I’ll start by saying I don’t really like tofu, and I tolerate it when it comes inside my plate, and I neither like its spongy texture nor taste. However, I know that it has a lot of health benefits and it’s full of protein, so here I am, trying my best to use it in my everyday diet.

Ok, but first things first: I’m currently recovering from covid. Yes, it found me too. But thanks to the three doses of vaccine, I’ve had it really mild; a sore throat, stuffed nose and ears, a bit of headache and fatigue. None of them was too severe. And it all took only a handful of days. The hardest part of it has been the quarantine on my own in my apartment. And on this 5th and the final day (hopefully), I am bored to tears. Luckily my boyfriend and close friends dropped food and other needs at my door.

But right before this covid week, I was heavily experimenting with high protein salads and bowls. I started exercising again, and I need protein. I am not vegan, so I can get it from dairy products, but I don’t want to dive too deep into those. I can quickly lose myself in cheese, but it also has too much fat, so I must be careful!

So in this bowl, I have baked tofu, pan-fried edamame beans, black rice, steamed broccoli and grated carrot. I got the inspiration for the baked tofu from Cozy Peach Kitchen blog, but I used my own favourite spices that I like and my own steps. I also put avocado in the bowl at the last minute. This recipe makes 2 large bowls, but you can multiply it according to your needs. Enjoy!
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Ingredients:

Difficulty: Easy
(serves 2, multiply for more serving)

Printable PDF-recipe (no photos)

For baked tofu:
2.5 dl (or 1 cup) panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chilli pepper flakes
1 tsp salt*
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 pack/250 gr tofu
1 dl (1/3 cup + 1 tsp + 1 tbsp) water in room temperature
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 dl (1/3 cup + 1 tsp + 1 tbsp) all-purpose flour

For the rest of the bowl:
1.5 dl (or 10 tbsp) black rice, rinsed well
1 litre (or 4 cups) of water
3 tbsp olive oil
250 gr frozen edamame beans
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 large carrot, grated
several broccoli florets, steamed
1 avocado

sesame seeds
salt to taste for the final touch

*I used low-salt soy sauce. If you are using regular soy sauce, you might want to reduce the extra salt.

Note: I’m using the conversion chart in this link for the measurements.

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Put a baking paper on an oven tray.
2. Mix the first 6 ingredients in the list for the baked tofu.

3. Cut the tofu into about 1.5 cm thick pieces, then cut each piece in 2. With my block of tofu, I got 16 pieces in this way.

4. Put water, soy sauce, and flour in a shallow bowl and whisk well until entirely smooth.

5. Dip each tofu piece into the wet mixture and thoroughly coat it. Then coat it with panko mixture. Put each coated tofu piece on the prepared oven tray. Bake in the medium part of the oven for 20-25 minutes until they are crispy and lightly browned. Put aside to cool down.

6. In the meantime, make the rice. Put 1-litre water in a pot and add the rice. Cover (but leave it ajar) and cook for about 30-35 minutes until the rice is tender. Drain the excess water when done and put aside the cooked and drained rice.

7. For edamame beans: put half of the 3 tbsp olive oil on a pan on medium-high heat and let it warm for about half a minute. Add edamame beans and stir a little for 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and continue cooking the beans while stirring until lightly browned. Transfer the cooked beans to another container.

8. Put the same pan back on medium-high heat without washing. Add the remaining olive oil. Put the cooked rice and saute for a few minutes until the rice is fully coated with oil. Take out of the pan.

9. Arrange your bowl in any way you like with tofu, rice, edamame, carrot, broccoli and avocado. Sprinkle sesame seeds. Add more salt for a final touch if you want/need it. Enjoy!