Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl

Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowls - My Fresh Perspective

Tofu is anything but boring in this delicious, flavour-packed Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and loaded with fresh vegetables for a healthy, satiating lunch or dinner.


This one’s going down as approximately the 11th recipe on the blog that involves nut butter in the form of a sauce or dressing, and at the risk of being repetitive, I still figured you NEEDED to have this recipe in your life because it’s pretty much one of the greatest things that’s ever happened to tofu.

But first…

peanut sauce

After what just went down as the best weekend of summer, I took a couple of extra days off at the beginning of this week to catch up on a whole bunch of good things – friends, sleep, podcasts, hydration (which I’ve been terrible at lately), and the stack of Bon Appetit magazines that have been accumulating in the drawer next to my bed.

baby bok choy

On Monday I kicked off my birthday in sweaty style by taking Jess on a run to some of my favourite spots that didn’t fall on the Seawheeze route. For those that are newer readers, Jess was my roomie back when I lived in Waterloo, and this was her first trip to Vancouver. She is outrageously ambitious, hilarious, phenomenally talented as an athlete, and generally one of the grittiest, toughest girls I know. It’s amazing how you can be 4 provinces apart and rarely chat due to packed schedules, yet come together for a weekend and pick up exactly where we left off. That’s the stuff true friendships are made of!

We followed up with green juice and Jess’ first açai bowl, a strategic move on my part. You see, I need to get her on board with all the typical Vancouverite practices because my secret plan is to get her to move out here, but shhhhh – don’t tell her, ok? ? The day wrapped up with birthday dinner at Heirloom (never disappoints), and then the girls were off to the airport. It’s been a pretty perfect last couple of days!

firm tofu

Speaking of perfect, let’s get back to that peanut sauce, I don’t think I’ve ever made it the same way twice. The one I concocted for these Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowls has a bit of a kick to it thanks to a generous drizzle of sriracha sauce, but don’t worry because it’s not like crazy 5-alarm, blow-your-head-off-spicy.

First, you’ll slather the tofu in the sauce…

drizzling peanut sauce on tofu

drizzling peanut sauce on tofu

drizzling peanut sauce on tofu

….then leave it to work its magic. Then you’ll crisp those little cubes up until they’re perfectly golden, toss them on top of some rice, steamed bok choy and carrots, slide some avocado in the side and sprinkle it all with sesame seeds…..

Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowls - Eat Spin Run Repeat

and you’ve got yourself a bowl full of magic!

Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowls - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Print
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Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowls - My Fresh Perspective

Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl


  • Author: Angela Simpson
  • Total Time: 50 mins
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x

Description

Tofu is anything but boring in this delicious, flavour-packed Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and loaded with fresh vegetables for a healthy, satiating lunch or dinner.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 300g firm tofu, well-drained and patted dry
  • 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
  • roughly 2 tbsp fresh herbs such as cilantro, basil and mint, minced
  • 6 baby bok choy, halved
  • 1 medium carrot, julienne cut or spiralized
  • sliced avocado
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced, white and light green parts
  • 1 tbsp black and white sesame seeds, to garnish
  • peanuts, to garnish

Peanut Marinade/Dressing:

  • 3 tbsp natural peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp each sriracha sauce and tamari
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2″ knob peeled fresh ginger
  • pinch of stevia or about 1 tsp maple syrup
  • about 6 tbsp water to thin

Instructions

  • As early as possible (the day before is perfect), drain the tofu and press as much water out of it as possible. My go-to strategy for doing this is to wrap it in a dish cloth, then set it in the fridge with a heavy plate on top.
  • Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes.
  • In a blender or food processor, whirl together all the ingredients for the marinade/dressing. Pour it into a jar or other container.
  • Put the tofu cubes in a bowl or resealable bag along with about half of the peanut sauce. Marinate for 30 mins, or overnight for best results.
  • Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Scatter the marinated tofu pieces out onto the parchment in a single layer. Bake for 30 mins or until crispy and golden, flipping after about 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile cook the rice according to package directions. Lightly steam the bok choy for 2-3 minutes or until bright green and chop all other ingredients as indicated above.
  • When the rice is ready, mix in the fresh herbs and divide it between 2 bowls. Followed with the steamed bok choy, carrots and sliced avocado.
  • Distribute the tofu between the two bowls and top with green onion, sesame seeds and crushed peanuts. Drizzle additional peanut sauce on top and serve.
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Category: dinner
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: Asian

Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowls - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowls - Eat Spin Run Repeat

So tell me…

  • Favourite vehicle for getting peanut sauce to one’s mouth? Annnnd GO!

Anti-Inflammatory Eating 101 Guide - Eat Spin Run Repeat

5 thoughts on “Thai Peanut Tofu Buddha Bowl

  1. I’ve never tried to make anything like this before but it looks freakin’ amazing and not too hard to do either! I also didn’t realize peanut sauce could be so easy to make! But I’ll definitely opt to hold off on the siracha.. spicy and me DON’T go together!
    Danielle @ afloat on a full sea

  2. This recipe was a great inspiration for me to start making more vegetarian meals. IN my opinion, veg meals are ALL about the sauce and marinades. I have young kids so I didn’t use Sriracha in the peanut sauce and I added corn and beans to the rice. I also diced up some tomatoes and cucumbers and tossed them in oil and vinegar and put those on top.

    My one big mistake was I used xtra firm tofu but still baked it with the same instructions and BOY were they HARD! ha! I thought for sure the kids were not going to be into it, but they did. They ate the whole bowl! I was SHOCKED and relieved!

    1. Aw this made me so happy to read, Bridget! You are so right about the sauces and marinades. They can totally make or break tofu. Sounds like you made some delicious additions to the recipe and that your kids loved it – despite the tofu bricks!! 😉

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