Happy meatless Monday! Look how beautiful my aunt and uncle’s kale is!? My parents just visited and flew me back some and it’s so tender and fresh. When they were gone, I kept their car and made a trip to Trader Joe’s. I picked up some creamy, no salt added almond butter (– their version is just made with nuts in their nut butters!), and it was begging to be used along with the a $2.99 whole pineapple and package of tofu (but chicken would be a great carnivore swap). Those paired with that gorgeous kale created Pineapple Almond Butter Tofu Buddha Bowls. They’re really easy to make if you prep the quinoa ahead of time and they’re deliciously different.
Ingredients (serves 4).
For the Tofu:
- 1 package (14 oz) extra firm tofu
- 1 T reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 T warm water
- 1 t rice vinegar
- 3 T creamy almond butter, no salt added
- 1/4 t ground ginger
- 1/4 t garlic
- 1 t agave (or to taste)
- Sriracha to taste (optional)
For the Bowls:
- 1/2 T coconut oil
- 1/2 T minced garlic
- 1 medium zucchini, cubed
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 1 c edamame, frozen
- 3 c kale, torn into pieces
- 1 c pineapple, diced (how to easily cut here)
- 2 c quinoa, cooked
- Sesame seeds
- Sriracha (optional)
Directions.
For the Tofu:
- Remove tofu from packaging. Line a plate with folded paper towels and place tofu on top. Set another small plate on top of the tofu and place something heavy on top like 15 oz or 28 oz can of diced tomatoes. “Press” tofu for 15-30 min to allow excess liquid to drain.
- Once drained, cut tofu into pieces. I “thinned” the tofu by cutting it in thirds lengthwise into three even sheets. Then I stacked the sheets and cut everything into small cubes — 5 columns by 7-8 rows to yield tiny about 1 cm cubes. Add tofu cubes to a large bowl.
- Mix remaining ingredients for the sauce. Whisk well. Pour over tofu cubes and mix so cubes are evenly coated. Set aside while you make the rest of the bowls.
For the Bowls:
- In a large skillet or wok, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and red onions. Sauté 2-3 min. Mix in zucchini chunks and sauté another 3-4 min.
- Stir in frozen edamame and sauté until just beginning to brown and zucchini is tender. Then, fold in kale until wilted. Remove from heat.
- For the bowls, assemble: 1/2 c cooked quinoa, 1 c veggies (heaping), 3/4 c tofu and 1/4 c pineapple.
- The tofu does absorb some of the almond butter sauce. If you want a more vibrantly flavorful bowl, add 1/4 of the sauce the day of use.
- Top with sesame seeds and sriracha (optional).
- Enjoy!
Inspired by The First Mess‘s “Cool Vegan Noodle Salad with Seared Tofu.”
Nutrition for 1 serving.
396 calories • 16.9 g fat (37%) • 42.7 g carbs (41%) • 22.5 g protein (21%) • 9.8 g sugar
* These are estimates based off specific products I used and how I entered ingredients in a fitness tracker. This is completely subjective and used to give a rough nutritional estimate.
Eat Drink Savor Repeat 