This recipe is the perfect Friday night, tired-from-a-long-work-week, make-in-thirty-minutes, uber yummy dinner. Jam-packed with flavour and containing all the the essentials that go into a meal – protein, carbs and fats. I got you.

The protein: Tofu is the main protein in this dish, but can easily be subbed for any meat protein if you are not a vegetarian, like moi. Chicken would be my suggestion.

To prepare the tofu, start by pressing it. Place extra firm tofu in a folded tea towel and place something heavy on top, like a cast iron pan. Let it sit like this for about 30 minutes to help drain the extra liquid. This will help it crisp up when we pan fry it!

When it is fully pressed, toss it in some cornstarch and fry in some sesame oil on all six sides, until browned and crispy.

The carbs: The carbs in this recipe are the ones we want. Vermicelli noodles are made from rice, and the sugar snap peas and carrots lend a healthy dose of complex carbs.

I love cooking with vermicelli because it takes less than two minutes in a pot of boiling water and a little goes a long way!

As for the vegetables, I prefer the peas and carrots in this particular dish, but you should do what makes you happy. Broccoli, bok choy, red onion or brussel sprouts would also be good. Add them in raw, blanche them in some boiling water, or fry them up in some sesame oil! Keep the seasoning simple as the sauce is where the flavour will come from.

For the carrots, I like to “ribbon” them by using my vegetable peeler to cut super thin strips from one end to the other (after discarding the exterior layer). I toss these in boiling water for a minute and they become tender and you don’t get large, hard chunks of carrots in your dish!

The fats: Since the sauce has a peanut butter base, the good fats in this recipe are in the sauce. Of course I like to use my Homemade Peanut Butter. It is whisked up with soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, garlic and some red pepper flakes – if you are living that spicy life.

It makes the perfect drizzle-able consistency to just slather those noods without hesitation or regret. Try it!

Pull it altogether in a bowl. Noodles topped with veggies, topped with tofu, topped with peanut sauce, topped with some extra crushed peanuts. Grab your chopsticks and let’s celebrate this day for ever and ever.

แซบ! (That’s “delicious” in Thai)

Asian Noodles in a Peanut Sauce

Serving size: 2

Prep time: 30 minutes (mostly for pressing the tofu)

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 300 g extra firm tofu
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 cup sugar snap peas
• 1 large carrot, sliced or ribboned (see notes above)
• 100 g vermicelli rice noodles
• Chopped peanuts, for garnish
• 1 scallion, sliced thinly, for garnish

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (about half a lime)
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• pinch of red chili flakes (optional)
• 2-4 tbsp cold water

Instructions:

1. Wrap the tofu in a clean tea towel and place something heavy on top to press out all of the extra liquid. Let press for about 30 minutes.
2. While the tofu is pressing, prepare the other ingredients. Start with the sauce – fill a small cup with cold water. Add a few ice cubes, mix and set aside. Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, vinegar and chili flakes until combined and smooth. Remove the ice cubes from the cup and add 2-4 tablespoons of water to the sauce, one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Set aside.
3. Dice the tofu and toss in a bowl with cornstarch until evenly coated. Add to a hot pan with sesame oil and cook over medium-high heat, turning to brown each of the six sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If you are ribboning your carrots, add to the pot for 1 minute and then remove with a slotted spoon. Add the vermicelli to the boiling water for about 1 minute and 45 seconds, stirring often with a fork to separate the noodles. Drain.
5. Add the noodles to the bottom of two bowls. Top with sugar snap peas and blanched carrots (read notes above for other vegetable cooking options). Add tofu to bowl. Drizzle the sauce on top of everything and then add the crushed peanuts and scallions. Enjoy!

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Sorry…got weird for a second there…but listen, here is a bowl full of pure healing. A range of super-tasty-yet-so-good-for-you vegetables paired with nutty brown rice and a garlicky-lemon tahini sauce to slather at your own will. Lunchtime game-changer.

A lot of my recipes are inspired by different places that I have visited and the foods and ingredients that I have discovered there. This dish is the opposite. I’ve been dying to get to Israel to try out what I hear to be the most amazing cuisine. A trip that most definitely will be taken in the near future, but for now, I’m going off what I know so far with this simple tahini dressing.

If you don’t know, tahini is the peanut butter of sesame seeds. It has a bitter, nutty kind of taste that pairs very well with lemon and garlic – hence this sauce. Just whisk with some cold water until you reach a drizzlable consistency and slather, slather, slather.

The foundation of this bowl is brown rice, but you can really use any grain you like. We ARE already packing this bowl full of vegetables, so we may as well continue down the path to health and choose the far superior rice. Ahem, brown rice. Cook the rice according to package directions (brown rice takes a long time, so plan ahead)!

Tip: When your rice is done cooking and it is time to remove from the heat and “let stand for five minutes,” open the lid, toss in a handful of golden raisins and quickly close the lid again. They give this dish a sweet, juicy “pop!” Trust me. I do this every time I make rice. The little golden jewels plump up by absorbing the steam that is trapped inside of the pot and there is nothing wrong with that.

Veggies – Start with your beets, as they take the longest. I like to use a mix of red, candy striped and golden beets for that “rainbow” effect. Wash the outside of them and place them on a large piece of aluminum foil. Wrap the foil up like a present, making sure that there are no openings for the steam to escape. Place on a baking sheet, throw them in the oven and forget about them for an hour or so.

Chop up your butternut squash, your brussel sprouts and your kale and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. The squash goes in first – 15 minutes. Pull out and add the sprouts. 15 minutes. Pull out and add the kale. Another 10 minutes. Done.

Other rainbow prep – Other than the roasted veg, I also like to prepare the following to add: avocado, olives, green onions, pomegranate seeds and hemp hearts. Muy rainbow-esque!

Assembly – It’s BUDDHA BOWL TIME! Scoop the rice into the bottom of your bowl. Around the outside, spoon in all of the different vegetables and toppings. Drizzle with tahini sauce and take pictures to remember this ceremonious day.

Rainbow Buddha Bowl with Garlic Tahini Dressing

Serving Size: 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4-5 raw beets (I like to use a mix of red, candy stripe and golden), washed
• 1 cup dry brown rice
• one-quarter cup of golden raisins (optional)
• 2 cups butternut squash, cut into half-inch cubes
• 2 cups brussel sprouts, cored and halved (about 20 sprouts)
• 6 leaves of tuscan (black) kale, thick stem removed, roughly chopped
• 6-7 olives, sliced
• 2 scallions, sliced
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1 avocado, sliced (optional)
• half cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
• 4 tablespoons hemp hearts (optional)

For the tahini sauce:

• one-quarter cup of tahini
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• salt
• 3-4 tbsp ice cold water

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place beets in the middle of a large piece of aluminum foil and wrap up like a present so that there are no open areas where the steam could escape. Place the foil package on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a fork inserts easily.
2. Rinse the rice under cold water until water runs clear. Meanwhile, add one tablespoon of olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and toast for a minute in the oil. Add a pinch of salt and two cups of water. Bring to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, cover and turn the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Do NOT open the lid!
3. While the rice is cooking and the beets are roasting, chop up your vegetables. Drizzle the squash, brussel sprouts and chopped kale (each in their own separate bowl) with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
4. When the beets have been roasting for about half an hour, pull the baking sheet out of the oven and add the squash, continuing to roast for 15 minutes. Pull the baking sheet out again, add brussel sprouts and quickly return to oven to roast for another 15 minutes. Remove sheet tray one more time, toss the veggies around and add the kale, roasting for 8-10 more minutes or until kale is crisp and vegetables are cooked through. Remove from oven.
5. For the sauce, start by putting 2-3 ice cubes in a bowl and fill the bowl with cold water. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and a pinch of salt until combined. Add the cold water, one tablespoon at a time, whisking until fully incorporated. It usually takes me between 3-4 tablespoons to get the consistency that I like. Set aside.
6. When the rice is finished cooking, turn the burner off, lift the lid of the pot, throw in the golden raisins and quickly place the lid back on top. Remove the rice from the hot burner and let stand with lid on for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before assembling the bowl.
7. Carefully open the foil package with the beets inside (the steam will escape and it is hot)! Use two paper towels to peel the skins off of the beets. Rinse peeled beets under cold water to remove any excess skin and diced ’em up!
8. Assemble the bowl by scooping the rice and raisins into the bottom and surrounding it with the beets, squash, brussel sprouts, crispy kale, avocado, scallions, olives and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with the tahini sauce and sprinkle on some hemp hearts for an extra protein punch.

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