Teriyaki Rice Bowls

We spent a lovely evening last night with friends ringing in the new year with games and too much food and then Shana and I slept in this morning. According to our meal plan (made upon our return from Minnesota), we'd planned a new soup we've been eating for tonight, but Shana wanted to shuffle our remaining plans. The shuffle led to a new dinner tonight, which is kind of perfect - new year, new dinner!

Coming quickly together (after the rice is cooked, anyway), this is a keeper of recipe and will be a part of our regular rotation. The homemade teriyaki sauce is full of flavor, the veggies provide a great range of textures, and the rice provides just enough chew to make you think you're eating a more carb-heavy meal. In addition, everything in this dish can be found at a well-stocked grocery store.

Teriyaki Rice Bowls
This recipe is based heavily on a recipe from Oh She Glows that I'd bookmarked months ago.
Ingredients
1 c. uncooked brown rice

4 1/2 T. seasoned rice vinegar
6 T. low-sodium soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
3 tsp. sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
black pepper, to taste

1 very small onion, chopped
3 heads broccoli, in small florets
3 large carrots, peeled in ribbons, then cut a bit smaller
1 c. frozen edamame (the hulled kind)
6 leaves napa cabbage, chopped, leaves and stems separated
3-4 green onions, chopped
sesame seeds, optional

Directions
1. Prepare rice as per package directions or in a rice cooker.
2. Combine sauce ingredients (rice vinegar through pepper) in a jar with a tight fitting lid, shake well.
3. Heat some oil (I used light olive and a bit of sesame) in a wok and saute the onions.
4. When the onions are soft, add the broccoli and 2 T. of the teriyaki sauce (shake before you add it). Continue to cook for 6-7 minutes.
5. Add the carrots, cabbage stems, and edamame, cook until the edamame is hot.
6. Add the leaves of the napa cabbage and the green onions, cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add the rice and the teriyaki sauce, stirring well. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.

Helpful Hints

• We really loved the carrots this way! They retained some "crunch," but still cooked quickly enough in the wok. Cutting them in really any other way (minus julienne) would make them cook too slowly. 
• I dumped all of the teriyaki sauce in at the end of cooking, although the recipe I was following said to use 2/3 and save the remaining 1/3 for leftovers. We have leftovers, so we'll see how the "sauciness" is tomorrow. 
• If you don't like these veggies, put in others! Bok choy, celery, mushrooms, whatever! 
• My guess is that you could prepare the rice a day in advance and keep it in the fridge. If you do this, you'll just need to make sure to cook it long enough to heat completely. 

The post "Vegan Teriyaki Rice Bowls" originally appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.