Vegan Nourish Bowl with Tofu and Sweet Potato

By Angela Patel who guest edits this blog post for Cole & Mason UK.

This colourful and hearty bowl of goodness makes a delicious and filling vegan meal. With oven-baked tofu and sumac roasted sweet potato alongside crisp salad veg, wholegrain rice and a tangy soy and lemon dressing - it’s packed with flavour!

Kitchen tools needed: Cole & Mason Salt and Pepper Mills

Prep: 1 hour

Cook: 30 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 280g pack extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 2cm cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 medium sweet potato (approx. 300g weight), peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 tsp sumac
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp agave syrup
• 2-3 tsp lemon juice
• 250g pouch microwave wholegrain rice
• large handful of mixed salad leaves
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
• 1/2 small cucumber, pared into thin strips
• 3 small tomatoes, chopped
• 100g frozen broad or edamame beans
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds
• pickled sliced red onion, to serve (see tips)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F, Gas 6. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.

2. Pat the tofu cubes dry with kitchen paper and place in a shallow bowl. Add 1 tbsp each of the olive oil and soy sauce and toss to coat. Spread the cubes on one of the baking trays and sprinkle over the cornflour, turning to coat.

3. Spread the sweet potato chunks on the second baking tray and drizzle over another tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle over the sumac and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, tossing to coat.

4. Place both baking trays in the oven and roast for 25-30 mins, turning once, until the tofu cubes are golden and the sweet potato chunks are lightly charred and tender.

5. Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking the remaining olive oil and soy sauce with the sesame oil, agave syrup and lemon juice in a small jug. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook the rice according to the pack instructions. Tip into a heatproof bowl and stir in half the dressing.

6. Boil the beans in a small saucepan for 5 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. If you are using broad beans pop the bright green beans out of their outer pods (discarding the pods).

7. Divide the rice between two large shallow bowls. Add the salad leaves, carrot, cucumber, tomato, sweet potato and beans and place the tofu in the centre of each bowl. Drizzle over the rest of the dressing and scatter over the black sesame seeds. Serve within 1-2 hours of assembling with pickled sliced red onion.

TIPS

• Wholegrain rice is used as the carb base in this recipe but sushi rice, quinoa or cous cous will work just as well.

• You can replace the tofu with cubes of paneer or halloumi cheese for a vegetarian version and for a non-veggie bowl try char-grilled strips of chicken.

• To make the pickled sliced red onions, simply peel and thinly slice one red onion, place in a colander and pour over freshly boiled water. Rinse with cold water and pat dry. Spread the onion slices in a large shallow bowl and add 4 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp caster sugar and a large pinch of salt. Cover and leave overnight, turning once or twice. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.