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Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Healthy and delicious?

I am so excited to make this post.  This is one of my new favorite recipes; it's perfect for supper, and lunch leftovers.

dinner

The trouble with the recipe is that I don't know what to call it.  I've been calling it brown-rice-with-bok-choy-carrot-and-tofu-with-sesame-dressing but that's a little too much of a handle for me.  So if anyone can think of a name, go at it!

bok choy

brown and wild

So - how do I love thee, brown-rice-with-bok-choy-carrot-and-tofu-with-sesame-dressing?  Let me count the ways:

  • You are quite healthy.  Whole grain rice (and not the parboiled kind).  No animal meat/fats (cuts waaay down on the saturated fat).  Fresh veggies steamed in the cooking pot, so the nutrients can't get away.  Did you know that bok choy has over twice the calcium of broccoli (by weight)?
  • You are pretty easy to put together.  Boil rice for 35 min.  Shred carrot and bok choy.  Put on top of cooked rice in pot for 5 min.  Meanwhile, pan-fry tofu.  Mix together.  Add dressing.
  • You can be eaten hot or cold for leftovers.  You are really more like a salad (but one with enough carb and protein to get you through the afternoon). 
  • You are delish.
scraped clean

So the recipe is modified from one that came from The Garden of Vegan cookbook - they called it the Dragon Bowl.  Hmmm, slightly more catchy than my title.  Don't let the term vegan scare you.  We can all afford to eat a few meals without meat during the week (it's good for your blood vessels, your weight, your account balances, and the environment).  This particular concoction has enough fibre and protein to fill you up - it doesn't feel like you're missing something (in my opinion anyway).

A word on the dressing.  The Garden of Vegan has a great recipe for sesame dressing.  You can also find an "Asian sesame" dressing at the grocery store - possibly a few kinds.  I have tried both and they each work nicely.  Of course, with the homemade version you can really adjust it to your taste.

I think I've covered the instructions already.  Here is a list of the ingredients:
  • 1 pkg firm tofu, rinsed, drained, and cubed
  • 1 head bok choy, shredded into bite size pieces
  • 2 cups carrots, shredded
  • 1 cup brown or brown/wild rice mix
  • sesame vinaigrette, to taste
  • roasted sesame seeds, to garnish
Let me know if you try it, or if you have any suggestions to improve it.

4 comments:

Margie said...Best Blogger Tips

Not sure re tofu !

nat said...Best Blogger Tips

Looks great! I'm thinking that to cut down on prep time (if needed) you could substitute quinoa or even a whole wheat small pasta (like ditale) for the rice. You could also substitute beans or chickpeas for the tofu Margie. :)

I love these recipes that can be hot or cold - great for lunches! Do you always get the big bok choy? And do you use the stalk too?

Laura said...Best Blogger Tips

I got the big bok choy. I used most of the stalk, but I discarded the bottom 3 inches or so. I like that white crunchy part, but we had tons of volume with the rest of it so I didn't use it all.

I'm sure quinoa would work. We actually made a quinoa dish for lunch this week too! 1 cup quinoa, cooked in 2 cups veggie stock, with cooked chicken, diced fresh tomatoes, chopped fresh parsley, and a big dose of freshly grated parmesan. Served warm. Delicious! I want to try it with fresh basil this summer instead of parsley.

Kelly said...Best Blogger Tips

Ok, if this is as good as the pasta salad, then I'm trying it. The number of people who have asked me for the pasta salad you introduced me to is insane. So I trust you. Even though I'm picky. And it seems to contain no candy.

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