My First Glow Bowl - Tofu, Massaged Kale, Red Cabbage, Purple Sprouted Broccoli and Quinoa

UPDATE: I am ashamed to admit when I first wrote this post it was titled my first Buddha bowl. I had seen them all over the internet and ignorantly thought I would make my own, to keep up with current trends. However I now see that using a religious icon to describe a bowl of food, that is in no way connected to that religious culture is wrong. I looked online into what Buddha Bowls are and there is no connection to Buddha and Buddhism so the name in my view is cultural appropriation and I am deeply sorry for my actions. I have changed all the times I used the words Buddha in this subsequent article with Glow. I hope to own up to my mistake, and that's why I am leaving this note.

Ok so I'm going to be honest I have no idea what a glow bowl actually is. From what I can see on Instagram it's pretty bowls of healthy food... I mean if that's the case then I've eaten loads of glow bowls I guess, and probably so have most people reading this! But this bowl was really pretty, tasted delicious and so I have christened it my first Buddha bowl, even though it probably isn't... For real though guys if anyone knows what a glow bowl is, let me know.

Tofu is a notoriously tricky ingredient, but actually it's not too hard to cook it's just a faff. You have to be prepared to spend a bit of time on it, so maybe not a busy week night meal. You also must get the right type of tofu, this recipe requires firm or extra firm tofu (I used this one). The first thing to do is drain your tofu of the water it sits in. Then slice your tofu and place a few sheets of kitchen roll on a chopping bored, put the tofu on top, and then place a few more sheets of kitchen roll and another chopping board on top of the tofu. Add either heavy books or pans on top of this to weigh it down. You want to press all of the water out of the tofu so it can absorb flavour. After pressing the tofu for at least an hour, you must then add flavour to your tofu by marinading for at least an hour too.This recipe then requires the tofu to be baked, however even if I am frying tofu I often bake it beforehand to make it slightly firmer. Follow these steps and you should have tasty tofu.

I paired my tofu with red cabbage, broccoli, and massaged kale. Whenever I tell people about massaged or raw kale they look at me like I'm weird. But I swear to god it is my favourite way to eat kale, raw kale seems crunchy and unappealing but if you massage it in a dressing it quickly becomes soft and super tasty. Kale is rich in vitamins A, K, C and the B complex. It is also a rich source of minerals like copper, calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. It is a great source of ß-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. These are potent antioxidants and carry out anti-cancer activities, plus it contains health-promoting phytochemicals, sulforaphane, and indole-3-carbinol that can protect against prostate and colon cancers.

Ingredients

For the tofu

1 block of pressed and sliced tofu (If unsure how to press tofu please read above)

3 tablespoons coconut and peanut butter (I used this one, but if unable to locate, mix together 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 1/2 tablespoon coconut cream)

1 tablespoon miso paste

1/2 lemon

4 tablespoons tamiri

3 tablespoons water

1/4 fresh chilli

1 teaspoon garlic granules

For the red cabbage

1/4 red cabbage

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons tamiri

4 tablespoons sesame seeds (I used black but white would work just as well)

For the Massaged Kale

100g kale

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon tamiri

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

For the Quinoa

160g quinoa

Bunch of coriander

Purple sprouted broccoli (If you can't locate normal or tenderstem broccoli would work just as well)

Method

1) Mix together the coconut and peanut butter, miso paste, lemon, tamiri, water, chilli and garlic granules. Place the pressed, sliced tofu in a tray and pour the marinade over the tofu, making sure to evenly coat each slice. Leave to marinade for at least an hour.

2) Once marinated place the tofu in the oven at 200'c for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and crispy at the edges.

3) Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions.

4) Slice the red cabbage thinly, mix together the sesame oil, apple cider vinegar and tamiri to make a dressing. Pour over the cabbage, add the sesame seeds and stir so the dressing and seeds are evenly distributed.

5) Slice and remove any hard stalks from the kale. Mix together the tahini, tamiri, and apple cider vinegar and pour over the kale. Massage the dressing into the kale with your hands, you should start to feel the kale soften.

6) Steam the broccoli for 3 - 4 minutes.

7) Slice the corriander and mix into your cooked quinoa. Assemble bowl components and enjoy!