This flavour packed quinoa and tofu salad bowl is incomparable. A mix of soft and crunchy textures, the creamy tahini dressing and warmth from the quinoa, makes this salad bowl the perfect lunch or dinner. And it only takes 15 minutes! There are so many healthy components to this dish, and there is a great balance of proteins, carbs and fats- which helps this salad bowl keep you full for hours!
I love to boil my quinoa with one of my low FODMAP veggie bouillon cubes to enhance its flavour and give it a nice bit of saltiness. It just helps to take your salad to the next level, by incorporating so many different flavours in one mouthful. These bouillon cubes come in handy for countless recipes, and I use them in recipes that I hadn’t even thought would need them! Go check out the recipe for those, you won’t regret it!
Other proteins you could use instead:
- Chicken
- Beef
- Tuna (canned or steak)
- Tempeh
- Quorn pieces
- Egg (scrambled, boiled, poached, fried- any would taste delicious!)
- Grilled fish
These are my staple salad veggies, and I think they are absolutely perfect for this tofu and quinoa salad bowl. I love packing in high nutrient dense herbs like parsley and mint (these are great for your hair, skin and nails). Chopped carrots are also so yummy in a salad, I can’t get enough of the crunch! Although, if raw veggies upset your IBS, I encourage you to steam up the veggies for a few minutes to help break them down a little. You can then add them to your salad bowl as an easier to digest alternative to raw vegetables.
This tahini dressing is one of my favourite dressings of all time. I was inspired by a dressing I got on a salad at a restaurant a few years back, and I was just constantly going back to this same restaurant to get the salad, simply because of the dressing. Then one day, I realised, hey- rather than spending all this money on an entire salad just because of the dressing, why not just try to recreate it at home? And so this is exactly what I did. Honestly, I’m so annoyed that I hadn’t thought of this earlier because it is so simple, literally only 4 ingredients! And so here I am today, sharing it with you!
I love putting effort into arranging my salad bowls. ‘Eating with your eyes’ is a real thing- I know that if my meals look pretty, I enjoy the experience of eating it far more! Putting effort into your meals and nourishing yourself is an act of self-love and self-care. I encourage you to spend that extra 2 minutes to cook something healthy, and make it look pretty. Treat yourself!
Ingredients: (single serving)
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 low FODMAP veggie bouillon cube
- 1 block firm tofu
- Kale
- Gem lettuce
- Carrot
- Tomato
- Cucumber
- Parsley
- Mint
Dressing:
- 2 tsp tahini
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper
Method:
Step 1: add your quinoa to a pot with 1 cup of boiled water and TheLazyLowFODMAP veggie bouillon cube. Boil covered for 15-20mins.
Step 2: chop your tofu
Step 3: fry your tofu on each side for approx 2 mins so that it is crispy (you could use my fried tofu recipe here)
Step 4: chop up your veggies
Step 5: make your dressing by mixing together all of the dressing ingredients. I usually add about 2 tsp of water too, to help thin it out
Step 6: place your veggies, quinoa and tofu in the bowl
Step 7: drizzle on your yummy dressing and the salad bowl is ready to serve!
Best serve this salad immediately, but it will keep in the fridge, covered for a day.
Send me pictures of your vibrant quinoa and tofu salad bowls over on my Instagram page TheLazyLowFODMAP and join the community! Let me know what you think of this healthy and quick recipe.
