If you are looking for a filling meal that is vegan and gluten free look no further. Veggie Goodness Grain Bowl is so delicious that even meat lovers will be left without room for dessert. The raw veggies are refreshing, the nuts, seeds and crispy tofu provide a protein crunch and the vegan creamy dressing just puts it over the top. Have some fun with the recipe by mixing up the veggies, grains,  nuts and seeds, you can use whatever you have on hand. This amazing grain bowl that will leave you feeling satisfied and bursting with energy.

Why is it Important to Buy Organic Tofu?

It is important to buy organic tofu because soybeans are one of the most prominently farmed Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in the US. Soybeans are genetically modified to be able to withstand pesticides, so farmers can douse their fields in pesticides to kill the weeds without killing the soy plant.  Eating pesticide laden GMO soy can lead to infertility and increases the risk of miscarriage. For more information check out this article by Dr.Mercola, this article in Natural News and this article in the Huffington Post.

Health Benefits of Nutritional Yeast

The creamy Veggie Goodness Grain Bowl dressing contains nutritional yeast which gives it a cheesy flavor. Nutritional Yeast is sometimes referred to as “nooch” and it is one of the few vegan sources of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is very important to include in our diet because it supports the production of red blood cells, prevents amenia, allows nerve cells to develop properly and helps your cells metabolize proteins, carbs and fats. Nutritional Yeast also contains notable amounts of thiamin (vitamin B1) which helps maintain your energy supplies. You can usually find Nutritional Yeast in the healthy food section of your grocery store or in any health food store. Now that you know more about nutritional yeast, you can use it in my Crispy Chickpea Kale Salad recipe.

Veggie Goodness Grain Bowl has a lot of delicious ingredients and it takes some time to sauté, cook, chop, grate and dice everything, but trust me it is well worth the effort to enjoy this incredible fusion of flavors. You can leave the chopped almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds raw to save time or you can toast them in a dry pan on high heat until golden. They will toast really quickly so stay with the pan and give it a shake every few seconds. When the nuts and seeds are golden, set them aside to cool.

To assemble to Veggie Goodness Grain Bowl place a layer of warm quinoa at the bottom of the bowl. Top the quinoa with all the veggies, then the tofu and sprinkle on the nuts and seeds, including the raw chia seeds. Finish it all off with some dressing and enjoy warm. Veggie Goodness Grain Bowl will keep well in the fridge for a couple days but I recommend storing everything in different containers so the flavors stay separate and the beets don’t turn everything purple. The toasted nuts can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature once they have cooled.

Veggie Goodness Grain Bowl Recipe

(gluten free, vegan)

Prep time:  25 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serving size: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups uncooked quinoa
• ½ Tbsp olive oil
• ½ Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cups tofu, diced into 1.5cm cubes
• 1 cup almonds, chopped
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 1 large beet, peeled and grated
• 3 carrots, peeled and grated
• 2 avocados, diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds

Dressing

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup tamari
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp tahini paste

Directions:

1. In a medium pot add the quinoa and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed.
2. Heat olive oil and sesame oil in a large pan over medium heat. Drain tofu and cut into 1.5cm cubes. Sauté tofu for roughly 10 minutes or until golden on all sides, remove from the pan and set aside.
3. You can enjoy the almonds and seeds raw, or you can toast them by placing the almonds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in a dry pan and toasting them on high heat until golden. They will toast really quickly so stay with the pan and give it a shake every few seconds. Set aside to cool.
4. Place the garlic in the food processor and pulse until minced. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and pulse until smooth.
5. To assemble the grain bowl, place a layer of warm quinoa at the bottom of the bowl. Then top with all the veggies, then the tofu and sprinkle on the nuts and seeds. Top it all off with some dressing and enjoy warm.

What are your favorite ingredients to add to a grain bowl? Leave a comment and let me know!