Cadry's Kitchen

A Vegan Adventure

Vegan recipes from my kitchen

Baked tofu & kale chip Buddha bowl

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For a good-for-you lunch that really sticks with you, this brown rice Buddha bowl hits the mark. It’s topped with baked tofu and kale chips. Then it’s finished with a drizzling of tahini dressing. It’s a filling, delicious, and healthy lunch or dinner. Vegan & gluten-free.

#Vegan brown rice Buddha bowl with baked tofu, kale chips, and a tahini sauce | cadryskitchen.com

For Vegan Month of Food, I’m doing a series called Back in Thyme, in which I travel to other periods of my life. Today I’m setting the date to the year 2009, when I would regularly visit Flore Vegan Restaurant and have this Buddha bowl with baked tofu…

Back in Thyme Banner

We have a bird feeder just outside our dining room window. One of the kitchen table chairs acts as a kitty perch. The cats watch Feline TV and make catcalls to the birds outside who are having dinner.

The birds don’t seem to notice or care. But it gives the cats a chance to be as menacing as their adorable, furry selves can manage.

Knowing how hard it can be to wait for your favorite shows to come back on television, I try to keep the birdseed in full supply, so that the cats don’t miss their program.

This means that with some regularity, I go to the grocery store to get a huge bag of birdseed.

Whenever I leave the store, hefting a 20 pound bag, I always laugh to myself, thinking about if someone were to catch a picture of me at that moment.

“There goes a vegan with an enormous bag of birdseed leaving the grocery store…”

I think of them sizing me up and saying, “Yep.  That’s about what I thought.”

When it comes to so-called “vegan food,” people have a lot of opinions.

In addition to seeds, they imagine it’s all tofu, rice or barley, carrots, tahini, sprouts, avocado, and kale chips…

Oh, did I tell you that I have a recipe for you?

That’s right.  As much as I always talk about how vegan food is just food (and it is), the truth is, I like all of those crunchy, granola foods for which vegans are mocked.

I like green smoothies, green juices, hemp seeds, coconut water. And yes, I also like salt & pepper potato chips and vegan junk food too.

Vegan Buddha Bowl with Baked Tofu

#Vegan brown rice Buddha bowl with baked tofu, kale chips, and a tahini sauce | cadryskitchen.com

Welcome to a who’s who of much maligned plant foods…

When a vegan throws a dinner party, this is likely what people fear they will be serving.

This bowl was inspired by the Basmati Brown Rice Bowl I would often get at Flore, a vegan restaurant in Silver Lake, California.

(You can find my write-up about their restaurant here.)

For this Buddha bowl, I use my go-to baked lemony tofu recipe.

A big batch of baked tofu is good for a bowl like this one. And it’s also so handy to have as a straight-out-of-the-refrigerator snack, slipped into sandwiches or salads, or added to stir-fries for a quick weeknight meal.

For the grain, I opt for barley or brown rice. But you could go with quinoa, millet, farro, or whatever tickles your fancy.

It’s then topped with all of the carrots, avocado, sprouts, and kale chips your heart desires.

Enjoy the filling warmth of the tofu and brown rice. Revel in the crisp texture of the kale chips against the creamy, nutty tahini. Sink your teeth into the fatty goodness of avocado until every drop is gone.

After all, sometimes an Iowan has to have corn-on-the-cob. Sometimes a cat has to meow. And sometimes a vegan has to have a dinner of tofu & kale chips.

#Vegan brown rice Buddha bowl with baked tofu, kale chips, and a tahini sauce | cadryskitchen.com

Baked Tofu & Kale Chip Buddha Bowls with Tahini Dressing

These brown rice Buddha bowls are topped with baked tofu, kale chips, and a drizzling of tahini dressing. It's a filling, delicious, and healthy lunch or dinner.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Bowl
Cuisine: American, Vegan
Keyword: dinner, dressing, gluten free, lunch, rice, tofu
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 381kcal
Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

For easy baked tofu

  • 1 Tablespoon tamari
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 20 ounces vacuum-packed super firm tofu sliced into 10 equal slabs*
  • 3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

For kale chips

For tahini dressing

  • 2 Tablespoons tahini
  • 2 to 3 Tablespoons water
  • 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • Pinch salt

For bowls

  • 2 cups cooked brown rice or barley (Use rice for a gluten free option)
  • 1 large carrot grated
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • Optional toppings: Sprouts, sunflower seeds & tamari

Instructions

To make easy baked tofu

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large lasagna-style glass casserole dish, combine the extra virgin olive oil and tamari. Lay the slabs of tofu evenly across the dish, taking time to coat each side with tamari and olive oil.
  • Put into oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip the tofu slabs, and cover evenly in lemon juice. Bake for an additional 20 minutes and remove from oven.

To make kale chips

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse kale and remove the hard center ribs. Tear the kale leaves into chips of medium, mostly equal-sized pieces. Keep in mind that the kale will shrink while it cooks, and so aim for pieces that are about two inches big if possible. Put the kale chips in a salad spinner to remove as much water as possible. The leaves should be as dry as possible, so that they will get crisp in the oven instead of soggy.
  • Put the kale chips in a large mixing bowl with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Using your hands, rub the oil, lemon juice, and salt into the kale, taking care to evenly coat them.
  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lay the kale chips evenly across the sheets, taking care that they don’t overlap. (You don’t want them to steam instead of bake.)
  • Bake the chips for 15 minutes and remove from oven. Check for doneness. You want them to be crisp, not burnt.
  • If they are not quite done, flip the chips, and return them to the oven, putting the baking sheets on opposite racks for even roasting. Return them to the oven to bake for another five minutes or less, keeping a careful eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. When the chips are crisp, remove them from the oven and serve.

To make tahini dressing

  • In a small bowl, combine tahini, 2 Tablespoons water, one teaspoon of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt with a fork until completely combined and creamy. If it's too thick, slowly add the additional Tablespoon of water until you've reached a creamy but pourable consistency. Taste and add additional teaspoon of lemon juice, if preferred.

To make bowls

  • In serving bowls, include a scoop of brown rice or barley, 2 slices of tofu, a handful of kale chips, a scoop of grated carrot, and a few slices of avocado. Top with tahini dressing and any of the optional toppings you prefer.

Notes

* For this recipe, I use the large vacuum-packed tofu from Wildwood or Trader Joe’s that doesn’t need to be pressed, but you could certainly use a water-packaged extra firm tofu instead, press it first, cut it into six slices instead of 10, bake it in a smaller dish, and adjust the amount of liquid accordingly.
Kale chips adapted from Practically Raw.

Nutrition

Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 753mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5870IU | Vitamin C: 50.6mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 3.1mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

Comments

  1. Bobbie {the vegan crew} says

    September 4, 2013 at 3:07 pm

    “In addition to seeds, they imagine it’s all tofu, rice or barley, carrots, tahini, sprouts, avocado, and kale chips…” Of course those aren’t even close to being ALL I eat or enjoy, but they are still some of my favorite foods!

    This entire bowl looks absolutely delicious, and I’ll definitely have to try the simple tahini dressing. We are always on the lookout for new ways to dress up our greens.

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 5, 2013 at 2:18 pm

      I agree, those are some of my favorite foods too! Especially when it comes to avocado, any meal is made better by its inclusion!

      Let me know if you try the tahini dressing! It’s kind of nice to have a simple sauce that doesn’t require dirtying the blender.

      Reply

  3. Sarah De la Cruz says

    September 4, 2013 at 4:14 pm

    Love it! There are times that I have a big bowl of barley with tofu and kale too and Irving always teases me for being so granola! I know he’s secretly jealous that he didn’t ask me to make enough for him!

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 5, 2013 at 3:35 pm

      How cute! You’ll have to make extra for Irving next time around, so that he doesn’t feel left out. There’s enough tofu and barley for everybody! 🙂

      Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 5, 2013 at 2:42 pm

      Excellent! We regularly went on Sundays for brunch or lunch when we lived in LA. It was also a good place to go after a hike in Griffith Park.

      Reply

  6. ameyfm says

    September 4, 2013 at 6:20 pm

    yum! I have to say, you are one step ahead of me because I just cannot get behind green smoothies. But, I did have an entire batch of collards (steamed) and an entire head of cauliflower (roasted) with noochy queso and tofu ricotta for lunch… so, there’s that! And, this meal looks totally glorious to me. I would love it. And I love that it’s got so many flavors and textures going on, and is super healthy. 🙂 perfect!

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 5, 2013 at 3:25 pm

      First the breakfast burritos and now the green smoothies… Are you sure you’re a California vegan? Well, I suppose if you’re still eating nutritional yeast flakes and tofu ricotta, we can let you keep your membership! 😉

      Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 5, 2013 at 2:45 pm

      I often do garlicky sautéed kale or collards too, but that extra bit of crunchy texture takes the meal up a notch! You’ll have to try it sometime!

      Reply

  8. Johanna GGG says

    September 4, 2013 at 9:09 pm

    That bowl looks like exactly that sort of thing I would love for dinner – I love all the crunchy granola vegan foods too – leaves more space for the chocolate cake 🙂

    Reply

  10. Joey says

    September 5, 2013 at 1:35 am

    Yep, it’s true – I know it’s all stereotypical vegan stuff, but I go made for kale and tofu. I find myself craving dark green veggies and beans. If that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right. That bowl looks divine!

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 5, 2013 at 3:30 pm

      Yeah, I generally use kale chips as a snack, but there’s something so satisfying about having that crunchy texture with the other softer foods in the bowl.

      Reply

  13. Ashley F. says

    September 5, 2013 at 8:30 am

    Bowls are one of my all-time favorite meals! This looks so yummy!

    Also, off topic, but I had to laugh at your ‘crunchy’ comment. I was once at an art festival in Minneapolis and there were a lot of meat vendors, and I said, “for so many crunchy people you’d think there be more vegan options” and the lady next to me started laughing so hard I thought she was going to pass out 🙂

    Reply

  16. Andrea says

    September 5, 2013 at 4:23 pm

    Bird seed is probably OK, but just don’t get caught with a big bag of rabbit food!

    I love food in bowls, and this dinner is exactly what I like to eat.

    Reply

  18. Maggie Muggins says

    September 5, 2013 at 4:59 pm

    I totally love a big bowl of hippy food from time to time, especially when it’s smothered in tahini sauce! I STILL have not made kale chips, I almost feel like a bad vegan for never trying such a popular recipe. One of these days…although I’m still kind of iffy about them for some weird reason.

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 6, 2013 at 10:22 pm

      I had heard there was one vegan out there who had never made kale chips, but I never dreamed I’d have the opportunity to meet her! 😉 But seriously, you should try them at least once. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

      Reply

  20. Jenn Murphy says

    September 6, 2013 at 12:45 am

    This is the kind of thing I am trying to eat more of and I love how simple this recipe is. I will definitely be trying it out. Whenever I go to Flore, I can’t bring myself to get anything besides the Southwestern Seitan Quesadilla.

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 6, 2013 at 10:27 pm

      Oh, I’ve never tried the Southwestern Seitan Quesadilla! I know how hard it can be to veer from a favorite. Their portobello mushroom tacos are also really terrific. Let me know if you give this a go! 🙂

      Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 6, 2013 at 10:29 pm

      It’s so true! Sometimes just the combination of several favorites in varying textures makes for a meal that’s even better than the sum of its parts.

      Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 6, 2013 at 10:33 pm

      Isn’t that a great movie? I was half considering just getting an orange life jacket when we were looking for costume pieces, because it was surprisingly difficult to find an orange puffy vest without down/feathers. Luckily, I was able to find this one online after some searching.

      It’s true! Sometimes the simplicity of baked tofu, greens, and grains just feels right!

      Reply

  24. Autumn says

    September 7, 2013 at 5:12 pm

    Yum yum yum yum! I have to admit, when I first went vegan I didn’t like the crunchier vegan dishes but now I absolutely love them. I think it took some time for me to appreciate simpler dishes after coming from a greasy SAD. It never occurred to me to put kale chips in a bowl. That’s kind of genius!

    This is exactly what I was craving today and I just happen to have all the ingredients on hand. Hooray!

    Reply

    • Cadry says

      September 8, 2013 at 9:13 am

      Good point! I’m sure when I went vegan, I wouldn’t have initially been excited about a meal of tofu and kale chips either. Now it’s the kind of food that I crave! I tend to use sautéed kale too in bowls, but the chips add a fun extra texture. If you make it, I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply

  25. Mandee says

    September 8, 2013 at 3:54 am

    I agree, I like all the foods that people assume we eat, and why not, they are delicious after all! This looks like a lovely, tasty, and filling meal!

    Reply

  28. Pixie says

    September 10, 2013 at 5:23 pm

    This meal looks like heaven to me ^-^ Some days you want fancy, some days you want pizza (home-made, of course!) and others, all you want is nice big bowl of healthy, hearty comfort. I could really do with a bowl of that right now!

    Reply

  29. Lindsay says

    September 17, 2013 at 4:10 pm

    Yum. My favourite foods are “hippie foods” too then. This looks AWESOME and I have pinned it. Thanks for the recipeS — I’ve never baked tofu before!

    Reply

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