May 1, 2023

Plant-Based Miso Power Bowl

This plant-based miso power bowl is a tasty, versatile recipe that’s perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. You can roast and chop ingredients ahead of time and just throw them in a bowl when you’re ready to eat. The miso sauce can also be made in advance, so you can have dinner on the table within minutes! 

Feel free to switch out the veggies and proteins for your miso power bowl with whatever you have in your kitchen. For instance, you can swap the sweet potato for kabocha, butternut squash, or potatoes. Swap sesame seeds for sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds. Or use nuts like almonds, pistachios, cashews, peanuts, or walnuts. Roast other veggies like cauliflower, zucchini, asparagus, bell pepper, green beans, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, or eggplant. Use other fresh veggies like lettuce, tomato, grated carrots, shredded cabbage, celery, jicama, or green onions. 

Pro tip: Raw kale may not sound appealing at first, as it’s a very tough veggie if you don’t know how to prepare it right. But one simple trick will transform them into tender leaves: massage the kale! Place the kale in a bowl, drizzle some of the miso sauce over, and use your hands to massage the sauce into the kale. Keep massaging until the leaves soften and turn dark green.

Photos & Recipe by Ellie Yamanaka

Plant-Based Miso Power Bowl

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients  

Tofu & Chickpeas

  • 4 oz extra firm tofu cubed
  • 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder

Veggies

  • 1 small sweet potato cubed
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup broccoli cut into florets
  • 2 cups kale stems removed and leaves chopped
  • 1/2 cucumber sliced
  • 1/2 avocado sliced
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Miso Sauce

  • 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp white or yellow miso
  • 2 tbsp soy milk
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice (or more rice vinegar)
  • 1/8 tsp grated garlic (1 small clove)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

Miso Power Bowls

  • PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  • PAT tofu and chickpeas dry with a kitchen towel.
  • TOSS tofu and chickpeas with oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread out onto one half of the sheet pan.
  • TOSS sweet potatoes with half the oil. Spread out onto the other half of the sheet pan.
  • PLACE the sheet pan into the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
  • PREPARE miso sauce (see below) and kale while the ingredients are cooking. Add kale to a bowl and drizzle with some of the miso sauce. Use your hands to massage the sauce into the kale until the leaves soften and turn dark green. Set aside.
  • REMOVE the sheet pan and give everything a toss. Push them to the side just a bit to make room for the broccoli.
  • TOSS broccoli with remaining oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add to the sheet pan and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the broccoli and sweet potato are tender.
  • BUILD your power bowl by placing kale on the bottom, then arrange tofu, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and cucumber on top. Top with avocado and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Drizzle miso sauce all over.

Miso Sauce

  • GRIND toasted sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle.
  • ADD ground sesame seeds to a jar or bowl and mix in miso, soy milk, rice vinegar, grated ginger, and sesame oil. Add more soy milk if needed to thin the sauce.
  • STORE sauce in the fridge for up to 3-5 days, depending on the freshness of the soy milk. For longer storage (up to 2 weeks), make the sauce without soy milk, then add soy milk just before serving.
Ellie Yamanaka from ellielikescooking wearing a white top and smiling at the camera.

Ellie Yamanaka

Ellie Yamanaka is a food photographer and recipe developer who loves making simple, feel-good plant-based recipes that don't compromise on taste or nutrition. She's been making messes in the kitchen since she was 12, and after finishing university 10 years later, she decided to trade in her nutrition degree for a camera and a kitchen. Through her food blog Ellie Likes Cooking, she hopes to inspire others to eat more plants and get creative in the kitchen.