WOW! The combination of the vegetables, rice and crunchy peanuts along with the creamy cilantro sauce makes this a very satisfying dish for dinner. Choose your favorite vegetables for this recipe and always use the freshest you can find. One thing to remember is that there is no such thing as too many vegetables so use whatever you are in the mood for. I made this for dinner last night thinking that we would eat it along with a fresh salad…but it was so delicious and we each ended up eating two huge servings!
I suggest slicing and dicing all of the ingredients first. This way while the rice is cooking you can prepare the sauce then the whole dish will come together more easily.
I usually serve my rice dishes with some sort of savory yogurt sauce, but I didn’t need it for this one. The sauce added the perfect amount of creaminess I was looking for.
- SAUCE
- 2T creamy peanut butter
- 1 jalapeño, seeded
- ½c cilantro leaves (I like a lot of cilantro)
- 2t tamari or Bragg's
- 2t sugar or brown sugar
- 1" piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½t coarse sea salt
- ½c full fat coconut milk
- 1T sesame oil (toasted if you prefer)
- 1t chili paste
- 1 lime, juiced
- zest of 1 lime
- ||
- REMAINING INGREDIENTS
- ¾c rice
- ½ block extra firm tofu (or substitute with 1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed)
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled & diced
- 2c shredded cabbage, green or red
- 1 small onion, sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3T coconut oil
- ||
- TOPPING
- fresh cilantro
- roasted peanuts
- ||
- OTHER
- large skillet
- blender
- small saucepan for rice
- First prep the fresh vegetables, onion and garlic and if you are using tofu, drain and press it then slice it into 1" squares. Set it aside.
- Cook the rice. Add the dry rice to a saucepan along with 1½c water. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, make the sauce. In a blender add all of the sauce ingredients and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. If you like it to be spicier, add more chili paste or even another jalapeno. If the sauce seems too thick, add a bit more coconut milk. It should be the consistency of heavy cream.
- Set aside.
- Heat up the skillet on medium high heat and add the coconut oil. When it starts to shimmer add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Next add the carrots and cook for another 2 minutes. Follow by adding the tofu (or chickpeas) and the zucchini and cabbage. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes. If you prefer the tofu to be more brown, you can cook it separately then add it to the skillet.
- Once all of the vegetables are cooked, add the sauce, adding a small amount of water to the bender to get all of it, and bring it to a simmer.
- Fold the cooked rice with the sauce and vegetables.
- Divide into bowls and top with fresh cilantro and chopped roasted peanuts.
- enjoy!
*feel free to add any of your favorite vegetables. Broccoli, red pepper or cauliflower would be delicious!
Leave a Reply