Chipotle Tofu Rice Bowls
When I don’t feel like walking a few blocks, this bowl satisfies my Chipotle cravings immediately. It’s highly customizable so feel free to play around with recreating your favorite toppings. I didn’t necessarily set out to recreate the tofu offering they have, so as much as I wanted to test a marinade using the whole chipotle in adobo can. I’ve come across some discourse about how some recipes only use one or two of the peppers, disregarding the adobo sauce it comes in. There’s a time and place, but I do love using the full product as this recipe does! I blended it with onion, garlic, and seasoning to make a spicy, fragrant marinade. I put mine on a bed of cilantro-lime rice and paired it with some quick stove top black beans. I topped mine with crisp, fresh lettuce for a nice refreshing crunch and avocado salsa to balance the heat from the peppers. This is a hearty, protein-packed weeknight dinner perfect for meal prep!
Ingredients
1 pack tofu, firm or extra firm
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo
½ red onion, ¼ diced finely, ¼ diced roughly
2-3 cloves of garlic
½ T avocado oil
¼ t salt
½ t paprika
½ red pepper, cubed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ T olive oil
1 t cumin
½ t garlic
¼ t chili powder
¼ t paprika
¼ t salt
1 cup brown rice, rinsed thoroughly
1 T vegan butter
1 lime, quartered
½ cup cilantro, minced
Toppings pictured: lettuce, pickled red onions, avocado salsa verde, cilantro
Directions
Bring brown rice to a boil with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Lower heat and let simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until rice has soaked up water and is soft. Cover and let sit until excess moisture is absorbed.
Dice onion and pepper, mince cilantro, and quarter lime. Peel skin off of garlic cloves.
To a blender or immersion blender jar, add roughly diced red onion, garlic cloves, oil, salt, paprika, and the chipotle peppers in adobo. Use the whole can, including the liquid. Blend until smooth paste forms.
Drain and press the tofu. Break into large crumbles into a tupperware container. Add the chipotle marinade to the tofu and stir to combine. The tofu will continue to crumble as you stir and eventually cook it. Place container in the fridge while the rest of the ingredients come together.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute the finely diced red onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add black beans and stir to combine. Let cook for a few minutes before lightly smashing the beans in the pan with your spatula or spoon. Season well with cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, smashing the beans to desired consistency. Put aside.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute the pepper until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add in the marinated tofu and let sit cook on one side for 5-7 minutes until flipping to the other. Turn the heat up for more char if desired. Tofu is ready to eat out of the package so cook it to your desired crispiness. I let mine cook for about 20-30 minutes, really absorbing the flavor and getting some nice color.
Once the rice is done, add butter, most of the cilantro, and the juice from 2 lime wedges. Stir to combine thoroughly and finish with salt to taste.
Layer your bowl with the cilantro rice, black beans, and chipotle tofu. Top with your favorites such as lettuce, avocado, or salsa.
