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When it comes to eating healthy, preparing a whole meal that is both nutritious and delicious is one of the trickiest tightropes to walk across. In fact, most people quit weight loss or healthy balanced diets quickly because the food is either healthy or tasty, but rarely both. That’s why the concept of tofu and quinoa Buddha bowls can be revolutionary. Both tofu and quinoa are packed with plant proteins, essential minerals, vitamins and antioxidants—so nobody can say that they aren’t healthy. At the same time, tofu and quinoa represent two global cuisines: tofu is Chinese in origin and quinoa is South American. Naturally then, a dish prepared with tofu and quinoa, that too in a single bowl, provides you with a chance to pack both flavour and nutrition into your meals!
One of the many ways to make a tofu and quinoa bowl is to flavour it all with balsamic vinegar. This Tofu and Quinoa Bowl gets its umami flavour from the unique vinegar itself. Since tofu has a slightly pungent smell, many people find it difficult to eat. The addition of a balsamic vinegar counters that to some extent, while adding a depth of flavours to the entire dish. Similarly, when it comes to quinoa, many people find the smell and bland taste of the ancient grain difficult to overcome. Mixing the quinoa with balsamic-glazed tofu is a sure-shot way of overcoming these issues.
Making a Tofu and Quinoa Bowl for a meal isn’t just healthy and tasty, but also very easy—and that’s another reason why you should include the dish into your regular healthy diet. Both the tofu and the quinoa can be cooked ahead of time and stored in airtight boxes in the refrigerator. As for the other components of the Tofu and Quinoa Bowl, you can play around with ingredients every day! If you have broccoli, carrots and spinach, add those. If you don’t then you can add corns, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and any other easily available veggie.
To maintain the nutrition of Tofu and Quinoa Bowl, we recommend you use olive oil to cook the tofu and skip any oil, butter and dressing. Because we are using balsamic vinegar for the recipe, you can also skip lemon juice. This apart, it is important to press the firm tofu to get rid of all excess water before you prepare it for the Tofu and Quinoa Bowl. Here’s the recipe.
Image used for representative purpose only. Image courtesy: seasonedskilletblog.com
Ingredients:
1 block firm tofu, cubed
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp maple syrup
For the quinoa:-
1 cup quinoa, soaked
2 cups water
½ tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
For the bowl:-
1 cup broccoli, steamed
1 cup carrots, peeled and julienned
1 cup cucumber
1 cup baby spinach or lettuce
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Method:
1. Place the tofu cubes in a large bowl.
2. Add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, maple syrup and chilli flakes.
3. Toss everything together then add the cornflour.
4. Mix well and marinate for half an hour.
5. Meanwhile, place the soaked quinoa in a pot with water, bay leaf and salt.
6. Cook until the quinoa has bloomed and is tender.
7. Drain the cooked quinoa and set it aside for the bowl.
8. Heat some olive oil in a pan, then add the marinated tofu cubes.
9. Lightly fry the tofu until golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside.
10. If there is any balsamic marinate left, toss the broccoli and baby spinach in it.
11. To assemble the bowl, place the cooked quinoa in a bowl and add the tofu on the side.
12. Now add the broccoli, carrots, cucumber and baby spinach around the bowl.
13. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and serve.
