tofu bowl with roasted squash and maple dijon brussels sprouts

I’m calling this my harvest tofu bowl because it features some of autumn’s finest treasures, including butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and honeycrisp apple. 

I coat the tofu in a mix of cornmeal and spices, plus some nutritional yeast for a nutty, cheesy effect. That tofu shares a pan with cubed butternut squash that’s dressed simply with oil, salt, and pepper. 

Last is the Brussels sprouts, which I thinly slice and toss in a dressing of oil, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup. They join the squash and tofu in the oven while I cook the brown rice, chop the honeycrisp, and whip up a maple Dijon dressing. 

I assemble everything with a flourish of pepitas and cheese (I used feta, but some nutty parm would be good too!), drizzle on that dressing, and mix it all together for that perfect forkful of fall.

Watch the video!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 block tofu

1/3 cup brown rice

kosher salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (for a nutty, cheesy effect)

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

olive oil

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 10 ounces)

2 heaping cups (about 8 ounces) thinly sliced Brussels sprouts tossed in 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp maple syrup + 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Half a honeycrisp apple, chopped

2 tbsp pepitas

2 heaping tbsp crumbled feta or shredded parmesan

Maple Dijon Yogurt Dressing

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt

1-2 teaspoons water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the tofu block in half horizontally. Store half of it in water in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Wrap the other half in a clean towel and use something heavy to press it for 15–20 minutes. Peel and cube the squash and thinly slice the Brussels sprouts.

2. Pour the brown rice and 2/3 cup water into a small pot. Lightly salt the water. Cover the pot and heat it over medium high heat until the water boils. Then turn the heat to low and cook until all the water has been absorbed. Take the pot off the heat but keep it covered until you’re ready to serve.

3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, nutritional yeast, onion powder, and garlic powder with a pinch of salt and pepper. 

4. Slice the pressed tofu into small cubes and add them to the bowl. Toss to coat the cubes in the dry mix. Then drizzle about 1 tablespoon olive oil over the tofu and toss again. The oil and dry mix create a paste that sticks to the tofu cubes. Spread out the tofu cubes in a single layer on a third of a lightly oiled baking sheet.

5. Dump the cubed squash into the empty bowl. Hit it with a drizzle of oil and some salt and pepper, toss to coat, then spread the cubes over another third of the oiled baking sheet.

6. Whisk the olive oil, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard with a generous pinch of salt. Dump the thinly sliced Brussels sprouts into the dressing and toss to coat. Then spread the sprouts over the last third of the baking sheet and sprinkle with more salt.

7. Roast the tofu, squash, and sprouts at 400°F for 20 minutes. Then flip everything and roast for another 5 minutes.

8. To make the dressing, whisk together the Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and Greek yogurt in a small bowl. Thin out the dressing with 1 to 2 teaspoons of water.

9. Divide everything you’ve prepped between two serving bowls. Add to each bowl half of the chopped apple, 1 tablespoon pepitas, and 1 heaping tablespoon feta or parm. Drizzle the bowls with dressing and dive in.