6/15

Spicy Brown Rice Bowls

Food, Grains, Healthy, Hot, Meal Ideas, Savory, Veggie Based
By Emma Chapman

Spicy Brown Rice Bowls (via abeautifulmess.com)This dinner is easy to throw together, full of good-for-you things, and totally delicious. Really, it’s everything a weeknight dinner should be. I love challenging myself in the kitchen and making all sorts of complex or new-to-me dishes, but what I make most often is something that resembles this. It’s home base, what you return to over and over again.

Spicy Brown Rice Bowls (via abeautifulmess.com) So what the heck is it?

marinated, baked tofu (swap this out for cauliflower or shrimp if you don’t like soy)
steamed brown rice (swap with black rice or quinoa if you’re feeling fancy)
spiralized, raw veggies like zucchini, carrots, bell pepper (trendy food bc spiralizing is the new smoothie bowl)
a creamy, spicy sauce that kind of resembles Yum Sauce if you’ve ever had that before (but this is better)

That’s seriously it. If you have some cilantro, toss that on top too. Dinner is served.

Marinated and baked tofuSpicy Brown Rice Bowls, serves two

3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
marinated baked tofu (see here for recipe)
1 zucchini
1/2 red bell pepper
1 large carrot

For the sauce:
2 heaping tablespoons of mayo
1 tablespoon reserved marinade (from the tofu)
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Prepare the tofu and steam the rice. I used the exact same method for the tofu as you see here. The only change was I cut it into small cubes instead of longer strips, or fries. I love this baked tofu recipe. I make the full 14 oz at a time (one package), and even if we don’t eat all the tofu with this meal, I’ll save it in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator and add it to salads or stir fries the rest of the week. Yum!

Steam your rice. I use a rice maker; it makes the whole thing super easy and impossible to screw up. I like that. 🙂

Easy brown rice bowlsClean and spiralize your veggies, or cut into thin matchsticks or very small cubes. I like the long strips that spiralizing makes, but it’s not necessary. Since we’re leaving the veggies raw, you do want to cut them up quite a bit so they are easier to chew and enjoy in this meal, but there are lots of options here. So feel free to change it up if you like.

To make the sauce, simply stir together the mayo, reserved marinade, and chili garlic sauce. Taste and if you want more heat, add more chili garlic sauce or even just an extra sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Spicy Brown Rice Bowls (via abeautifulmess.com) Once everything is prepared, assemble your bowls, drizzle on the sauce, and top with cilantro. Ta-da! Dinner is ready to be devoured. 🙂 Enjoy! xx. Emma

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions. 

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