Tofu Tahini Rice Bowl

This meal is in my top 5 for a quick and easy meal to throw together in a matter of 30 minutes. The beauty of this meal is that you can really make it however you like using whatever you have.

It’s also a delicious vegan meal option that all vegans and non-vegans will appreciate. So grab veggies you have in the fridge, press your tofu, nd get started!

Ingredients

Like I said, you can really throw in whatever you like for this meal using what you’ve got in the fridge, however, I of course have some favourites that I will share for this recipe.

The base ingredients are brown basmati rice, tofu, and tahini. The rest is really up to you. I generally like to have eggplant, red onion, and zucchini for my veggies, but I’ll throw in broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, I’ve even throw plaintain in there when we had one and it was a delicious addition.

I use brown basmati rice because it has a particularly delicious taste for this meal, however you really can use whatever rice you would like.

Health

This dinner bowl is literally a nutritional powerhouse. From the healthy whole grains in the rice, to the healthy plant-based protein from the tofu, the fats and protein are sourced from the tahini, as well as all of the good micronutrients in the veggies. This meal is setting you up for success.

Let’s start with tofu. There is so many controvercial conversations about whether or not tofu is actually good for you or not. While of course what I say is purely opinion based, I believe there is room for tofu in a healthy diet. Tofu is a good plant-based source of protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. It’s also a good source of mono-unsaturated fats, (the good guys). The debate with tofu is that it has “estrogen-like” properties that could potentially be harmful to women if consumed in large amounts. Like anything else, having too much of something, sometimes can be unhealthy. From my personal research, and opinion, I think that consuming soy protein in moderation is a perfectly nutritious option.

Tahini next. Sharing similar properties to nut butters by being protein rich, as well as containing good healthy fats, tahini is made from sesame seeds formed into a paste. It has a delicious nutty flavour that can be added into common dips like hummus or babaganoush, or simply made into a delicious sauce for the topping of our tofu rice bowls. It is so yummy and is the star of this dish!

Brown basmati rice is an awesome source of good carbohydrates, being a whole grain starch. We can break the whole grain down into three sections. Bran, which is the fiber it contains, the “germ” which has all those awesome vitamins, and the endosperm, which contains the carbs. The rice also has a low glycemic index, meaning that this type of rice won’t spike your blood sugar, and it will digest slowly in your system after consumption. Hence the whole “keeping you fuller for longer” concept.

Side note: If you have an air fryer, feel free to make up your tofu and veggies and throw them in there to cook! it makes them extra nice and crispy.

Tofu Tahini Rice Bowl Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep time: 30 minutes Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice
• 1 package medium-firm plain tofu
• 1/4 C tahini
• 1/3 C unsweetened almond milk
• 1-2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp chinese five spice
• 1-2 eggplant
• 2 zucchini
• 1 red onion
• Any other veggie of choice: cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, broccoli, sweet potato, carrot, etc.

Method

1. A couple hours, or as soon as possible before you prepare your meal. Drain the tofu and wrap in paper towel, press down with a frying pan or something with a little weight that won’t crush it lol.
2. When you are ready to make your meal, start by cooking your basmati rice as you can prepare everything else while it’s cooking.
3. Preheat your oven to 400℉
4. Cut tofu into rectangular pieces and lay them out on a baking sheet.
5. Chop eggplant and zucchini, as well as red onion. Place on prepare baing sheet. (Chop any other veggies you wish to add to your bowl as well.)
6. Once all of the toppings including the tofu and veggies are ready for cooking, I sprinkle lots of chinese five spice onto them. (This is the main spice in this recipe and adds a ton of yummy chinese flavours to the dish.)
7. Place veggies and tofu in the oven to cook for 15-20 minutes or as long as nescessary to reach your desired crispiness. Toss/ flip them about half way through.
8. Prepare your tahini sauce by adding tahini into a medium size bowl, (Or small blender if you have it) then add almond milk, garlic powder, and salt to taste. The amount of almond milk you add can vary depending on how thick you want your sauce. I like my sauce somewhat thin as it makes it easier to mix into the rice bowl when I’m ready to devour my meal:) *Note: If you have a single serving blender this helps to mix the sauce up more efficiently, but it is not nescessary.
9. Remove tofu and veggies from the oven once ready.
10. Once rice is done cooking, add to the bottom of your bowl and then load up on the veggies and tofu as well.
11. Drizzle a healthy serving of tahini sauce on top of your bowl. The sauce is really what pulls this meal together.
12. Crack a little salt on top if you wish (I always do) and enjoy your delicious bowl of health!

Nutrition

*approximate values based on what I’ve listed above. It will of course vary depending on serving sizes and added ingredients.

Per 1 of 4 servings

Calories: 292 Total Fat: 14g Sodium: 705 mg Carbohydrates: 30g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 5g Protein: 16g