Hearty Vegan Bowl

Prep and Cooking Time: 1 1/2 hours. Serves 4

Let’s me just start off by saying this meal is a production to make. This is not a Rachel Ray 30 minute, one pot, two ingredient, Uncle Ben microwave miracle.

There are a many different elements to this dish, and I usually make it only when I want to impress guests. In fact I am struggling to find a way to clearly write directions for this dish. So please bare with me, and feel free to ask questions at any time.

Let’s start with a brief description:

This bowl contains a grain (quinoa, millet, brown rice) as a base. Is topped with a variety of yummy steamed veggies, grated carrot, tofu and potato patties. Finally there is the miso-tahini sauce that is poured over the whole combination.

Here is a list of all the ingredients you will need for this dish. Before each stage I will highlight which ingredients are needed and the steps needed to be taken.

Ingredient list:

2 cups of quinoa (can be substituted for brown rice or millet)

water

1 bunch of kale

1 head of broccoli

20 asparagus spears

3 large carrots

3 yellow potatoes

1 package of firm tofu

salt

pepper

1 tbsp of dried basil

1 tbsp of dried oragano

1 tbsp of dried garlic powder

3 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 limes

3 garlic cloves

½ cup of breadcrumbs

3 tbsp of miso paste

1 ½ cups of tahini

2 tbsp of nutritional yeast

1 medium sized zip lock bag

STEP 1 - Marinate Tofu

It is essential that this step happen first. That way the tofu has at least an hour to marinate. From the above list of ingredients, you will need the following in this step:

• 3 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 lime
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 package of firm tofu
• 1 medium sized zip lock bag

Cut your tofu into 1/2 inch thick rectangular pieces and place them into your zip lock bag.

Pour in your olive oil. Juice a lime into the bag and then press the garlic cloves into the marinade. Seal the bag, removing any air, and the shake it ensuring that you are coating all your tofu pieces. Place the bag into the fridge. (I used a zip lock bag because I find that the marinade doesn’t just sit at the bottom coating only half the tofu.)

STEP 2 - Potato Patties

This is the second step only because it takes the longest to cook. Here are the ingredients needed in this step:

• 3 yellow potatoes
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tbsp of dried basil
• 1 tbsp of dried oragano
• 1 tbsp of dried garlic powder

Begin by greasing a baking sheet and pre-heating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel the potatoes, and cut them in half. Immerse the halved potatoes in boiling water and parboil them. The key-word here is PARBOIL, that means take the potatoes out after no more than six minutes.

Drain your water, and let the potatoes cool. I usually run cold water over them. Once they are cool to the touch, take out your favorite upright grater (use the side that gives you a thick grate) and starting grating! I use a large mixing bowl to catch the grated potatoes. If I had to choose my least favorite part of the recipe, this would be it…my arms usually get tired, and I always run out of room in my mixing bowl.

Once you are done it’s time to start seasoning. I gave quantities to the spices, but use as much or as little as necessary, the end result should be obviously flavourful strands of potatoes. Now take about a handful of the grated and seasoned mixture and make a loose patty, place it on your baking sheet. You should get about eight patties out of it.

Place the baking sheet in the pre-heated oven. Let them cook for a good 45 minutes, with the last 5 minutes being a broil.

STEP 3 - Veggies, quinoa, tofu cook and miso-tahini sauce

Basically any ingredients that haven’t been used are used now. They are:

• 2 cups of quinoa (can be substituted for brown rice or millet)
• ½ cup of breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp of miso paste
• 1 ½ cups of tahini
• water
• 1 bunch of kale
• 1 head of broccoli
• 20 asparagus spears
• 3 large carrots
• 3 yellow potatoes

Start by cutting and preparing the veggies. Work quickly, the potatoes are cooking!

Rip the kale into bite sized pieced. Rinse well and dry. Cut the asparagus spears so you are only using the top 4 inches or so. Rinse well and dry. Cut the broccoli into bite sized pieces. Rinse well and dry.

Put these veggies into a steamer (I use the two-tier bamboo steamers, that way I can use the steam from the quinoa cooking to cook the veggies). Set steamer aside.

Peel the carrots, and grate. Put them aside.

Start cooking the quinoa in 4 cups of water.

Time to make the sauce. I use a soup bowl for this. Start by spooning in the miso paste. Add 1 cup of the tahini. Fill a drinking glass with water, and slowly pour a little of it into the miso-tahini mixture. Adjust levels of tahini and water as needed. The consistency needs to be like that of the tahini before the miso was added. Dump in the nutritional yeast. Adjust consistency with water again. Refrigerate.

The quinoa should be giving off a nice steam at this point. Place the bamboo steamer on top of the pot. Cook the veggies for about eight minutes, checking periodically that they aren’t being over cooked.

In a frying pan, heat up a little olive oil. Remove the tofu from the fridge and spoon them into the heated pan. Don’t include the marinade, but if a little falls in there, no harm done.

Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs. Flip the tofu, sprinkle on some more breadcrumbs. Let the tofu and breadcrumbs get crispy, flipping as needed to avoid burning. Set aside.

By now the potatoes should be done and hopefully you remembered to broil them for at least 5 minutes. The veggies and quinoa should also be done, if not already off the stove.

STEP 4 - Plating

If you have giant soup bowls, great! If not, just use a plate, and call the recipe a Hearty Vegan Plate!

Each plate needs to have a base layer of quinoa. On top of that arrange the veggies. Give each person two potato patties. Sprinkle on a small handful of the carrot gratings. Add a portion of tofu on top of that.

The two other limes should each be cut into four wedges, with every person getting two wedges on the side of their dish.

Serve the plates, and let each person put on as much yummy sauce as they want. You will find that no matter how much miso-tahini you make, it never will never be enough!

Eat and enjoy!