Green Goddess Tofu Bowl (Or: How I Let My Freak Flag Fly)

Some days I can’t help but embrace my inner hippie.

I haven’t talked about it much on the blog, but I grew up on a farm. An organic farm. And if we’re gonna get real specific, it was a commune.

Now before you get yourself all riled up, the commune wasn’t anything cultish or creepy. It was just a buncha earth lovin’ folks who had common goals about sustainability (long before that word was all trendy and on oprah). So they decided to live their lives together – growing vegetables, raising livestock and sharing large family-style (mostly vegetarian, always organic) meals.

And sure we’d occasionally frollick around a May pole and yes we would celebrate a solstice or two. I mean it wasn’t creepy, but it was definitely eccentric.

Anyhow after a lovely trip to the Brickworks Market this afternoon (more on that tomorrow), I ended up with an arm load of organic veggies, some herbed tofu and a hankering for some seriously granola grub. So I whipped up a meal that was totally inspired by my days as a flower child.

Green Goddess Tofu Bowl

Don’t be scared by all the steps: this bowl is really just a mix of a whole grain cous cous base, some roasted tofu and veggies and a light tofu sauce. All toppings are optional, feel free to mix and match based on what’s in your kitchen.

Protein – Roasted Tofu and Summer Squash

Dice 1/2 block (or 1 full block, but reserve half for another recipe) of herbed tofu in equal parts balsamic and soy sauce – I used about 2 tbsp each. Toss together with salt-free herb mix (Spike, Mrs. Dash, etc.), garlic powder, pepper and nutritional yeast if desired.
Spread out tofu blocks on a foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving a little space on one side.
Toss 1 diced zucchini in the leftover tofu marinade and spread it out on the empty half of the baking sheet.
Roast tofu and zucchini at 425 for around 20-30 minutes.

Grain Base – Whole Wheat Cous Cous

In a medium saucepan sautee 1/4 diced onion, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 diced yellow pepper and 1/2 cup diced cauliflower in a little oil until fragrant and just softened.
Add 2/3 cup water and heat until boiling.
Add 1/2 cup whole wheat cous cous, remove from heat and cover. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Green Goddess Dressing

Puree 1/2 package silken tofu, 1 green onion, 1 clove of garlic, small handful of fresh basil, 1 tsp dijon, juice of half a lemon, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Thin with water, I used about 1/2 cup for a lighter consistency.

Additional Toppings: