Spicy Vegan Peanut Butter Tofu Rice Bowls

I have made this recipe several times and every single time it gets rave reviews. Cute hubster loves it and my boy {N} always eats his entire bowl. My girl [A] is skeptical of sweet potatoes and so she kind of picks through her bowl - mostly eating all of the tofu pieces she can find. Am I a mean mom for insisting she keep trying sweet potatoes each time we have them? I don't force them down her but I always insist that she try everything once!

This recipe is based off of the sauce and technique of Kalyn over at Kalyn's Kitchen. You can view her recipe here. The picture right below here belongs to her as well. I have to use alternative pictures wherever possible because I don't have my own camera - I only have my Android smartphone. Sorry for my sloppy pictures but at least you can get the idea!

SPICY VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER TOFU RICE BOWLS
Original idea by Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen
Arranged by Shayla Bentley
Makes a VERY large amount (at least 8 servings)
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14-16 oz. extra firm tofu (you can also used cooked, shredded chicken if you don't like tofu)
1 T sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2-3 T diagonally sliced green onions (for garnish, optional... I never remember)

2 cups uncooked brown rice (for the perfect technique on cooking brown rice that has NEVER failed us check out this site here)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and shredded

2 cups green or red cabbage, sliced

1 - 2 cups eggplant or mushrooms

Sauce Ingredients:
6 T reduced sodium soy sauce (or Tamari if you need to keep it gluten free)
6 T rice vinegar (not seasoned rice vinegar, can substitute white vinegar)
4 T smooth natural peanut butter (or 6 T crunchy)
2 T pure maple syrup (or agave)
4 T vegetable stock or water (I always use water)
Sriracha to taste (only if you like things spicy!)

Make sure to get your brown rice started first if you aren't using leftover rice. The rice takes at least 40 minutes to cook! 

Once rice is cooking and about 10 minutes into cooking time heat sesame oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Prep your tofu by removing from package and squeezing as much moisture as you can out between a thick layer of paper towels. Chop tofu into small pieces. 

Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tofu to skillet, sprinkle with ground ginger, and cook until nicely browned. Turn skillet to low.

Mix all sauce ingredients together and add to skillet. Your peanut butter will most likely start out a little chunky still but as it heats everything will blend together nicely. 

Turn your oven on to high broil. When the rice has about 8 minutes left spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray and place sweet potatoes, cabbage, and eggplant (or mushrooms) on the sheet. Toss together and heat in the oven for 5-7 minutes. You do NOT want it to burn and you do not want the veggies to get totally soft. A little bit of crunchiness does WONDERS for this dish.

Once the rice is finished toss it in the skillet with the sauce and tofu. Fold together well trying not to destroy your tofu until the rice has a nice even layer of the sauce. Serve by putting a few scoops of veggies in the bottom of a bowl and add the rice/tofu mixture on top. *Note: if you let the hot rice mix sit atop the veggies for a few minutes they will soften even more. You can also add green onions and add the Sriracha to individual portions for those that like things spicy. 

Enjoy!

This is my I-am-about-to-shovel-this-deliciousness-in-my-mouth picture. Notice how the Sriracha bottle is sitting by my bowl? Yeah... I like spicy!

QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Do you like tofu? Have you ever tried it? 

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

Key Lime Coconut Bars

Rating on cooking method: B-, Rating on taste (for me): B, Rating on taste (for everyone else): A+

Lol. Are you laughing at my ratings? Well I needed to give you an accurate representation of this recipe! This is not an easy dessert to make. And make no mistake - this is not a healthy dessert. This is an indulgent dessert that I made for a really big family party. :-) Squeezing enough key limes to give you the juice you  need for this is a PAIN. And if that weren't bad enough, you have to zest them too. Luckily we have a cool squeezy tool that made the job a bit easier. But you will need a TON of key limes. I made the mistake of underestimating how many I would need. If you happen to do the same thing, make up the rest of the "key lime" juice with a mixture of 1/2 lemon juice and 1/2 lime juice. It will taste almost exactly the same.

I doubled the amounts called for in this recipe since I was making it for a big party and it fit into a BIG pan. Like, the one bigger than the 9x13. I am not exactly sure on the size... 11x17? Something like that. But it filled it to the BRIM.

I didn't think that the crust held together well enough. It seemed like it needed more butter to help it along. But it worked just fine with the amount called for and I used fat free sweetened condensed milk and it still worked out perfectly. 

If you choose to whip your own topping instead of using Cool whip like I did I used 1 pint of whipping cream and it covered the whole thing in a nice thin layer that offset the richness of the dessert. It was a bit too rich and sweet for me (remember I don't eat a lot of sugar) but everyone seriously ooohed and aaahed over it. And what matters most is that my mom loved it and since I made it special for her that is what I care about!

LINK: http://projectsforyournest.blogspot.com/2012/04/key-lime-coconut-bars.html

Spinach Quesadillas

Rating: A

This is a really easy and tasty lunch (or dinner) idea. I added some red pepper flakes to mine since I like things a bit spicy and used whole wheat tortillas.

LINK: http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-recipes/healthy-sandwich-recipes?page=5

Vegan Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

Rating: A-

I really enjoyed this chili and liked the different textures. My whole family liked it as well, including my children. We topped ours with avocado and a little bit of Greek yogurt. That would nullify the fact that it is supposed to be Vegan but it is a wonderful addition and a great alternative to sour cream. I thought that it tasted a lot like a regular chili and since it is so much healthier that is great. My husband didn't agree but he liked it all the same. We will definitely be making this one again!

LINK: http://www.milkfreemom.com/vegan-quinoa-sweet-potato-chili/