Spice Up Your Life

I've been a fan of spicy food for a while now, maybe ever since I learned of the magic that is buffalo chicken- I know my college friends can attest to that. While I can still appreciate that flavor in my food, my palate has expanded a bit since then and I’ve started to explore other ways to add heat to my meals. I recently partnered with Yellowbird Sauce, a company based out of Austin who that makes amazingly flavorful hot sauces of fresh ingredients. You don't see anything vague in the ingredients list like "natural flavors" and you can pronounce everything on the label. They taste amazing, plus they come in regular size and cute little travel sizes in case you're the kind of person who needs hot sauce with you at all time (at work, traveling, etc). They have 5 flavors- jalapeno, habanero, serrano, blue agave sriracha, and ghost pepper. I’ve tasted 4 of the 5, except the ghost pepper because I gotta admist I'm a little nervous I can't handle that kind of heat. If you haven't heard of a ghost pepper before, read about it here... yikes. This recipe uses Yellowbird's blue agave sriracha, which I chose because the blue agave adds a nice sweetness which balances out some of the tangy flavors in the recipe.

Veggie Packed Grain Bowl with Blue Agave Sriracha Tofu

serves 4ish

Ingredients:

1 package of firm tofu (about 15 ounces)

4 cups raw broccoli

2 cups riced cauliflower

1 cup brown rice, raw

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 small purple cabbage

Black and white sesame seeds, for topping (optional)

Blue Agave Sriracha Sauce:

1/4 cup tahini

1-2 tablespoons Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha hot sauce

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

2 cloves of garlic (or 1 teaspoon minced)

1/4 teaspoon salt

water, to thin

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.

2. Cut tofu brick in half so that you have two thin bricks equal in size. Place each piece on a folded paper towel on a plate and press to get as much liquid out as you can. Repeat this a few times until the tofu feels more dry. This is the key to getting crispy tofu.

3. Spray a baking sheet with oil. Evenly spread out the tofu and bake for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

4. Combine rice in a large saucepan with 2 cups of water, sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Cook for 25-30 minutes until water has absorbed.

5. Cut broccoli and carrots into bite sized pieces. Toss with a little olive oil, then bake on a separate baking sheet for 15-20 minutes.

6. Slice cabbage into very thin slices. You can also use a mandolin or shred in a food processor if you wish.

7. Add all sauce ingredients to a small blender and mix well. I ended up adding about 3 tablespoons of water, but you can adjust accordingly.

8. Add riced cauliflower to the pot with the brown rice and mix well.

9. When the tofu is done cooking, add it to a mixing bowl with half of the sauce and toss well to coat.

10. Assemble bowls (or tupperware) with cabbage, rice mixture, broccoli, carrots, and tofu. Top with the remainder of the sauce, and sesame seeds. Add a little more Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha hot sauce if you like things spicy.

Recipe notes:

This recipe is great for meal prep as it can easily be divided into tupperware.

Gluten free and vegan.

This blog post is part of a paid collaboration with Yellowbird Sauce #YellowbirdPartner

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