SWEET POTATO RICE BOWLS WITH CRISPY TOFU, GARLICKY KALE & TAHINI SAUCE
Recipe by the Leek and the Carrot
This recipe has a lot of components (and a seemingly gigantic list of ingredients)... But the good news is that every individual part of this recipe is insanely easy, coming together in a couple minutes, and the flavor of the final bowl with all the pieces is so fantastic you almost won’t notice that it’s also incredibly healthy. This is one of my favorite recipes all year and if you can handle the above average volume of dishes (I do apologize about that), I think you will be delighted with it.
Also, if you want to scale up the recipe to make the number of steps worth it, I’d recommend doubling the rice, doubling the tofu, and adding a can of drained chickpeas to the sweet potatoes for the last 15 minutes of roasting. You could easily stretch the kale, tahini sauce, and pickled shallots into double the number of servings.
Serves 4
Takes 1 hour
Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
Olive oil
Kosher salt
16 ounces firm tofu, drained, and cut into cubes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3-4 cups sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch kale
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Tahini Sauce:
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pickled Shallots (optional):
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Begin by preparing your pickled onions. Combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Place shallots in a small bowl or mason jar and cover with pickling liquid. Stir once to ensure all shallots are submerged in the liquid and then set aside until ready to build your bowl.
In a large saucepan, combine rice, water, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.
In a medium bowl, sprinkle tofu cubes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, cornstarch, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Use a spatula to toss to coat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place tofu on paper. Roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and puffed.
On a second large baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, garam masala, and turmeric. Roast for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
In a large skillet, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until just starting to brown, about 1 minute. Add kale and a couple tablespoons of water. Saute quickly and continue cooking until wilted, about 5 minutes. Finish with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes.
Prepare your dressing by combining tahini, olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, and salt in a mason jar (or small bowl) and shaking (or whisking) until combined. Tahini can thicken dressings, especially if you chill the dressing before serving. If this happens, add a little water so it remains pourable.
Serve cooked rice, roasted sweet potatoes, crispy tofu, and kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with tahini dressing and add pickled shallots to your taste.