Meatless Monday: Spiralized Vegetable Tahini Bowl with Tofu, Edamame & Avocado
Try this Meatless Monday Spiralized Vegetable Tahini Bowl with Tofu Edamame Avocado recipe or contribute your own
Try this Meatless Monday Spiralized Vegetable Tahini Bowl with Tofu Edamame Avocado recipe or contribute your own
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 whole carrot julienned
- 1/4 cucumber, blade c
- 1/2 zucchini, blade c
- 1/4 block of extra firm tofu
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds
- 1/2 avocado meat cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup edamame beans cooked
- 2 tbsp chopped scallions
- for the tahini dressing:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- 1 tbsp + 3 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp mirin (or honey if you can't find mirin)
- Carbohydrate 26.0938920143185 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 40.2942600246645 g
- Fiber 9.30600012790538 g
- Protein 15.9719760081873 g
- Saturated Fat 5.68768200353232 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (245g)
- Sodium 155.044172976586 mg
- Sugar 16.7878918864132 g
- Trans Fat 1.96779000118683 g
- Calories 491 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Place all of your spiralized vegetables and julienned carrots into a bowl and toss together to combine.
- Place your tofu block on a few sheets of paper towels. Place a few more paper towels over the tofu and place a heavy book or can on top, to squeeze out the water.
- After a few minutes, cut the tofu into chunks and toss in a bowl with soy sauce and white sesame seeds. If you have the time, let sit for 15 minutes to absorb the flavor. If not, that's okay.
- Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay down the tofu chunks, season with salt and pepper and bake for 20-35 minutes, depending on your preference. I like my tofu a bit tough, so I bake it for 30 minutes. Make sure to flip the tofu halfway through. Once done, set aside.
- While the tofu is cooking, place all of the dressing ingredients into a food processor and pulse until creamy. Pour over the bowl of vegetables and mix thoroughly to combine. Top with avocado, black sesame seeds, scallions and cooked tofu. Eat with chopsticks!
Pressing extra-firm tofu under a heavy weight for five minutes removes surface and internal moisture that would otherwise prevent the cubes from browning in a 375 degree oven. Water acts as a thermal barrier, converting oven heat into steam instead of developing the Maillard reaction needed for a firm exterior. While an ordinary heavy book or a large canned good provides adequate downward pressure on paper towels, failing to drain the block leaves the soybean curd waterlogged and rubbery rather than chewy. Tossing the drained cubes in soy sauce and white sesame seeds before baking seasons the interior while the exterior crisps during the twenty to thirty-five minute cooking window. Turning the pieces halfway through ensures even heat distribution across all faces of the protein.
Spiralized zucchini and cucumber contain high water percentages that rapidly dilute heavy sauces if the strands are not dressed strategically. Processing the tahini, ginger, minced garlic, rice vinegar, and mirin in a food processor until fully emulsified creates a thick coating that clings to raw vegetables without pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Because tahini is an oil-and-sesame paste, the acidic addition of vinegar thickens the mixture initially before smoothing out into a pourable consistency. If mirin is unavailable, substituting an equal measure of honey provides the necessary sugar balance to tame the sharp bite of raw garlic and ginger. Edamame beans and cubed avocado are layered on afterward to introduce distinct fat and protein textures that contrast sharply with the crisp crunch of julienned carrots.
Dietary preferences easily accommodate adjustments within this assembly framework without sacrificing structural integrity. Replacing soy sauce with tamari removes wheat derivatives for gluten-sensitive diners, whereas omitting sesame oil entirely still yields a functional dressing provided the tahini emulsion is thoroughly blended with extra vinegar.
