Today I’ve got a lovely guest blogger, Emilie of Emilie Eats, sharing her amazing vegan expertise with you all. Emilie is one of my favorite vegan bloggers. All of her recipes look AMAZING. While I don’t eat strictly vegan (I really like my feta+eggs… and yogurt…) I do eat lots of plant-based meals. What I love about Emilie’s recipes is that she clearly shows eating a plant-based diet is anything but boring. I’m down to my last week in PA and definitely have boxes starting to pile up, so Emilie has kindly agreed to help a sista out and share a recipe here with you all 🙂 Her Pineapple BBQ Tofu Bowls look like they’re packed with flavor, so let’s get to it!
Happy hump day, FMK lovers! I’m so happy to be on Fit Mitten Kitchen today because: 1. I <3 Ashley; and 2. it means I got to make more food for this recipe. Yay to more food for me to eat!
When Ashley asked me to create a healthy lunch recipe, I instantly knew what I was going to do a bowl meal! Ashley herself is a queen of fabulous bowls (her Thai Tempeh Buddha Bowl is calling my name), and one look at my Instagram will tell you that I’m obsessed with anything that comes in a bowl.
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I was lucky enough to visit Hawaii over the summer, and yes, it was as beautiful and magical as your computer screen saver image. But, no surprise, the one thing I was most excited about was all the fresh fruit. Like those little fruit stands on the side of the road where they literally chop a coconut off a tree right in front of you and hand it to you to drink.
Yeah, that happened, and it was probably the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me. #foodie
I had so much fresh mango, coconut, and, of course, pineapple in Hawaii; it was all so juicy and sweet, you could tell it was grown with care and love. BRB going to book my next trip to Hawaii…
I used my fresh Hawaiian fruit experiences as the inspiration for this delicious recipe Pineapple BBQ Tofu Bowls! You know a recipe is a winner when you just finished eating it for lunch (while writing the post about it), and you’re already dreaming of the next time you get to eat it. It’s got a little bit of everything sweet, salty, tangy, crispy and a lot of YUM.
This recipe is actually really simple; it’ll be in your bowl (and your mouth) in under 1 hour. All you have to do is cook your grain, pan-fry your tofu, and sauté some veggies. Simple = best, amiright?!
The first thing you want to do is press your tofu; you definitely want to use extra firm tofu so it’s not mushy. I know that most people have very strong feelings about tofu either way (you either hate it or you’re obsessed with it), but it’s all in the way you cook it. You have to press all the water out for about 20 minutes! Patience, my friends.
Use a tofu press if you have one, but if you don’t here’s a great tutorial! Then you just marinate it in your favorite BBQ sauce and pan fry until it’s nice and crispy on the outside!
I used quinoa as the base grain for my bowl, but I think brown rice or any other whole grain would work well here, too. Next in the assembly line: vegetables! To use what I had in my fridge, I sautéed bell peppers and zucchini. Slice some red onion and throw those on there, too. The possibilities are endless when it comes to veggies!
For the pineapple, I sliced it thin and grilled it in my skillet for about a minute on each side, just for a little extra something. This is totally optional though! When you’re ready to assemble your bowls, add the quinoa, vegetables, pineapple, tofu, and any other toppings you want.
Lettuce all take a moment to enjoy the sweet and tangy flavors of this bowl and pretend we’re on a beach somewhere in Hawaii.
Pineapple BBQ Tofu Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 14 ounce package extra firm tofu
- 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for topping
- Oil for cooking
- bell peppers, thinly sliced
- zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 pineapple, cored and sliced
Optional topping:
- coconut flakes, cilantro, avocado
Instructions
- Drain the tofu. Wrap in several paper towels; place in the sink. Place a heavy object (such as a large pot with a heavy weight inside) on top of the tofu to press the water out. You can also use a tofu press. Let the tofu drain for 20-30 minutes.
- Rinse quinoa in a small mesh strainer. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat; add quinoa. Cook for 12 minutes until lightly toasted. Add 1 1⁄3 cups water; turn heat to high. Once boiling, cover and cook for 13-15 minutes, until fluffy.
- Slice the drained tofu into thin 1⁄2 inch chunks. Place in a medium bowl; add barbecue sauce. Let it marinade for up to 10 minutes.
- In a skillet over medium heat, warm up a little oil. Add bell peppers and zucchini; stir. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until vegetables are your desired tenderness. Set aside in a bowl or on plate.
- Add a little more oil to the same skillet; add the tofu. Pan fry for about 2-3 minutes, until crispy; flip the tofu chunks, and cook on the other side for an additional 2-3 minutes. Repeat until the tofu is crispy.
- To arrange a bowl, add cooked quinoa, vegetables, and tofu. Top with red onion, pineapple slices, additional barbecue sauce, and other desired toppings.
Nutrition Information
Emilie is the writer, photographer, and expert eater behind the recipes at Emilie Eats, a food blog where she shares healthy, vegan recipes that are simple and delicious. She’s a full-time public relations student and social media manager for MOMables.com. To keep up with her recipes and crazy busy (but exciting!) life, visit her blog Emilie Eats and follow her on Instagram!
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