tofu & veggie rice bowl

tonight was an amazingly delicious and healthy meal, and it's inspired by something i ate last year... in the portland state dining hall, believe it or not. 

bi bim bap(it's as fun as the name sounds)! 

all my psu friends probably remember the excitement i had for the few times they would decide to serve this in the dining hall because it was the one relief i had from a monotonous year of overdone and under-seasoned stir-fry; and a rotation of grilled cheese, quesadillas, and cheeseburgers (thank god i'm done with dining halls).  the vegetables i would get on my meal in the dining hall were sub-par, and the meat was always pretty iffy so i usually stuck with tofu, but nonetheless it made me excited to try this dish on my own with some fresher and healthier ingredients. 

apparently i forgot about bi bim bap until about a week ago, but i'm glad i remembered and decided to try it because it is an extremely easy meal that not only tastes amazing, is super healthy, and inexpensive, but it also is perfect for a quick and easy meal on a weeknight when you have stuff to do after dinner! people really underestimate the benefits of eating healthy and how it makes you feel immediately after (we all know the post-thanksgiving feel of wanting to lay down and sleep for 24 hours to recover from the food we just ate), but the way you fuel your body has a huge effect on your mind and body--IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS TO EAT HEALTHY!!! so many kids are scared to eat healthy because they assume that it is expensive or complicated, but i will list the prices i paid for these ingredients on the recipe below (if you already have rice, siracha/chili sauce, and eggs which are things i ALWAYS keep in my cabinet, it can be made for less than $5). 

so now if you're vegan and you're wondering why i'm talking about eggs--they're optional! lana enjoyed her bi bim bap without the egg so i promise its not necessary. 

GROCERY LIST (makes enough for four people, or two people and leftovers)

• extra firm tofu ($2.15)
• avocado ($0.87)--Shop'n'Kart in Ashland has awesome pricees
• one large carrot ($0.60)
• one zucchini ($0.70)
• one cucumber ($0.60)
• chili garlic sauce ($2.00)
• rice ($0.79)
• optional: 1 egg ($0.10 per egg)

grand total of the shopping list not including rice & chili sauce, with egg = $4.99

total including rice & chili sauce = $7.78 (this still won't break your bank and you can eat leftovers for at least one night which comes to a WHOPPING  $3.89 per night)

so once you have all of the necessary ingredients, preparation of this meal is extremely easy... it's really all about the cutting of the vegetables if you want it to look pretty, but most people probably don't care as much as i do ;). here are the steps:

1. prepare rice as directed on the bag, or use a rice cooker (10/10 recommend for the easiest and best cooking of your rice!!)
2. remove tofu from container and cut blocks into thinner slices, then wrap the tofu in paper towels and slowly press the water out (for about 3-5 minutes). 
3. once the tofu has the water pressed out; heat up oil in a pan on medium heat, cut the tofu into smaller cubes, and add tofu in an even layer to the pan and cook until golden brown on all sides. (if you want crispier tofu, you can lightly coat the tofu in cornstarch before adding to the pan, but it's not necessary!)
4. if you want your bowl to be beautiful like mine was, julienne all your vegetables, and slice your avocado while your tofu is cooking (here is a helpful tutorial on julienning if you want to learn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0wClCChoRQ)
5. if you want an egg on top (traditional bi bim bap includes the egg, and the runny yolk adds to the yumminess!), heat up some more oil in the same pan you used to cook the tofu and crack the egg into the pan. fry the egg and flip it (carefully), let it cook for another minute or longer and then remove from heat depending on how you like your eggs cooked... this is very much up to personal taste, but i prefer over-medium so i have found that one minute is usually the sweet spot. also the longer you cook it the less likely it is that your yolk will break before you put it on your bowl.
6. to present: put a cup of rice into a bowl, arrange vegetables around the bowl, and put the egg on top! (you can also add soy sauce or teriyaki sauce if you want to continue adding to the deliciousness) 

VOILA! you have a beautiful, healthy, delicious vegetable bowl. keep in mind that if you are not a fan of tofu you can substitute with chicken/beef, or just remove the protein altogether.

enjoy!

xoxo,

lex ♡