Dragon Bowl

I made this for my mom in November 2013 when she was recovering from a major operation. She was working with a naturopath who had her on a special diet where she had to eat a lot of beans. Now, my mother doesn't like beans. So I was trying to find some interesting ways of preparing some for her. In this instance it was as mung bean noodles and tofu.

8 servings

  

The Sauce

¾ cups rice or apple cider vinegar

1 cup mild vegetable oil

4 Tbsps toasted sesame oil

¼ cup Tamari or Braggs aminoacids

5 Tbsps lemon or lime juice

3 Tbsps tahini

2 Tbsps grated fresh ginger

2 or 3 grated or pressed cloves of garlic

1 cup very hot vegetable or chicken broth

1. Put everything together in a bowl and whisk until well combined.
2. Keep on a low simmer on the stove-top.

The Layers
1 cake tofu, cubed

1½ cups brown rice

250g package rice or cellophane (mung bean) vermicelli noodles

9oz grated carrots and/or beets

2 head broccoli, cut into florets

1lb/500g daikon radish or zucchini, grated

Lettuce, thin slice

Parsley, minced

Green onion, small chop

2 avocado, cubed

340g/12oz sprouts of some description (mung, sunflower, alfalfa, broccoli, whatever)

Pumpkin or sunflower or hemp seeds

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

1. To prepare the tofu turn on the oven to 400F. Use about a ¼ cup of the sauce and toss with cubed tofu. Put the tofu in the oven to bake for 30 to 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook the brown rice in 3 cups of lightly salted water for 45 minutes.
3. Grate the veg you are using: either carrot, beets, zucchini, daikon
4. Boil some water and pour over the noodles and let soak for 1 minute or until pleasantly al dente.
5. Put the broccoli on to steam - only cook until al-dente, about 5 minutes.
6. Chop up the parsley and green onion.
7. Once the rice is cooked, layer each ingredient into bowls like this, 1 being the bottom of the bowl, 10 being the garnish on top:

• noodles
• carrot and/or beet
• steamed broccoli
• brown rice
• grated daikon radish or zucchini
• cubed avocado
• baked tofu
• some form of sprouts, and fresh lettuce
• pumpkin, sunflower or hemp seeds (about 1 Tbsp per bowl)
• sprinkles of parsley, green onion, and toasted sesame seeds

The last step is to pour the steaming hot sauce over the whole thing and serve with a bottle of hot sauce on the side for those who like it spicy.

Garlic Parmesan Arugula Pasta

This is such comfort food! Whenever I make it, we eat far too much of it. There are all sorts of slight variations due to the fact that you can use any kind of leafy green veg.

2 or 3 bunches (12 to 16oz) of tender leafy greens (arugula, spinach, Swiss chard or a mixture of these)

8oz uncooked pasta 

2 Tbsps olive oil

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter

2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of salt 

¼ tsp pepper 

1 or 2 oz grated Parmigiano

pinch of red pepper flakes 

(If using kale or chard, remove thick stems; If using kale, massage leaves to break down the cells and make the leaves more tender.)

1. Boil the pasta in plenty of lightly salted water. 
2. Cut the greens into thin strips. 
3. While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil, butter, and minced garlic to another large pot or skillet, along with the red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add the greens and continue to sauté until they have wilted and turned a deep green color (about 5 to 7 minutes). Turn the heat off.
4. Add the drained pasta to the pot with the sautéed greens. Toss the pasta and greens together.
5. Season the pasta and greens with salt and freshly cracked pepper to your liking. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and toss to coat.