Smoky Basil Chickpea Bowl

Husband made supper tonight, this is what he came up with. The first spoonful was barely in my mouth when I popped up from the table, grabbed my camera and started taking pics. Apparently this is a source of irritation. "NO, you CAN'T eat that YET. I haven't taken my blog pics." Well, this time I snapped pics of my own bowl, and then devoured its contents. 

My hubby like to cook from whatever's around, and never, ever cooks from recipes. Tonight's creation was a hit...smoked paprika, fresh basil, lemon juice seasoning a mixture of couscous, chickpeas, corm and grated carrots. mmmmmmm. 

And, the best part, no cooking. He made this in a large mixing bowl without using a single pot or pan...

Fully sated, I'm now kicking back with a brown cow (does anyone else actually still drink these? how nineties) made with soy milk and peppermint mocha Kahlua over ice, and listening to Belle and Sebastian. Did I mention we gave up watching tv during the week? Well, we watch one hour a night to chill, but otherwise it's sewing, or food stuff, or just hanging out. For your listening enjoyment as you read over the recipe: 

Another Sunny Day

I Want the World to Stop

The State I Am In

Serves 4

1 cup dry couscous

1 cup corn kernels

1 large carrot, shredded

1 can chickpeas (drained)

2 Tbsp olive oil

sriracha hot sauce, to taste (2-4Tbsp)

lemon juice (to taste, 3-4 Tbsp)

"fresh" basil, we use one of those tubes of herbs, frozen cubes would work - dry basil flakes wouldn't be that great though, you want a real herby zing here. to taste (2-4 Tbsp)

smoked paprika (2-3 Tbsp)

spicy seasoned salt, or regular salt with a little cayenne

Layer the following ingredients, in this order, in a large mixing bowl: couscous on the bottom, then carrot, then corn, lastly chickpeas. Pour in 1 cup boiling water, and cover with a lid of some kind (very important, steams the veggies while it absorbs into couscous). Let sit 7-8 minutes, remove the lid, fluff and stir with a fork. Stir in oil, lemon juice and sriracha hot sauce. Add basil, mix in thoroughly, and then season with salt. 

yummers...

Buddha Rice Bowl with Ginger-Carrot Dressing

The first installment in simple, easy-to-prepare recipes for Denise – and all of you too, of course! This rice bowl comes from Aux Vivres, a wonderful veg restaurant in Montreal, Quebec. I’ve had the Buddha Bowl a few times…brown rice, steamed veggies, delicious Wafu carrot-ginger dressing, topped off with toasted pepitas. Yum!

So here’s the thing. This recipe has a few steps, but don’t be put off – the ingredients can be adapted to whatever you have on hand. Wait, did we just lose Denise? I hope not, this dish is soooo worth it. Don’t feel like making the homemade Wafu dressing? Fine…buy it or use the leftover sauces sitting in your fridge. Don’t want to marinate and grill tofu? Sure…buy something pre-made or use whatever leftover proteins you’ve got kicking around. You get the idea. And even better, Aux Vivres serves this warm rather than piping hot, which means if things cool down between preparation steps, no biggie.

And, if you’re still not convinced this is easy food to make, get your other sister to do it for you. I think both of mine will like this dish very much! Carrot-ginger Wafu dressing, by the way is amazing...check my lower-calorie homemade vegan version.

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 x 450g firm tofu

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp oil, for grilling the tofu

4 cups broccoli stalks

1 large or 2 medium carrots

3 cups spinach

1 cup sprouts

¼ cup pepitas

1 recipe Ginger-Carrot dressing

Start cooking your rice, follow package instructions. In the meantime, slice tofu into 2” strips, and marinate in soy sauce and sesame oil while preparing remainder of ingredients.

Get a steamer basket ready – if you don’t have one, a microwavable container, a little water and plastic wrap will do just fine. Slice your broccoli stalks into large pieces, or whatever size is desirable for you. Place them in the steamer basket and steam for 4-5 minutes or until just tender. While the broccoli is cooking, shred your carrots – no need to cook them, they’ll be used raw. Once the broccoli is ready, remove from steamer basket and add the spinach. Keep the lid off, and let the spinach wilt for a minute or two while you prepare the tofu.

Heat a grill or frying pan over medium-high heat, add your oil and gently place the tofu strips in the pan. Discard the remainder soy sauce, or keep it to drizzle over your meal if desired. Grill the tofu until nicely browned. Remove from heat and put aside while prepping the serving bowls.

Place ¼ of the rice in the bottom of each serving bowl, and arrange tofu, broccoli, carrots, spinach and sprouts on top. Using a dry pan, toast pepitas over low heat, and then sprinkle them on top of each serving bowl.

Serve each bowl with ¼ of the Ginger-Carrot Dressing, either on the side (I used a shot glass for the pic!) or drizzle over the entire dish.

Per serving: 413 cals, 15g fat, 53g carbs, 596mg sodium, 7g fiber, 19g protein.  (PRO68.2/17%,CHO211/51%,FAT133/32%)