I have a confession to make: I haven’t spent a lot of time on recipe development this summer. Maybe it’s the rising humidity, two grad school classes squeezed into a one-month summer session, or just pure laziness, but the time I’ve been spending in the kitchen has mostly been focused on throwing together meals for our household. That means no measuring cups, measuring spoons, kitchen scales, or any of the other gadgets that go into actually publishing a recipe for public consumption.
Not deliberately setting out to create recipes, however, often yields fabulous meals that I can then come back to later and make “precise” with said gadgets. In fact, I have a whole folder of summer “recipes” just waiting to be measured and published! This supremely satisfying summer bowl is at the top of the list, because it was just so darn enjoyable!
How to describe it? All of the components work so nicely together – tender broccoli florets, quinoa, a raw carrot salad with raisins and coconut that jives perfectly with the spicy serrano-cilantro sauce you’ll be drizzling (or drowning) your bowl with, and some simple sautéed tofu for extra protein. Crunchy, sweet, spicy, tender – this bowl has it all. And just like my vegan winter bowl, you can make any or all of the components ahead of time and assemble your bowl when you are ready to enjoy it, or you can even assemble the bowls within tupperware containers for ready-made, transportable lunches. (Bobby and I devoured our first bowls warm, then assembled the leftovers in two containers and took them for lunch the next day, where we ate them cold. Both ways were delicious.)
A couple notes about the recipe:
-I don’t remove the seeds from my serrano when I make this, which means the serrano-cilantro dressing is HOT! Depending on the heat level of your serrano and your personal spice preference, it might be a good idea to remove some or all of the seeds before blending.
-You should have enough fixings to make four good-sized bowls.
-This recipe is Low FODMAP, provided you divide your fixings into four servings/bowls and eat one bowl per sitting. 3/4-1 cup of quinoa per bowl makes a good base for your fixings.
-My imitation horchata is a wonderful accompaniment to these spicy summer bowls!
Vegan Summer Bowl with Spicy Serrano Cream
The directions below break down cooking instructions for each component, but the bowls are really quite simple to make. For those of you who (like I’ve been this summer) are not feeling motivated to get out measuring utensils, here’s a “recipe” with the basic concepts: Cook some quinoa. Cook some broccoli florets (boil or roast). Grate some carrots and toss them with toasted coconut, raisins, salt, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Sauté tofu with olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. Follow the recipe for my spicy serrano cream. Assemble your bowls. Smile!
Spicy Serrano Cream:
The capers are a MUST here – they give the cream its savory, mouth-watering quality.
- ⅓ cup hemp seeds
- ½ a serrano pepper (if you want it HOT, leave seeds in)
- 1 tablespoon capers
- ¾ cup cilantro, lightly-packed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
Place the hemp seeds in a container, cover with water, secure the lid and place in the fridge for at least four hours. Drain and rinse in a fine mesh strainer. Place the drained seeds, pepper, cilantro, capers, olive oil, water, and salt in a high-powered blender (I use the single-serve container of my Ninja) and blend until smooth.
For the quinoa:
If you’d like to soak your quinoa (for optimal digestion), follow the directions below. Otherwise, prepare it as directed here.
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 capfuls apple cider vinegar
- Water (for soaking)
- Boiling water (for cooking)
- A couple pinches of salt
Place the quinoa in a container with a lid. Cover with water by a couple inches and add the two capfuls of vinegar. Place the lid on the container and let it sit out for about 6 hours, or overnight. Rinse the quinoa very well in a fine mesh strainer, until there are no soapy bubbles.
Place the rinsed quinoa in a saucepan, cover with boiling water until the water rises to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch above the quinoa, and add the salt. Return to a boil, and then cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked. If making ahead, spread out on a sheet tray to cool before storing in an airtight container.
For the broccoli:
Be sure to heavily salt your water. Not only will it season your florets, it will also lock in nutrients and keep your broccoli a vibrant shade of green.
- 4 cups broccoli florets (A 12-ounce head of broccoli will yield this amount)
- Water
- Salt
Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil and heavily salt it. Add the florets and boil until tender and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain.
For the carrots:
To toast your coconut, simply place it in a dry skillet over medium heat and stir frequently until the edges start to lightly brown. Remove promptly – once it starts to brown, it can quickly become overdone.
- 1 ½ cups grated carrots (2 medium-small carrots, about six ounces)
- 2 tablespoons dried, unsweetened coconut, toasted
- 2 tablespoons raisins, roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Stir together the carrots, coconut and raisins. Sprinkle the salt and vinegar evenly over the mixture and toss to combine.
For the tofu:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 14-oz cake extra-firm tofu, drained
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Crumble the tofu into the pan and sprinkle with the salt, oregano, and black pepper. Sautee for about five minutes, until cooked.
To assemble:
Spoon desired portions of quinoa, carrot salad, broccoli, and tofu into bowls or containers. Drizzle the sauce over the top. As noted above, you will have enough fixings for four good-sized bowls.
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