Vegan Red Cabbage Bowl

What a busy week it's been and for no particular reason! I'm excited to announce that our new World Market finally opened in Williamsburg, which I of course, am thrilled about! I've already been twice and am debating a third trip before heading off to celebrate Amanda's first bridal shower this weekend! This is simultaneously a very happy store opening for me, but very sad for my wallet. The new store is laid out so nicely and it's just as cute as can be. As I texted Will today, I think every Prius in Williamsburg came out for the grand opening weekend! I just love their decor, kitchen items, gift cards/wrapping/notecards, etc. It's just the best!


I'm also happy to report that Will returns home to Williamsburg next week! He'll be here for a hot sec before we go to Floydfest and then he heads off to a trip to California, once again without me! I'll be working hard here to support all his traveling this summer (or something like that). What will be nice is he'll at least be around for our next foodshare from Off the Vine Market, which means it's not entirely up to me to figure out what to do with the food. While I'm happy I committed to the foodshare while he's been gone, it has been a bit of a struggle to keep up with everything that involves. But I have prevailed and learned some new recipes along the way. This recipe is one of the new ones in my repertoire from my first foodshare box. I had no idea what to do with red cabbage, so I was grateful for the recipe suggestions on the markets blog. It just so happened that I had some tofu in the freezer (I just learned here) and while it was not quite enough, I made it work. Probably my favorite part of this recipe is the crunch of the cabbage combined with the marinade on the baked tofu, all slathered in the most amazing peanut-sriracha sauce! The peanut-sriracha sauce is easily my favorite part of this and something I hope to incorporate in future recipes. Even if I just threw it on some soba noodles with some fresh stir-fried veggies, I think it'd be a hit.




Overall this recipe was good and I enjoyed eating it! I should've sprung to get the snap peas, mostly because one more color and crunchy flavor would've been nice. But other than that, I think I would make this again. It's a great way to use red cabbage and you can stir fry any parts of it that you might end up with as leftovers!






Cooking Notes: We didn't have enough tofu and what we had I had pulled from the freezer. I've decided to include the original measurements for the recipe below because it would make the bowls last longer than I had them for re: tofu! I omitted any other veggies in the "bowl" because I didn't have the snap peas and didn't feel like tossing in green beans.

Vegan Red Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut-Sriracha Sauce (adapted from Off the Vine; serves 4)
Tofu
14 oz. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed to remove moisture
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp agave
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Peanut-Sriracha Sauce 
2 tbsp plain natural peanut butter
1 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp agave
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha (more or less, to your liking)
Bowl
1/2 large head red cabbage, thinly sliced and then chopped
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into short thin strips

Drain and press your tofu in preparation. While doing that, make your marinade. Whisk together the toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, agave and ground ginger. Place in a small bowl. Once tofu is done pressing, cut into small cubes about 3/4 inch in size. Put tofu in the bowl with the marinade and let sit for 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cover a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Once tofu is done marinading, spread on the baking sheet so the pieces are not too close or touching and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and using your fingers, a fork or a spatula, flip the tofu pieces over. Bake about 10 more minutes or until all the tofu is nicely browned and the edges feel firm.

While the tofu is baking, thinly slice and chop the cabbage. Cut away the stem and remove the seeds of the pepper, then cut into short thin strips. Make the sauce by whisking together the peanut butter and hot water, then whisking in the rice vinegar, agave, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce and sriracha.

Once the tofu is done, make the bowls with a generous layer of cabbage, topped with the bell pepper and tofu, then drizzled with the peanut-sriracha sauce. Serve immediately. Ingredients can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the microwave!

Recipe: Off the Vine Market Blog