Antioxidant Dragon Bowl with Lemon Black Pepper Tofu

My favorite type of food is healthy, colorful, and satisfying without weighing you down. This antioxidant-rich “dragon bowl” fits the bill perfectly! I modeled the sauce after the Dragon dressing at a landmark vegan eatery Aux Vivres in Montreal. Theirs is oil-based, but since I like to make my dressing oil-free, I used raw sunflower seed butter instead. Seeds are some of the most nutritious things we can eat, and I added pomegranate seeds, which are full of Vitamins C, B5 and B6, K, and flavonoids, and may protect against cancer and cardiovascular diseases. We also all know that eating plenty of antioxidants is anti-aging and anti-inflammatory. With steamed kale, lemon black pepper tofu, and black rice (another antioxidant powerhouse), this makes one sweet and savory, restorative meal.

Antioxidant Dragon Bowl with Lemon Black Pepper Tofu

Serves 2-3

2 cups cooked black rice

1 block extra firm tofu, cubed (about 3/4″ pieces)

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 fresh lemon

about 6 leaves kale, de-stalked and chopped roughl

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

1/4 cup raw sunflower seed butter or tahini

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp liquid sweetener (I used brown rice syrup)

about 1/3 cup water plus 1-2 tbsp as needed

Seeds of 1 medium pomegranate

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. In the meantime, steam the kale in a medium pot for about 3-4 minutes, then set aside.

2. Line a baking tray with foil, and using a spatula, spread a thin layer of olive oil. Add the tofu cubes and put in the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes.

3. Take the tofu out of the oven. Drizzle with about 1 tbsp of soy sauce, a squeeze of lemon, and toss to coat. (Note: Soy sauce is added mid-way because it burns rather easily). Pepper generously, then put back in the oven for another 15 minutes, or until golden crispy. Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk the seed butter, garlic, nutritional yeast, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sweetener, 1/3 cup water, and about 1 tbsp lemon juice. Add a bit more water if it needs to be thinned out. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. To assemble: In a bowl, add the black rice, kale, tofu, and pomegranate seeds, and top with the dressing. Enjoy!