The nori garnish adds umami flavour to this Japanese-inspired rice bowl. If wasabi powder is unavailable, you can use a small minced chili pepper to bring some fiery punch to the avocado mixture. Consider serving with a side of pickled ginger.
1 lb (450 g) firm tofu, drained
3 Tbsp (45 mL) reduced sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp (30 mL) mirin or rice vinegar
1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
2 tsp (10 mL) sesame oil
1 1/2 cups (350 mL) brown jasmine rice
1 in (2.5 cm) piece fresh ginger, grated
1/2 Tbsp (7 mL) wasabi powder
2 sheets nori
2 Tbsp (30 mL) sesame seeds
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Cut tofu crosswise into 8 slices. Place slices in shallow container. In small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, mirin or rice vinegar, honey, and sesame oil. Pour soy sauce mixture over tofu and let soak, turning once, for at least 2 hours, but preferably several hours. When ready to serve, cut marinated tofu pieces in half crosswise and reserve marinade.
Place rice, ginger, and 2 cups (500 mL) water in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer covered until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together wasabi powder with 1/2 Tbsp (7 mL) cold water until paste forms. Cover bowl and chill for at least 15 minutes. The longer the paste sits, the hotter the wasabi becomes.
Preheat oven to 250 F (120 C). Very lightly brush nori with water and toast in oven for 15 minutes, or until crisp and darkened. Crumble nori into 1 in (2.5 cm) pieces. Heat dry, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add sesame seeds and toast, shaking pan occasionally, until seeds are fragrant and begin making popping sounds. Toss sesame seeds with nori pieces.
In bowl, toss together avocado, cucumber, carrot, green onions, and cilantro. Whisk lime juice into wasabi paste and toss with avocado mixture.
Divide rice among serving bowls and top with tofu pieces and avocado mixture. Drizzle on any reserved marinade. Sprinkle nori mixture over top.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 507 calories; 21 g protein; 19 g total fat (3 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 73 g total carbohydrates (7 g sugars, 10 g fibre); 482 mg sodium
Carbs after cardio
Although we often focus on protein when deciding what to eat after a workout, our bodies also require carbohydrates. Together, these components are a muscle-building dream team, with protein aiding in muscle repair and carbs helping to replenish lost energy.
For an ideal recovery meal, opt for foods with a three-to-one ratio of carbs to protein. This Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowl is a near-perfect choice, with 73 g of carbohydrates and 21 g of protein per serving.
source: "Rice Bowls", alive #385, November 2014
Yogurt completely transforms the texture of these chicken thighs, making them tender and flavourful with bright notes of lemon and cilantro. Ideal for a day trip, these can be marinated in the morning and cooked in the evening, but they also work well when cooked in advance and packed for a picnic to be eaten cold. Marinade mentions Marinate chicken thighs for anywhere between 4 and 24 hours. Discard excess marinade that has been in contact with raw chicken. It should not be consumed uncooked.
Citrusy and slightly sour sumac and a touch of maple syrup enliven pickled onions in a perfect complement to this salad. Kale and Napa cabbage stand up for hours to the sweet and puckery dressing, and hearty farro will keep you going while on the road. This salad is sure to be a favourite for picnics, backyard potlucks, or road trip lunch stops. Dressing for dinner This salad stands up well, even while dressed, for up to 4 hours. (Truth be told, I’ve often happily eaten it the next day.) In fact, time helps kale to soften up and become even more delicious. If you’re travelling for a longer period, make the pickled onion dressing as described above: let it stand for about 20 minutes, and then add all the oil and pack it into a separate container so you can finish the salad when you arrive at your destination. The pickled onions are also great with steaks or chicken.
These wraps are perfect for an overnight journey when you want to have something quick and satisfying the next day. Sweet smoked paprika adds just a hint of smoky flavour to sweet potatoes, which join with spinach and red pepper to dress up eggs in a pleasing way. Make these wraps anytime and stick them in the freezer for your next excursion. Pack them frozen and they’ll have time to thaw on the journey, or put them in the fridge the night before you travel so you have something convenient and tasty to eat before you set off. Leave the ketchup bottle behind, and serve them with your own smoky red pepper sauce. Freeze with ease While foil is convenient for freezing and reheating these wraps, to cut down on waste, freeze wraps in a single freezer-proof container. Insert a small piece of parchment between each wrap so they don’t stick together. This will allow you to remove individual wraps easily when you need them.
While sablefish’s texture and fat content stand up admirably to the heat of the grill, this firm fish is also delicious poached. For this recipe, sablefish’s luxurious taste is combined with a light fragrant broth of lemongrass and ginger punctuated with the heat of Thai chili. Sustainability status Sablefish, also known as butterfish or black cod, is a rich and satisfying fish, plentiful in omega-3s and sourced sustainably from the Pacific Northwest. Skin and bones Sablefish has large pin bones. Ideally, your fishmonger will remove them, but if not, before you begin, locate them along the fish’s centreline and, using a pair of needle nose pliers, grasp them firmly to remove. You can leave the skin on for this recipe, which may help the fish hold together a little better while cooking, but it can be tricky to peel the skin away from the cooked fish and discard before plating. I opted to remove the skin first and simply keep a close eye on the cooking time, being careful to remove the fish from the poaching liquid before it flakes apart.