Vegan Baked Tofu with Brown Rice, Veggies and Peanut Sauce

I found a recipe in my You Won't Believe It's Vegan cookbook called Love Bowl. There was a description from the authors calling it their signature "hearty comfort food". Although the word "unhealthy" usually will pop into most people's minds when they think of comfort food, for me hearty is what describes it best. 

For the first time ever, I found a "serves 1" recipe in a cookbook. Normally it'll be at least s serving for two people. For some reason, the fact that it only serves one made me really happy. I think that's the way comfort food should be. It should be all for you. Or me. 

I made a few changes to the dish, so below if my version of the Love Bowl. 

Vegan Baked Tofu with Brown Rice, Veggies and Peanut Sauce

Serves 1

Ingredients

Baked tofu:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup tamari
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of hot sauce (I used 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce)
1 block of firm tofu 

Peanut sauce:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 clove garlic
1/8 cup water
1/8 cup tamari
pinch of cayenne
1/2 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar

Love bowl:
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup steamed vegetables (I had broccoli, cauliflower, carrot and wilted baby spinach)
4 slabs baked tofu
1/3 cup peanut sauce
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (I forgot these)

Directions

Baked tofu:
Place all ingredients into blender and blend until completely mixed
Cut block of tofu into slab sizes of your choice
Cover tofu with marinade and leave in fridge overnight (or for at least an hour)
Preheat oven to 180C (350F)
Place tofu on baking sheet lined with baking parchment
Bake for 20 minutes until golden, turning tofu half way through

Peanut sauce:
Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend well
Will keep for 4 to 5 days refrigerated 

Love bowl assembly:
Layer the rice, vegetables, and tofu in medium sized bowl and top with peanut sauce
Serve hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds. 

I had dinner at my friend Nhi's house tonight. It was nice to use a different bowl to plate up and a different background for the photo :)

Whoa!! I had just finished writing up this post and I decided to check out one of my favourite Tumblr pages that always puts a smile on my face. It's called Just Little Things. The blog lists all the little things in life that should be appreciated. 

I hadn't checked out the page in weeks, and for some reason I felt like I needed a bit of a pick me up. Low and behold, the lastest post which was put up yesterday was "comfort food". What are the chances of that! :)