Simple Crispy Tofu Bowl with Sprouted Lentils

Even though I love to cook and to try out new recipes, there are many days when I do not have time to make some elaborate meal. These are usually days when I have a lot going on and I need my brain and body to function well. So resorting back to some quick junk food is not an option for me as this might give me a quick energy boost but will most certainly have me crash about an hour later. These are the days when I love to make this Simple Crispy Tofu Bowl.

This salad bowl is whipped up in just 20 minutes, satisfies all the taste buds, and fuels your body with a big variety of nutrients, so you can power on. The vegetables I use in this recipe are just a suggestion but you can swap them for whichever veggies you have or prefer. But I recommend using as many different colored vegetables as possible. Why is that you might ask? Because different colored vegetables generally tend to have different vitamins and nutrients. So the more different colors you integrate, the higher is your chance of integrating a more diverse range of nutrients into your diet. Eat the rainbow!

The star of this crispy tofu bowl is in its name: the crispy tofu. Tofu is one of those funny ingredients, that tastes like nothing on its own but with the right marinades and spices, it can be turned into amazing things. When marinating tofu, it is very important to ensure that the tofu is as dry as possible. Otherwise, the marinade won’t stick to it or will get watered down a lot.

For the dressing, I used my go-to honey-mustard-dressing. I usually make a big batch of this dressing and keep it in the fridge. This saves a lot of time during those busy days and you are much more likely to opt for a healthy salad bowl than the frozen pizza.

Last but not least, I always top my salad bowls with fresh sprouts. This time I used lentil sprouts but pretty much anything goes here. Use radish sprouts for a little spiciness or Alfalfa sprouts if you prefer it mild. Clover, Fenugreek, broccoli sprouts and mustard seed sprouts are also fantastic combinations.

Let’s make this crispy tofu bowl

Step 1 – Dry the tofu

Cut the tofu into 1cm thick slices and then cut each slice in half, creating triangles. Put a layer of kitchen towel on a chopping board and place the tofu triangles on it. Add another layer of kitchen towel on top of the tofu triangles and then add another chopping board on top. Use a heavy pot or some books on top to create some pressure. Leave the tofu for about 10 minutes.

Step 2 – Prepare the veggies

Wash the lettuce, the pepper, and the cocktail tomatoes (or whichever vegetables you are using). Cut everything into bite-sized pieces. Wash and shred the cabbage. Add everything to a bowl and crumble the feta over it.

Step 3 – Make the dressing

In a small jar mix the mustard, the honey, the yogurt, the vinegar, and the juice of the lemon together. Add salt and pepper and mix everything until well combined. If the texture is very thick, add a splash of water.

Step 4 – Marinate and fry the tofu

Remove the weights and kitchen towel from the tofu. Dip each triangle first into the chickpea flour/ or cornstarch, then into the soy sauce, and lastly into the bread crumbs. Heat the sunflower seed oil in a large skillet and add the tofu triangles. Make sure the heat is on medium or low, to avoid the tofu crust from burning. Fry until both sides of each triangle is nice and crispy. Remove from the pan and let sit on kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil. Then add them to the bowl with the vegetables

Step 5 – Add dressing and enjoy

Pour the dressing over the bowl and top everything with a good hand full of lentil sprouts. That’s it, quick, simple, healthy and so flavourful. Enjoy!