Vegan Red Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut-Sriracha Sauce
Vegan Red Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut-Sriracha Sauce
Tofu and Marinade Ingredients
- 14 oz. firm or extra firm tofu (drained and pressed to remove most of the moisture)
- 1 T sesame oil
- 1 T soy sauce (low-sodium)
- 2 tsp. rice vinegar (not seasoned)
- 1 tsp. stevia (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger root (from a jar)
Peanut-Sriracha Sauce Ingredients
- 2 T natural peanut butter
- 1 T hot water
- 2 T rice vinegar (not seasoned)
- 1 tsp. stevia (optional)
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 T soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 tsp. Sriracha (more or less to taste; this was just barely spicy)
- If you think you'll want extra sauce you may want to double this; it keeps well in the fridge and is good on lots of other things.
Bowl Ingredients
- 1/2 large head red cabbage (thinly sliced and then chopped)
- 1 large red bell pepper (sliced into short thin strips)
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced sugar snap peas (cut lengthwise on the diagonal)
- You can substitute or add any thinly sliced veggies you think would be good with these flavors
- Put the tofu into a colander placed in the sink and let it drain for a few minutes, until the liquid runs off. Cut tofu in half crosswise to make two same-size flat pieces. Put two piece of paper towel on a cutting board, lay tofu slices close to each other on the paper towel, and top with two more pieces of paper towel. Put something heavy (like a cast iron pan) on top of the paper towel so it’s covering and pressing down on the tofu to press out the water. Let tofu press at least 15 minutes, then replace the paper towels and press again for 15 minutes more if you have time.
- While tofu is pressing, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, agave nectar (or sweetener), and ground ginger root to make the marinade. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
- When tofu is pressed, cut it into small cubes about 3/4 inches square. Put tofu into a small bowl and gently toss with the marinade. (If you have time, let it marinate 15 minutes or so before you bake.) Spread tofu out on the baking sheet so pieces are not close or touching and bake about 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and use your fingers or a fork to quickly turn the tofu pieces over. Bake about 10 more minutes, or until all the tofu is nicely browned and the edges feel firm. (It might take slightly longer than 20 minutes, but watch it carefully at the end because it can go from brown to burned pretty quickly.)
- While the tofu bakes, thinly slice and chop the cabbage. Cut away the stem and remove the seeds of the red bell pepper, then cut the pepper into short thin strips. Cut sugar snap peas in half lengthwise on the diagonal to make slivers. Whisk together the rice vinegar, agave (or sweetener), sesame oil, soy sauce, Sriracha, and hot water to make the peanut-Sriracha sauce.
- When tofu is done make bowls with a generous layer of red cabbage topped with red bell pepper strips, sugar snap pea slivers and tofu cubes on top. Drizzle over a generous amount of sauce and serve immediately.
- Individual ingredients can be kept in the fridge for several days.
