Green Beans & Grilled Veggies Poke Bowl
Why I Love This Recipe
FEATURING: Grilled vegetables (ex: eggplant, zucchini and pattypan), green beans, onions (fresh or storage onion), carrots, cucumber, sweet peppers and lettuce or other leafy green (optional).
A lovely poke bowl that has a few steps but that still comes together relatively quickly. To make it faster, grill your veggies ahead of time (up to a few days before). You can also make your tofu ahead of time and simply reheat it when needed. If you have too much and to keep leftovers longer, store your leftover veggies in a container, your rice in another, and your sauce in a jar.
Ingredients You'll Need
RICE BOWL
1 cup rice of your choice (ex: calrose, brown rice, etc... quinoa also works)
1 cup water (or up 1.5 cups, depending on which rice you use)
GRILLED VEGETABLES
1 baby eggplant
1 pattypan (optional - you can also just add more zucchini)
1-2 zucchini
FOR THE GREEN BEANS
1 teaspoon of oil
1 cup of green beans, chopped in half
FOR THE TOFU (OPTIONAL- you can omit it entirely or use any other protein of your choice cooked as you like it in a stir fry)
1 tsp oil (ex: sunflower oil)
1 14 ounce extra firm tofu, diced in large cubes (ex: from La Soyarie)
A bit of soy sauce
DYNAMITE SAUCE (you can also skip the sauce and simply add a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil to each bowl)
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) tahini
6 – 7 tablespoons water
juice of 1/2 small lemon or splash of apple cider vinegar
2 – 3 teaspoons sriracha, sambal oelek or chili garlic (or your favorite hot sauce)
pinch of salt
FRESH VEGGIES (FOR ASSEMBLY)
1-2 carrots, grated (or cut using a Y-peeler - which I highly recommend)
1 cucumber, cut in small pieces
1-2 sweet pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
A bit of chopped lettuce or arugula or leafy green such as Swiss chard (optional)
FOR GARNISH
Black or white sesame seeds (optional)
Directions
MAKE THE RICE: Rinse the starch off the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear. Cook according to instructions on the rice package (ex: place the rice in a rice cooker or instant pot with the water and cook -approx. 20 to 25 minutes until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked and tender).
MAKE THE GRILLED VEGGIES: Meanwhile, warm up your BBQ. Just cut your veggies in approx. 1/2 to 1 inch thick slices but for the zucchini, I usually cut it lengthwise in half and then cut each half also in two lengthwise (to get long wedges). In a small bowl, mix olive oil and veggies. Using you hands or cooking brush, rub oil mixture on both sides of your veggies. Add a bit of salt and mix. Layer the veggies on the BBQ (without them touching or overlapping as much as possible). Cook 5-10 min/side until soft and grilled. Turn each piece and cook for another 5-7 min until the veggies look done (eggplant should be soft and pattypan/zucchinis tender with a little crunch left)! When ready, turn heat off and set veggies aside. When less hot, cut into smaller pieces (ex: cut eggplant slices in 4, and cut zucchini and pattypan in 2 inch pieces).
MAKE THE GREEN BEANS: Heat oil in a pan on high heat. When hot, add the green beans. Cook 2-5 min, mixing regularly (to ensure that they don't burn), until the green beans darken but remain slightly crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.
TOFU: In a medium pan, add the 1 tsp of oil. When hot, add the tofu. Stir fry 5-10 min, stirring frequently to make sure that the tofu yellows/browns a little without burning and that it cooks evenly, on all sides. When starting to yellow/brown, add 1-2 small splashes of soy sauce. Mix well when you do so. When cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
MAKE THE SAUCE: In a small bowl, mix all ingredients of the dynamite sauce. Set aside.
FOR THE ASSEMBLY: ASSEMBLY:
To serve, add 1/2 of the rice (about 1/2 cup) into your serving dish and arrange the grilled vegetables and green beans. Then add the cut fresh vegetables. Top with tofu (if using). Drizzle with dynamite sauce (if using) and add a sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional).
