have leftovers.  I also sauteed the kale in balsamic vinegar.  Here's how I made my Peanut Mandarin Rice Bowl with Edamame:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 cup cooked shelled edamame
• 1 cup kale leaves (I sauteed mine in balsamic vinegar)
• 1/2 cup mandarin oranges
• 2 tbsp chunky peanut butter
• 4 tsp apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the brown rice and edamame according to the directions on the packages.
2. If you want cooked kale, saute over medium high heat in balsamic vinegar for about 10 minutes.  
3. In a large bowl, combine rice, edamame, kale leaves, and mandarin oranges.
4. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and apple cider vinegar and mix to combine.  It will be very thick, it might help to heat in the microwave for a few seconds.
5. Pour the peanut mixture into the large bowl and gently mash the peanut mixture with the other ingredients until everything is evenly coated. (I found it easiest to do this with my hands).
6. Enjoy this meal hot or cold!

This recipe was tasty, quick (especially if you cook the rice ahead of time and don't saute the kale), and had minimal clean-up.  I will be making this meal a lot in the future!  Maybe next time I'll even try using baby spinach leaves instead of kale leaves!