Is vegetarian/vegan cooking as hard as people say it is?
A lot of people have told me that they are hesitant to try to eat less meat because they believe meat-free eating means spending lots of time cooking. There’s this misconception that vegetarian or vegan cooking takes too much time or is too difficult, but this is far from the truth. This Tofu Rice Bowl recipe with Edamame comes together in as little as 10 minutes! It’s healthy, nutritious, tasty, vegan, and super quick to make!
Meat-free cooking does require learning about and trying new foods, but it can be easy and tasty too. Just like in non-vegetarian cooking, there are different levels of recipes. There are always recipes that a 5-year-old could follow and the recipes that are better suited for culinary professionals.
More about my Tofu Rice Bowl recipe
You don’t need a ton of fancy ingredients to put together a vegetarian or meat-free dish. There are so many cheap pantry ingredients that are vegan and packed with nutrients. Just think about things like beans and lentils! This recipe has ingredients that most people would already have at home (except for the tofu if you don’t normally cook with it). It’s perfect for dinner after a long day of school or work or maybe a quick and healthy lunch.
And just because you see all these people making super intricate vegan dishes on social media doesn’t mean that you have to! Healthy, eco-friendly eating can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be. If you truly love cooking, go ahead and cook your heart out in the kitchen. For the rest of us, quick recipes like this Tofu Rice Bowl are a total life-saver.
Curious for more?
If you’re interested in checking out some other super delicious vegan/vegetarian recipes, take a look at my blog. You can find my tofu taco recipe here and my eggplant parmesan recipe here. Or, for even more recipes, check out this super awesome site, Cookies and Kate, here
Tofu Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 14 oz firm tofu
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (I recommend reduced sodium)
- 1/2 cup frozen edamame
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
- 1/4 avocado (opt)
- 1/4 tsp sesame seeds(opt)
- pepper to taste
- assortment of vegetables and greens (opt.) I used some leftover zucchini I had
Instructions
- Start by boiling water in a saucepan to cook the frozen edamame. While you wait for the water to boil, you can start pressing the tofu by surrounding it with a towel and applying pressure on the top with a heavy pan. Leave the tofu like this for a few minutes.
- Once the water boils, add the edamame into the pot and follow the instructions on the packaging to cook. It usually takes between 4-6 minutes, but it might be different depending on the type or brand of edamame you have.
- While the edamame is cooking, in a skillet pan add the soy sauce and heat it over medium-high heat. Once it has heated up, add the tofu to the pan. It is up to you whether to cut the tofu into cubes before but keep in mind that the smaller the pieces of tofu, the crispier and more cooked the pieces will be. Allow the tofu to cook on one side and once it is golden brown (after about 3 minutes), flip the tofu onto the other side, and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside once it is done cooking.
- By this time, the edamame should be done cooking so you can drain the water from the saucepan and set it aside as well. Now is a great time to start heating up your rice if you're using leftover rice you have in your fridge.
- To assemble your tofu rice bowls, start by placing the rice in the bottom of the 2 bowls. On top of the rice, add the tofu on one side and the edamame on the other, and if you're adding the avocado, place it on top of the rice as well. Then, sprinkle on the sesame seeds and over the bowls if using and as much pepper as you want! Generously sprinkle on any veggies you've got on hand and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe is super easy and quick to make with any leftover rice you have laying around your fridge. In my opinion, the tofu goes best with white or brown rice, but feel free to experiment!
- If you like your tofu crispy, instead of cooking it in the skillet, you can place the tofu on a sheet pan once you coat it in the soy sauce and broil it in the oven. Cook it until it is crispy on top, flip it over, and cook it on the other side until it’s nice and brown.
- For the vegetables, anything would work well such as carrots, spinach, kale, zucchini, or collard greens, and they help you pack in even more vitamins and minerals!
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