Healthy vegan Bali Bowls with Peanut Tofu are loaded up with healthy veggies, black rice, roasted sweet potatoes and of course, delicious Peanut Sauce! A little sunshine in the midst of winter.
Only the truth of who you are, if realized, will set you free. ~ Ekhart Tolle
It’s snowing here, so beautiful and quiet, and oh soooooo cold!!! I started daydreaming about our trip to Bali a couple of years ago, which now, when I look back, really changed our life in a positive direction. It was during that trip we discovered that we could be “ok”, living a more simple life, with less “things”, in a smaller house, in order to work less (catering) and spend more time doing things that really fed our souls.
We were in Bali a month, and when we got home we put our house for sale, got rid of two-thirds of our “stuff” and moved into our rental house that was half of the size. We eventually stopped catering ( I had major burnout) over the next year.
This morning, I look out my big window today, in my tiny house, at the beautiful falling snow and feel incredibly content. It turns out, it doesn’t take much to make my heart happy – food, shelter, and a big window in which to watch nature work its magic. So that is what I think about, when I think about Bali. How happy people seemed there, living so simply. Oh… and of course, the Peanut Sauce!!!
It is so yummy! And especially good baked over tofu.
While the Peanut tofu and sweet potatoes are baking, make the black rice and prep the fresh veggies! Shredding cabbage on a mandolin is nice, match stick carrots, grated beets, sliced snap peas – use what ever raw crunchy veggies you like.
And sprouts! Nutty flavored sunflower sprouts make everything happy. They grown here locally in greenhouses, even in mid-winter, and are easily found at our mainstream grocery stores so look for them!
The tofu will come out flavorful and slightly crispy!
Then assemble the bowls! I like to place the peanut sauce right in the middle…but do as you please.
Add fresh radishes for crunch and avocado for extra heartiness if you like.
Such a simple meal that makes my body feel alive and energized. Give it a go this week and let me know what you think!!!
PrintBali Bowls with Peanut Tofu
Bali Bowl with Peanut Tofu, roasted sweet potatoes, black rice, shredded cabbage, radish and snow peas. Feel free to use almond butter!
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 bowls 1x
- Category: vegan main, bowl, detox
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: Balinese
Ingredients
- 14 ounces tofu ( non gmo, organic and sprouted if possible- our use firm or extra firm)
- 1 large yam or sweet potato, cut into ¾ inch cubes
- drizzle of olive oil
- 3/4 cup uncooked black rice ( or other rice or grain- both optional)
Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
- 3 thin slices ginger- cut across the grain, about the size of a quarter.
- 1 fat clove garlic
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (or sub almond butter!)
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice (roughly ½ an orange)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or GF Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (Note: Tamari will turn this unpleasantly dark)
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple or sugar substitute
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- ½ –1 teaspoon cayenne pepper ( or a squirt of sriracha sauce)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Bowl Veggie Options:
- 1–2 cups shredded cabbage ( or use a mandolin)
- 1–2 cups shredded carrots
- 1–2 cups shredded beets
- 1 cup sliced snap peas
- ½ cup thinly sliced radishes ( or watermelon radishes)
- 1 avocado
- fresh sunflower sprouts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 F
Blot dry, then cut the tofu into 2 inch squares or 2-3 inch long strips ( that are ¾ inch thick). Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Cut the yam into ¾ inch cubes and place on the other side of the sheet pan ( or another pan). Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss and spread out.
Make the peanut sauce, placing every thing in a blender, and blend until smooth. Reserve ½ of the peanut sauce for the bowls. Use the remaing to coat the tofu. Pour over tofu and brush tops and sides and lather them up. I like to leave a very generous amount on the top of each piece. Place in the hot oven for 25-30 minutes.
Cook the rice like you would pasta – using this basmati rice method . See notes.
Prep all your veggies. And FYI, these are just options for you, feel free to use what you like, adding or subtracting from the list.
When the tofu is caramelized and the sweet potatoes are fork tender, assemble your bowls.
Drizzle with the remaining peanut sauce. Or place the peanut sauce in a little dish on each bowl.
Notes
This would be a delicious meal prep option for healthy lunches. Totally fine served cold!
Boil rice in 6 cups lightly salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and let stand in strainer for five minutes. Fluff with fork. See Basmati Rice method – very similar to cooking pasta.
Keywords: Balinese recipes, Bali Bowls, Peanut tofu, Bali peanut sauce, Balinese peanut sauce, vegan buddha bowls, black rice recipes,
DELICIOUS!!!!
★★★★★
This dish is exceptionally good. I have made it several times and each time it is equally good or even better than the last time. The peanut sauce is awesome!
★★★★★
Oh good! I’m happy you are enjoying it!
I’m going to try this recipe because it looks beautiful and mouth watering. However, reading through the recipe you say nothing about how to cook the black rice, which I bought. You tell how to prepare Basmati rice method, but the recipe shows and says black rice. I had to look up how to soak and cook the black rice. That being said, the recipe looks delicious and I am going to try it with the black rice and then I will rate it. I seriously expect it to be just as good as it looks.
Hi Susan, yes there are many ways to prepare it. But I’ve found the “pasta method” to be the simplest! Just simmer in ample salted water, uncovered, until tender, drain. Let sit in the strainer for 5-10 minutes. Fluff! That way you are not messing with soaking, and ratios! But feel free to try other ways. 🙂
This was soooo good! Huge hit with everyone! Thank you! So easy to make, will definitely be making it again. I put the leftover sauce over chicken drumsticks in the oven. Just noticed though that on the Thai noodle salad the sauce calls for lime juice, but this one doesn’t. When would be the ideal times to add the line and when to leave out?
★★★★★
I’m so glad you liked it. In Bali I felt like their peanut sauce was sweeter, so I omitted the lime juice to cut back the acid a bit!
Made a version of this for dinner tonight with what I had in the house. I didn’t have any orange juice so used lime juice instead in the sauce, and also thinned it with water to make it easier to spoon on top of things, which worked well. Subbing chicken breast for tofu worked too, and my husband said it was definitely a recipe to make again. The only thing I would do differently would be to make MORE of the delicious peanut sauce! Thanks so much for the great recipe! 🙂
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The peanut sauce is delicious! We love your choices of vegetables. Their vibrant colors make for a beautiful presentation. But then again, we have been cooking your recipes for the past few years. We rarely find a recipe of yours that we do NOT like. We find ourselves not eating out as often, because we love your food so much.
★★★★★
My entire family this recipe! We came home from the market without the tofu and with unripe avocados so we had to punt on a few items and it was still delcious. Used ‘eggs over medium’ as the protein. My husband thought the peanut sauce was a bit heavy on the cayenne but the rest of us enjoyed the slight kick. Will absolutely make again and add this into our meal rotation. Thanks so much!!
★★★★★
So glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing!
I made this recipe for my family and it got rave reviews! The peanut sauce makes it especially delicious!
★★★★★