Hurray! Today Rice is Life comes out into the world!
As I mentioned over the weekend, I wrote this book with Caryl Levine and Ken Lee, the founders of Lotus Foods.
To celebrate, I’m sending you a bonus recipe from the book.
It doesn’t fit the usual Mission: Dinner parameters. That’s to say, it has more than five ingredients and takes a bit longer than 30 minutes. But it is easy and delicious!
Inspired by Lotus Food’s Jade Pearl(TM) rice, a short-grain variety tinged green with bamboo juice, I turned to verdant vegetables that taste best in the fall (or spring): broccoli, arugula, and young turnip leaves specifically. I then made a creamy, dreamy avocado dressing reminiscent of ranch dressing. It gets its savory flavors from miso and garlic powder and some zip from lemon juice. (Arugula boosts the green color even more.)
In the end, of course, you can make this with any type of rice you like.
This dish was one of the first recipes I developed for the project (it was actually in the book proposal) and remained one of my favorites, especially when I want a big dose of vegetables.
Instead of re-writing the recipe to fit the Mission: Dinner style, I’m leaving this one as you’ll find it in the book. The photo above is one I took when I first developed the recipe. Here below is the image from the book by Erin Scott.
Jade Rice Bowl with Broccoli, Tofu, and Avocado “Ranch”
Serves 4
For those times when you feel like you just need an infusion of green things, this is the meal for you. The vegan “ranch” uses avocado for creaminess and arugula for a boost of vitamins and its emerald-green hue. For the vegetables, we use broccoli and small white turnips, often known as Tokyo turnips or Hakurei, which are popular at spring and fall farmers’ markets. If you can’t find the turnips, you can substitute 2 small Persian cucumbers for the turnip roots and 5 cups [75 g] baby kale for the greens.
For the “ranch” sauce
1 ripe Hass avocado
2 cups [40 g] arugula
2 Tbsp white miso
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup [12 g] snipped chives
For the bowl
1 bunch small white turnips, such as Hakurei or Tokyo turnips, with tops
Salt
½ tsp sugar
One 14 oz [400 g] package extra-firm tofu
1 medium to large stalk broccoli
Freshly ground pepper
4 Tbsp [60 ml] olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup Jade Pearl Rice™ [200 g] or short-grain white or brown rice, cooked as desired (see page 000)
Furikake seasoning, for serving (optional)
To make the sauce, in a blender, purée together the avocado, arugula, 1 cup [240 ml] water, the miso, lemon juice, mustard, and garlic powder until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add the chives and pulse to incorporate.
To make the bowl, separate the tops from the turnips and roughly chop the leaves, stems and all. Clean by submerging in a large bowl of cold water and agitate to remove any grit.
Scrub the turnip roots, then slice about ¼ in [6 mm] thick. In a bowl, toss the turnips with ½ tsp salt and the sugar and let stand while you prepare the rest of the dish, tossing the turnips occasionally.
Cut the tofu crosswise into 8 slabs. Dry it well between layers of paper towels
Separate the stalk from the crown of the broccoli. Using a large knife, peel off the tough skin of the stalk. Cut the inner core of the broccoli into bite-size pieces. Pull apart the broccoli crown into small florets.
Season the tofu with salt and pepper. In a large skillet oil over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbsp of the olive. Add the tofu slabs in a single layer and cook until well browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is brown, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer the tofu to a plate.
Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil and the broccoli, spreading it out in the skillet. Season with salt. Cook without moving for 1 minute, until starting to brown on the bottom. Stir the broccoli and cook until it’s totally bright green, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add the garlic and cook until starting to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Lift the turnip greens out of the water and add them to the skillet. Stir and cook until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
Spoon the rice into four bowls. Arrange two slabs of tofu in each bowl. Pile the cooked vegetables alongside. Drain any excess liquid from the turnips and divide them among the bowls. Spoon some of the avocado “ranch” over top, sprinkle the bowls with furikake seasoning, if using, and serve, passing any remaining sauce at the table.
If you make this recipe, I’d be honored if you shared it on Instagram and tagged me @kristincdonnelly.