Easy meal hack: Make a kickass dressing. That’s it.

It’s one of the best ways to brighten roasted, steamed or sauteed vegetables; to liven up leftovers; and to add some oomph to grains or legumes. If you can’t always get on the meal prep train (hey, I’m with you), then maybe you can get on the sauce and dressing prep train? It’s way quicker (10 minutes all up) and helps to bring a few disparate foods together with minimal fuss. If you’ve prepped your dressing or sauce ahead of time, a dinner of veggies and rice will actually be something to get excited about.

In an ideal world, I’d prep 2 to 3 different sauces/dressings on a Sunday. One would be a simple vinaigrette, another would be something thicker like a yogurt dip, hummus, or romesco, and the third would be something herby, bright, and different — like this cilantro coconut number

I’ve served it here with black rice, sauteed broccolini and chickpeas, and shredded carrot and radish for crunch. but it goes great with salads of all kinds, on roasted sweet potato, or with leftover rotisserie chicken.

Cilantro Coconut Dressing

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut milk
• 1 packed cup fresh cilantro/coriander leaves and stems
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Juice of ½ a lime or lemon
• Salt, to taste

Method

Place all ingredients in a small food processor or a tall jar to use a stick blender in without splattering. Process until the cilantro is very finely chopped and you have a bright green emulsion.

Rice & Greens Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked black or brown rice
• 1-2 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
• 1 bunch broccolini or 1 medium crown of broccoli, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium carrot, cut with a julienne peeler
• 2-3 small radishes, thinly sliced
• Salt, to taste
• Cilantro Coconut Dressing (recipe above)
• Extra lime to serve

Method

1. Heat a large skillet over a medium high heat. Add oil and heat through for about 1 minute. Add broccolini or broccoli and chickpeas, along with a generous pinch of salt. Cover the skillet and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until the broccolini has some nice golden brown color on it.

2. Add a little water to pan and cover again, cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the broccolini is tender, with a little crunch, and bright green. Taste for seasoning.

3. Assemble bowls with rice as the base, topped with broccoli, chickpeas, and carrot. Pour a few spoonfuls of dressing over the bowls and top with radish slices.