When Friday rolls around I get stoked. Why? It’s time to get the creative juices flowing and get my list ready for meal preps for the upcoming week.
Most of the time I like to use what I already have in the fridge so this recipe was basically inspired by my leftovers. What can a girl do with some purple cabbage, shredded carrots, corn, frozen broccoli, tofu, smoked salmon, cucumbers, red onions and ginger?
Let’s try a Korean inspired bowl 🙂 When I lived in California I loved how there were sooo many amazing Asian restaurants. As I was figuring what to make I remembered visiting ON+ON Kitchen in Torrance and Norwalk. It was basically a subway Korean style restaurant where you pick you base, protein, veggies and toppings.
This recipe took me roughly about 45 minutes to 1 hour including prep time. A bit time consuming but so worth it!
I absolutely love the vibrance and color of the bowl. The sweet and sour pickled cucumbers, onion and ginger hit the spot with the flavor packed tofu and smoked salmon. I also love the crunch this bowl has with the purple cabbage and carrots.
It was so good, I decided to have it for breakfast and lunch. Yeah, not kidding.
So if you’re a lover of asian cuisine you definitely need to give this a go. Drop me a comment and let me know what you think. Yay? Nay? Where has this recipe been my whole life? 😉
BASE
1 cup of brown rice
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups of water
VEGGIES
1 can of corn
12 ounces purple cabbage shredded
8 ounces of shredded carrots
16 ounces of frozen broccoli (Trader Joe’s)
PROTEIN
1 package of extra firm high protein tofu (Trader Joe’s)
8 ounces of smoked salmon
1 tbsp sesame oil divided
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp basil
1.5 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili flakes
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp lemon juice
TOPPINGS
1 small red onion
1 large cucumber
1/2 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of water
1 cup of white vinegar
1 small head of ginger
To start gather all your ingredients. I would recommend hitting the pickled cucumber, ginger and onion first as it needs to set for at least 4 hours.
STEP 1: LET’S GET TO PICKLING
Finely slice the large cucumber into about 1/4 inch, depending on your preference. Also finely slice the ginger, the thinner the better on these in my opinion. Next, julienne your red onion (thin slices about 1/4 inch thick).
STEP 2: GET YOUR BROWN RICE A-COOKIN
I love my rice cooker because it does all the work for me. I use a brown basmati rice from Trader Joe’s but any brown or even white rice will do. I prefer brown rice because there is more fiber in it when compared to white. More fiber = you stay full longer.
Portion out 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water. Place this in your rice cooker or stove top in your pot. Next, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil. I love this because it gives the rice that yummy coconut taste, which equals more added flava to that bowl!
If you’re cooking stove top bring it to a boil then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes.
STEP 3: LET’S PREP THAT VEG
Pre-heat your oven to 420. While that’s getting started, use parchment paper to cover 2 baking pans. One will be for the cabbage and carrots while the other is for the broccoli.
Place your ingredients on the baking pan and spray with avocado or olive oil. I seasoned with fresh cracked pepper, pink Himalayan salt and garlic powder. Ensure all the veg is covered with seasoning then pop in the oven.
Take out the cabbage after about 20 minutes. The broccoli will cook longer at about 30-35 minutes since its frozen. If you use fresh broccoli you can take it out at the same time as the cabbage.
STEP 4: TIME TO GET TO THE MAIN
While your veg is cooking you can chop up the high protein tofu into 1/2-1 inch cubes. Once the tofu is prepped heat up your pan to medium. Add 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil. You’re going to brown the tofu for about 5-7 minutes.
While the tofu is cooking mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, chili flakes, soy sauce, maple syrup, lemon juice and 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil. After the tofu is lightly browned add your sauce to the pan. Continue to keep it on medium heat and allow the tofu to soak up the liquid. This will take about 6 minutes or so.
STEP 5: FINISHING TOUCHES
By this point the roasted veg and rice should be ready to go. For the base of your bowl plate up with 1/2 cup of brown rice. Then add your vegetables— about 1 cup of broccoli and 1/2 cup of the cauliflower and carrots. Next, add about 2 tbsp of corn to the bowl. Now protein takes center plate, add about 3/4 cup of tofu and 2 ounces of smoked salmon. To finish it off drizzle with some sriracha and place about 1/4 cup of your pickled cucumbers, onion and ginger on the side.
NUTRITIONAL FACTS
The reason why I picked tofu as my main protein source was because it’s my main go to for a plant based alternative. I try not to eat meat too frequently throughout the week so that’s why you’ll see a lot of plant based alternatives on my site.
I also want to be mindful of my cholesterol levels. Our body produces enough cholesterol so we don’t need to consume it like we would with other nutrients. So when we eat animal products it will increase our cholesterol levels over time, which can lead to heart disease, stroke, obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. When you make an effort to eat more plant based you’re actually lessening your risk of these types of chronic disease.
At the end of the day I believe moderation is key and being mindful of how much you’re consuming daily and weekly makes a difference over time.
Another reason why I know you’re going to love this bowl is because its got all your macros covered— carbohydrates, protein and fat. I always recommend that each meal include all three because you’ll be sure to have sustained energy and stay full longer.
HEALTHY SWAPS
Most plant based options are going to be cheaper than actual meat like tofu and beans for example. However, if you can’t figure taking meat out of your diet or lessening it then I would recommend sticking to lean proteins like chicken, ground turkey and salmon, which can easily be used for this recipe. BUT, I would recommend doubling the sauce/spices and if you have time allowing it to marinate for a few hours and skip browning it like I did with the tofu.
REFERENCES
the whole seed 