May I present to you….The World’s Best Buddah Bowl

I have an issue.

I want ALL the food when I have a meal.

I don’t just have broccoli, I have broccoli and eggplant and peppers and spinach and kale.

I don’t just have oatmeal with banana, I have oatmeal with banana and blueberries and strawberries and dates and every kind of crunchy topping imaginable.

With this kind of wild imagination and simultaneous desires, it’s no wonder why I’m a huge fan of buddah bowls. It’s basically an excuse to throw everything I love in one bowl and douse it all in a dressing of some kind. And don’t even get me started about the toppings…oh the toppings.

I’ve made asian style, mediterannean style, and mexican style, but this latest asian version is honestly the best concoction I have ever spontaneously thrown together.

I know the recipe may seem involved and there are many steps to creating the bowl, but it’s worth it, and most things can be substituted with whatever you may have on hand!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Tempeh:

• 1 package organic tempeh, sliced into strips
• 1 tbps. hoison sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. apple cider or rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. sriracha

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, and add tempeh, making sure the strips are coated completely. Let the flavors make love for at last 15 minutes while you prep the other parts of the bowl.

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup tamari
• 2 tbsp. apple cider or rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce, if you have it on hand
• 1 thumb grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Whisk ingredients together and set aside to pour over top of entire bowl.

Remaining ingredients:

• 1/2 package rice noodles, cooked according to instructions
• 1 small eggplant, sliced into medallions
• 1 small zucchini, sliced into medallions
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked in microwave or oven beforehand.

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Bake eggplant, zucchini, and broccoli on a greased or lined cookie sheet for about 20 minutes, flipping every 7 minutes or so. While veggies bake, cook rice noodles and sweet potatoes.

Once the veggies have been baking for about 10 minutes, put tempeh in a baking dish and bake until hot and crispy, about 10 minutes.

Once everything is ready, assemble bowl! Put noodles on bottom, followed by tempeh, sweet potato, veggies, and dressing!

Top with whatever you like, but here is the (DELICIOUS) combo I used.

-Kimchi

-A sheet or two of nori seaweed

-Scallions

-Sesame Seeds

-Sriracha

-Fresh Parsley and Cilantro

This shit is gold, you guys. I promise if you give it a try, you will crave this exact bowl fo eva eva.

Vegetable Udon Curry

Ahh, spring time. The birds are chirping, the daffodils are out, denim jackets are appropriate again, and the world is sighing in relief that winter has finally passed. April is just the best….

NOT.

April in Rochester actually goes a little something like this: “Snow is melting, woo! Wow, I don’t need to wear my big jacket anymore, this is awesome! Shit, it’s raining, well, at least it’s kinda warm? Oh my god the daffodils are up, it must truly be spring! Fuck my life, it’s snowing.”

Yep, it’s snowing here folks, and it’s about 30 degrees. I could cry. I really could.

Being mad at the weather is the worst because you can’t curse at it or punch it in the face, considering it’s not a solid being, and you end up taking out your frustration on whoever is around to take it. This morning I trudged to work in my warmest scarf, winter hat, mittens, and fleece and saw the hopeless anger in the eyes of every person I passed…we just cannot catch a break here.

One thing that does always cheer me up, even when spring seems like a completely lost cause, is a bowl of veggie curry. It’s got to be one of my all time favorite foods. It’s stupidly easy, so flavorful, and warms up every corner of my heart and soul, even when said heart is as cold as the ice on my windshield this morning.

INGREDIENTS:

For the curry sauce:

• 3 tbsp. red curry paste
• 1 can light (organic) coconut milk
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbsp. grated ginger

For the dish:

• 1 package udon noodles, cooked as directed on package
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 medium onion
• 1 small eggplant, peeled and cubed
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 head bok choy, chopped
• 1 package mushrooms of choice, sliced
• 1 cup veggie broth
• 1/2 tbsp. coconut oil

In a large pan, heat the coconut oil over high heat. Add veggies and stir fry until softened, about 5-8 minutes, then add veggie stock. Cook until stock has evaporated 3/4 of the way.

While veggies cook, mix the curry sauce ingredients in a bowl and pour over veggies. Turn heat to medium and let simmer for another 10 minutes or so. 

Serve hot over udon noodles and garnish with sriracha, cilantro, peanuts, bean sprouts, whatever you want.

Whether the weather is bringing you down, you want to enjoy a bowl of something hot on the couch while watching a shitty TV show, or you’re just in the mood for a comforting, spicy pick-me-up, make this curry and I promise you’ll feel better.

Current Cabbage Obsession + Asian Peanut Slaw

Just a few short months ago, if someone had mentioned cabbage as a tasty staple in his/her diet, I would have rolled my eyes and conjured up images from my childhood of my mom making that gratuitous pot of corn beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day.

…Ya know, the one you’re kinda obligated to make, but that no one really likes at all considering the fact that it makes your whole house reek for days on end/just isn’t tasty? (Sorry, Mom!)

Though I tolerated cabbage in things like spring rolls, I have never been a cabbage eater, and it didn’t make an appearance on my grocery list until I was strapped for cash and saw it for 50 cents a head at my local farmer’s market. Considering I’d recently seen countless Pinterest recipes highlighting this humble veg, I thought I’d stop being a little bitch about it and give it a go!

I added it to stir fries and curries, ate it raw in salads, and even made a wrap or two with it, falling in love with its crunch and surprising subtle sweetness.

Ever since that fateful day at the Public Market, I’ve tried to incorporate more cabbage into my diet, especially during weeks when I’ve been hit pretty hard in the money department.

This past week, I scooped up a GIGANTIC napa (or Chinese) cabbage to play around with, and decided to change my mind about cole slaw, which I also detested until this week based on my memories of it growing up…ya know, the mayonnaise-drenched, mucus-inducing, flavorless bowl of gunk at BBQs (sorry, Grandpa!)

In order to ensure I would like the slaw, I decided to go the Asian route, since I’m almost 100% guaranteed to adore anything Asian, as I’ve expressed many times. Thanks to Pinterest inspiration…Pinspiration? I concocted this recipe that I cannot keep my fork out of!

INGREDIENTS:

For the slaw:

• 1/2 GIANT head of Chinese cabbage
• 2 large carrots, shredded or cut into matchsticks
• 1 cup edamame, unshelled
• 2 scallions, minced

For the dressing:

• 1 tbsp. organic crunchy or creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. grated ginger
• 1 large clove garlic, minced/pressed
• 1 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. sriracha
• salt and pepper to taste

Chop your cabbage into ribbons and place in a large bowl. Add shredded carrots, scallions, and edamame and give a good mix. 

In a smaller bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients, tasting for seasoning and adding more salt and pepper as you please. Pour dressing over slaw mixture, and give a good mix to coat veggies with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. The veggies will absorb the dressing and go down in volume quite a bit.

Trust me…this shit is GOOD, and quite magical seeing as it made me change my stubborn mind about slaws, and strengthened my new found devotion for cabbage.

Try this out and make believe it’s summer with me!