Naked Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Sometimes you come across a restaurant meal that you literally could eat everyday. For me, that is the Buddha Bowl at the Naked Cafe, downtown Kelowna. It is a juicy heap of seasonal vegetables, succulent tofu and quinoa topped with sauce to die for. Have I ever mentioned that one of the best things about plant-based eating is the sauce?!

Just like their Kale Caesar Salad inspired me to create my own recipe, (link here), their Buddha Bowl has inspired me to come up with a version that makes me feel like I’m dining in their restaurant, when I can’t leave the house! Being so far from downtown, we have been unable to have their food delivered, until recently. Ninja Now is a new delivery app that services our location, but the lack of delivery service had me craving it so badly I needed to try to recreate it.

I tried to make this recipe as healthy as possible while still keeping it creamy and tasty.

You can use any vegetables you have in house, depending on the season and your taste. For this recipe, I used mushrooms, broccoli and zucchini. (Much to my daughters’ chagrin as neither of them like zucchini.) You could use anything from sweet potatoes and asparagus to brussel sprouts and cauliflower or carrots!

But, is tofu good for me?

There is inaccurate information circulating, that may cause you to believe that tofu (soy) is bad for you and should be avoided in your diet. People tend to be stymied by the media messages on health topics that are both confusing and ever changing.

According to numerous peer reviewed studies, consuming soy actually lowers the risk of breast cancer and the recurrence for those who have been diagnosed with it. Soy is also helpful for bone health, heart health and menopausal symptoms, among other things. If you want to learn more about this topic, I wrote an entire blog post on it here with links and videos included.

Naked Buddha Bowl How To’s

So, back to the Naked Buddha Bowl recipe! It’s really just 3 steps… cook the quinoa, stir-fry the vegetables and tofu, and blend up the sauce. It can be made ahead of time, keeping all ingredients separate and heated up as needed. I plan to take it with me up to the ski hill this season so that when our day is done, dinner is almost ready!

After some testing and tweaking I would like to present you with the Naked Buddha Bowl! Now the name might make more sense to you.

Naked Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Sauce

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes 25 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 - 454g container of tofu (medium, medium firm or firm)
• 3 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 cups medium sized white or cremini mushrooms, each diced into 6-8 pieces
• 1 small zucchini, diced into 1" pieces
• 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked in broth
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)
• 2 teaspoons steak spice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ground pepper to taste
• Sauce ingredients:
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• dash chili flakes optional

Instructions

1. Open and drain tofu.  Cut in half lengthwise and wrap in a clean tea towel to press out the moisture.  You can place something heavy on it (like a pot) for a few minutes to squeeze out more moisture.
2. Dice tofu in 1" pieces and toss to coat with olive oil, 1 teaspoon of steak spice and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.  You can also sprinkle with salt and pepper if you like.
3. Place in airfryer and cook for 15 minutes, stopping to toss 3 or 4 times.  Alternatively, you can fry in a non-stick frying pan for 10-15 minutes. 
4. Remove from the frying pan, if using, and place in a bowl.
5. While tofu is cooking, cook quinoa in broth as per instructions. 
6. Chop other vegetables and stir fry in a frying pan with a tiny amount of oil, (if using), or veggie broth, to stop the veggies from sticking.  Season vegetables with 1 teaspoon of steak spice and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.  Cook until vegetables are brightly colored, and cooked a la dente.  
7. In a Vitamix or blender, whirl together sauce ingredients until smooth.
8. In shallow bowls, layer quinoa, vegetables, and tofu.  Cover with sauce and enjoy.  Sprinkle with chili flakes to spice it up!

                                            www.thevibrantveggie.com

 

Notes

Extra healthy ideas... - add chopped, fresh kale to the bowl or make my Kale Caesar Salad to put underneath! (so delish!) - top with sprouts - top with black sesame seeds