Sesame Tofu Bowl

Good friendship begins with good food. Well, at least that's my philosophy. Erin (B.) and I have known each other since elementary school and always seem to entertain ourselves with food - whether that's talking about it, cooking it, eating it, or spilling it on ourselves.

She recently moved and I went over last night to see her new place. With all of the cooking I've been doing for this blog I, of course, had to bring her dinner. She hadn't moved in all of her kitchen equipment yet, but I found a pretty creative solution to cooking with minimal supplies: my new Pyrex.

I always bring my own lunch to work and school and previous to buying Pyrex, I stored it in plastic containers. Even though the plastic containers are supposedly "microwave safe," given all the connections between heating plastic and cancer I refuse to do it. So, I would find myself lugging around extra dishware. Lame.

The great thing about Pyrex is that it's glass! I prepped all the food, threw it in the Pyrex, and then just stuck it in the oven to reheat when I got to Erin's. Any leftovers just went right back into the Pyrex for today's lunch. Genius.

Add the Sesame Broccoli & Sweet Potatoes to this bowl for a complete meal.

Brown rice:
1 c brown rice
4 c water
2 vegan bouillion cubes

Combine the water, rice, and vegan bouillon. Bring water to a rapid boil in a medium saucepan for about five minutes and then turn the heat down to low-medium. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes.

Keep an eye on the water level - if it runs out of water add another cup as necessary. After 45 minutes, check the texture. If you like it chewy, it should be almost done. If you like it softer like I do, continue cooking (keeping an eye on the water) for another 10-15 minutes. Once you have reached the desired texture, drain any excess water if necessary.

Sesame tofu:

1 block extra firm tofu
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste
sesame seeds for garnish

Remove the tofu from the package and drain the liquid. Place the block of tofu on a plate and place a second place on top of it. This will help draw out the excess moisture. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

While the tofu sits combine the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Marinate the strips in the mixture for about 30-60 minutes.

Cook the tofu over medium heat in a frying pan for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds for garnish and serve.

Gluten-free