VeganMoFo IV: Let's Hear It for the Bowls

One of the reasons I got excited about moving to the Coachella Valley was an awesome restaurant chain called Native Foods.  When I first saw the menu, I wasn't too into it though.  There was a pretty small sandwich/burger section and there was a huge thing about bowls?  I didn't know what a bowl was then and was kinda reluctant to get stuff that said "brown rice," "steamed kale," and "steamed vegetables."  But I took my chances on the Greek Gyro bowl and was so impressed, we went back again before I left back to San Antonio.

So, I love bowls now.  My favorite from Native Foods is probably the soul bowl and not just because I always sing "just let your soul booooowl..."  The only thing I don't like about the location nearest me is that there are no fries!  No regular fries!  No sweet potato fries!  A crime against humanity!  But Chef Tanya is always there and she's awesome, so all is well.

Today, I made a very loose interpretation of the Greek Gyro bowl that got me excited about bowls in the first place.

quinoa, steamed veg, tofu, hummus

This is basically a Mediterranean bowl.  It's quinoa with sundried tomatoes and kalamatas.  Topped with steamed kale, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.  Topped with lemon white bean hummus and marinated tofu.

For the hummus I used a big, beautiful lemon from my lemon tree.  I made it creamy with tahini and water.  The tofu was marinated in a small bit of oil, vegetable broth, plain unsweetened yogurt, Greek oregano, salt, pepper, and chopped garlic.  Then I sprinkled the dry seasoning in this recipe over it.

tofu zoom

Bowls are extremely versatile and the equation is simple.  Starch, steamed green, vegetables, protein(s), and sauce.  Some ideas for bowls:

Starches-jasmine rice, brown rice, quinoa, potato, sweet potato, polenta

Steamed Greens-kale, collards, spinach, chard

Steamed Vegetables-broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, mixed vegetables

Proteins-black-eyed peas, black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, seitan, tempeh, tofu

Sauces-bbq sauce, peanut sauce, hummus, vinaigrette, salsa, ranch dressing, curry

There are tons of possibilities, really.  Some combos that I would do:

1. Jasmine rice, kale, carrots, broccoli, tempeh, and peanut sauce.

2. Sweet potato, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, black-eyed peas, bbq seitan, and ranch.

3. Polenta, chard, mixed vegetables, black beans, and salsa.

4. Brown rice, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, chickpeas, and curry

5. Potato, kale, mixed vegetables, tofu, and bbq sauce.

That's all for now.  I am about to begin a super crazy baking marathon.  Woo, Friday nights!