Packed with whole grains, protein, and healthy veggies this miso tofu rice bowl is a great wholesome meal that can be assembled in under 30 minutes.

Our second tofu recipe on TCF and we are so pleased with how tasty, healthy, and beautiful it looks. It took us a while to start introducing tofu and replacing it for meats and that’s probably because we didn’t start off by buying extra firm/firm tofu. Such a newbie mistake.  We had cooked with tofu before and kept getting mixed results. Sometimes the recipes would be bang on and other times the tofu would just crumble and fall apart. We couldn’t figure out what we were doing wrong. Well it’s as simple as buying the right kind of tofu. After these mistakes I’ll never buy anything but extra firm tofu. The others are just too difficult to work with and with the extra firm there is practically no water that needs to be squeezed out so when you see recipes telling you to wrap it in paper towel and place heavy objects on top for 20 minutes to squeeze all that water out.. well it’s not needed with the extra firm. You do have to wrap it in the paper towel still but only for 5 minutes or while your prepping all the ingredients.

What you hear about tofu is true. It simply takes on the flavors of its seasoning. Baking or pan frying is most common which gives it some crispiness and helps keep its shape with little manipulation. The secret to tofu is use only firm and it’s all in the sauce. A good marinade that goes well with the rest of the dish- (think same origin and most common pairings) is what will drive it out of the park.

Our tofu experimentations and protein substitution recipes so far consist of easy commonly seen tofu recipes in like ramens, Thai foods, and rice bowls aka power bowls, also known as Buddha bowl also seeing the term nourish bowls and vegan bowls. It’s hard to keep up with the new trending words. I’m sure you’ve come across these types of foods whether you’ve eaten it before, heard about it or seen it it’s nothing new. These are all very popular especially in plant-based, vegan and vegetarian diets. They are a great source of protein and great way to get lots different veggies in one dish. This is also one of the reasons why we are so attracted to making these.

The combination of brown rice, fresh vegetables, and herbs topped with grilled tofu makes it the perfect nutritious dinner. To get a good amount of protein a great way is by incorporating protein high veggies like edamame, beans, potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, and Brussel sprouts and make sure you have a good base that will keep you full and well fueled like whole grain brown rice, quinoa or lentils. A good trick is to incorporate a variety of colourful veggies to get a good balance of vitamins. Just have fun with it and make it your own!

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Print Recipe

miso tofu power bowl

Quick and easy go-to miso tofu power bowl with a carrot ginger dressing. This is a great wholesome meal for any day of the week packed with protein, healthy vegetables and good fats that's vegetarian and vegan friendly.

Servings: 4

Author: the communal feast

Ingredients

• For the tofu
• 1 package extra firm tofu drained and pressed to remove liquid. Cut into desired shape
• 1 TBS miso paste

TBS rice vinegar

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tsp ginger grated
• season with pepper
• 2 TBS olive oil
• For the carrot ginger dressing
• 3 medium carrots peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 TBS fresh ginger grated
• 1 lime juiced
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 TBS miso paste
• For the bowl
• 2 cups of whole grain brown rice cooked according to package directions
• handful of asparagus blanched
• 1 cup mushrooms sliced
• avocado thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots julienne
• garnish with radishes greens, sesame seeds
• 1 TBs olive oil
• salt and pepper to season

Instructions

• 1. Cook the rice according to package directions.
• 2. Combine all the ingredients for the tofu in a shallow bow and whisk to combine. Add tofu and toss to coat. Allow to marinate 15-20 minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients.
• 3. In a high power blender combine all of the ingredients for the dressing, blend until smooth and well combined. Set aside
• 4. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, cook mushrooms until browned on both sides seasoning with salt and pepper. About 5 minutes
• 5. Once the mushrooms are cooked remove and set aside. In the same pan cook the tofu searing on both sides about 4-5 minutes per side. Cook in batches if needed
• 6. To assemble the bowls: layer the rice, top with asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, avocado placing along the rim of the bowl. Place the tofu in the centre of the bowl followed by any additional garnish filling in gaps there might be.
• 7. Finish by drizzling with the carrot ginger dressing and serve immediately.