Healthy Tofu & Chickpea Brown Rice Bowl

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This Healthy Tofu Rice Bowl is the perfect make-ahead recipe for meal prep to ensure you have a nutritious meal easily available during the week. Tofu, cauliflower, and chickpeas are roasted in spices until crispy and served with brown rice, fresh veggies and a delicious dressing. Each bite is full of so much flavor!

Meal prepping, especially at the start of the new year, is so important to me for staying on track with my nutrition goals. I like to prep something like this rice bowl with tofu and cauliflower for just that reason. It’s perfect to make on Sunday and eat all throughout the week.

This healthy grain bowl is packed with protein and veggies, keeping me full and satisfied after a long workout or during a day when I have a to-do list that’s a mile long. This was the exact recipe I prepped a few years ago when I moved with Roadway Moving. I knew I needed some great fuel to for a 2 day pack and move, and this healthy recipe did just the trick.

My move with Roadway moving went so smoothly thanks to their awesome team. I was able to pack up all of my cooking and running supplies with their team quickly and efficiently to make moving seem not so much like a hassle. Over the last 6 years of living in New York City I have always used Roadway for all my moves. Plus, it was great knowing I had this healthy recipe in the fridge come lunchtime to eat.

If you are looking to move in the future, I can’t recommend Roadway enough. Use my code veggies10 for 10% off a local move or 5% off a long distance move!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Great for Meal Prep. This brown rice bowl stores beautifully in the fridge in different containers making it the perfect meal prep recipe.
• Easy to Customize. Use a different whole grain, like quinoa, millet, or farro on the bottom. Top with different veggies. Use different spices, you can customize this bowl to anyone’s liking.
• Ready in 45 minutes. With a quick prep and cook time, this recipe won’t take your whole day to prepare.
• High Protein Vegetarian Recipe. With the tofu and chickpeas, this bowl is high in protein for a vegan and vegetarian recipe, keeping you full for hours.

Ingredients

I find the beauty of any bowl recipe is that you can use items in your pantry as well as that are already in your fridge to build the most delicious recipe. When creating this bowl, I wanted to make sure this recipe was filled with ingredients that were nutritious and full of vitamins and minerals to keep your stomach full and blood sugar stable.

For the Roasted Tofu and Bowl:

• Firm Tofu: A great source of protein used in vegetarian and vegan recipes that’s made from soybeans. Tofu is so versatile to cook and delicious with all different spices.
• Chickpeas: Always found in my pantry, chickpeas are also high in protein with 14.5 grams per one cup. They also happen to be high in fiber which is essential in helping you feel full.
• Cauliflower: Is a cruciferous vegetable that also has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties.
• Avocado Oil: My preference of oil when roasting at high temperatures since it has a higher smoke point than olive oil.
• Ground Coriander: An amazing warm spice that has notes of lemon with a nice nuttiness.
• Italian Seasoning: A staple in everyone’s pantry, it’s made with dried basil, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme, and dried marjoram.
• Short Grain Brown Rice: This rice is rich in fiber which helps keep blood sugar stable and lower cholesterol.
• Baby Spinach: This leafy green is high in antioxidants and also contains a good amount of vitamin C which is great for the immune system.
• Persian Cucumbers: Perfect to add to this bowl for the crunch factor plus they are high in water content which is great to add easy hydration to your meal.

For the Dressing:

• Navel Orange: Adds a boost of vitamin C for the immune system plus the juice gives good acidity to the recipe and brightens the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Scallions: Bring a light onion taste to the salad dressing that’s so delicious.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Has properties of being both anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial which is great for overall health.
• Maple Syrup: A natural sweetener that helps to balance the acid in the dressing.
• Olive Oil: A heart healthy oil that also has anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Olive oil is my go to for dressings thanks to it’s delicious, rich flavor.

How to Make Tofu Rice Bowls

Scroll down to the recipe below for exact ingredient amounts.

This recipe is so easy, all you need is a baking sheet and a small pot and you’re good to go!

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the tofu on a plate lined with paper towels. Place another piece of paper towel and then a second plate on top of the tofu. Add a heavy pot or some cans of beans on top of the second plate to weigh the tofu down. Keep the tofu like this for 10 minutes, this removes the excess liquid in the tofu.
3. Once the tofu has sat for 10 minutes, cut into 1-inch cubes. Place the tofu into a large bowl with the cauliflower florets and chickpeas. Drizzle with olive oil and season with coriander, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat.
4. Roast the vegetables and tofu for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and slightly crispy. Set aside to cool slightly.
5. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, add the orange juice, scallions, garlic, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
6. To serve, divide the rice between shallow wide bowls. Top with the tofu and vegetables, spinach and cucumber in piles. Sprinkle over pepitas and drizzle over the dressing.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change up the whole grain. Use whatever you have! I also like quinoa, millet, and farro.
• Use different vegetables. Broccoli, arugula, radishes, the produce section is your guide! Use whatever you like to roast and top on your bowl.
• Make a different sauce. I also love my Lemon Herb Green Sauce.
• Cook the brown rice correctly. Rice can be tricky, make sure you are cooking the brown rice long enough, almost 40 minutes! And you may need more water than the package instructions say.

Storage and Meal Prep Instructions

This recipe is perfect for meal prep! For maximum freshness throughout the week I recommend storing each individual part of the recipe in it’s own container. That means the roasted tofu and veggies in one container, spinach in another, cucumber and dressing in other containers, etc.

All of the ingredients will store well in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 2 minutes or in the oven on 300ºF for 8 to 10 minutes until warmed through. I do not recommend freezing any of these components as it will alter the texture.

I can’t wait for you to make this recipe, please drop your feedback using a star or comment! If you’re on Instagram, tag me @runningonveggies, I would love to see a photo of your recipe.