Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing #plantbased #vegan #recipe #blackberry #basil #bowl #balsamic #oilfree #dressing #rice #glutenfree #wfpb #cleaneating #wfpbno #tofu #arugula #tahini
Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing is PERFECT for QUICK Dinner or Lunch!

Our Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing makes a perfect meal! It’s terrific as a side salad, but we often enjoy this dish as a satisfying dinner or lunch. And it tastes divine topped with our homemade Tahini Balsamic Vinaigrette!

We’re so excited to be introducing you to our Blackberry Basil Bowl with homemade dressing! And to think that this dish all started when we ran across a terrific sale on organic blackberries.

So, which came first, the blackberry sale or the recipe?

In this case, the excellent deal inspired our creativity.

We all need a little nudge in the right direction sometimes, and I guess we owe Publix grocery store a bit of a thank you for this one. If you’re reading this and you have connections at Publix, by all means, point them in our direction; we’d be thrilled to share this recipe with their shoppers.

Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing #plantbased #vegan #vegetarian #recipe #blackberry #basil #bowl #balsamic #oilfree #dressing #rice #glutenfree #wfpb #cleaneating #wfpbno #tofu #arugula #tahini #salad
Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing is PERFECT for QUICK Dinner or Lunch!

Now, all we have left to do is get ready to enjoy a refreshingly savory bowl of goodness complete with plump, juicy blackberries, peppery arugula, aromatic basil and deliciously chewy chunks of baked tofu.

And who would ever have imagined that such a beautiful tasting dish started with such a humble ingredient as leftover rice? But that’s where it started, well, right after we found that fabulous blackberry sale!

Marry the fresh flavors of this dish together with a generous drizzle of tangy but creamy, homemade balsamic tahini vinaigrette. This delicious dressing is so simple to make; put the handful of ingredients in a lidded jar and shake! It doesn’t get easier than that. Plus, the ratio of balsamic to tahini to water/broth are equal, so it’s a dressing recipe that’s easy to remember on the fly!

First, we got home from shopping and started sampling the berries. Next, we started digging through the fridge as we made room for the fresh produce and blackberries we’d bought. That’s when we ran into a nice sized container filled to the brim with brown rice, Cardamom Rice to be exact, we’d cooked the night before. Tadah! A new recipe was born.

The subtle earthiness of our Cardamom Rice is a flavor you can’t, and wouldn’t want to, ignore. We gave that fridge find about a second or two of brain power and KNEW that it would taste terrific paired with fresh and juicy blackberries!

Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing #plantbased #vegan #vegetarian #recipe #blackberry #basil #bowl #balsamic #oilfree #dressing #rice #glutenfree #wfpb #cleaneating #wfpbno #tofu #arugula #tahini #salad
Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing is PERFECT for QUICK Dinner or Lunch!

Believe it or not, balsamic and tahini ended up being the winning combination. After making our dressing that first day, we’ve kept fresh batches stashed for salads and bowls ever since.

We’d bought some arugula that day and red onions, too. When we tasted all of these ingredients together, it worked. The only thing we had left to do was mess around a bit with some lemon juice, vinegar or a nut or seed butter to come up with a creamy dressing.

When you try this recipe for Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing, leave a comment here on the site. Let us know how well it worked for you. Or if you prefer, share your kind and positive thoughts on social media posts. You could even go so far as to share the recipe link with others to tell everyone how good plant-based food tastes!

By the way, your comments do more than help other people give our recipes a go. Your comments help spread the “good” word about how delicious it is to live a plant-based lifestyle! Imagine that. Just by sharing healthy recipes, you increase the odds of others getting to enjoy a healthier, plant-based lifestyle, too.

Oh, and pinning your favorite plant-based recipes to Pinterest helps spread the veggie love, too! More than any other social media sharing platform, when dinnertime hits, folks search Pinterest for something quick to fix.

Happy eating!

Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing #plantbased #vegan #vegetarian #recipe #blackberry #basil #bowl #balsamic #oilfree #dressing #rice #glutenfree #wfpb #cleaneating #wfpbno #tofu #arugula #tahini #salad
Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing is PERFECT for QUICK Dinner or Lunch!
Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing #plantbased #vegan #recipe #blackberry #basil #bowl #balsamic #oilfree #dressing #rice #glutenfree #wfpb #cleaneating #wfpbno #tofu #arugula #tahini

Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing

  • 10
    Prep:
  • 30
    Cook Time:
  • Yield: 4 Servings

Get ready to enjoy a refreshingly savory bowl of goodness complete with plump, juicy blackberries, peppery arugula greens, aromatic basil, deliciously chewy chunks of baked tofu, and leftover rice!  Would you ever have imagined that this beautiful tasting dish starts with such a humble first ingredient as leftover rice? 

And then, marry all of these plant-based, vegan, earthy flavors together beautifully by tossing everything, berries, rice, arugula and all, in our new tangy, creamy, Tahini Balsamic Vinaigrette.

We show ours served up in individual servings, so that is how we explain preparing it in the instructions.  If you prefer, make this salad in one large serving bowl to portion out at the table.

This recipe for Blackberry Basil Bowl with Balsamic Dressing and all of our methods are dairy-free, gluten-free, and oil-free, all very intentionally!

If you enjoy the wonderful, natural, and healthy flavors of this meal in a bowl, you’ll want to try the following recipes, too!

Ingredients

  • prepared brown rice, leftovers are excellent here - We used leftovers from a batch of our Cardamom Rice to use in this recipe for added flavor. One-half cup of rice per serving seems to be about the right amount here.

  • arugula or another lettuce or leafy green of choice - Go with about a fist or two's worth of greens per serving. We used about two cups per serving.

  • fresh blackberries, or another berry of choice - We used about one cup per serving.

  • about 1 cup of fresh basil, torn or stacked, rolled and sliced into ribbons

  • red onion, thinly sliced into rings or half moon shapes - We used about a quarter of a large red onion or about one-half of a cup.

  • an optional sprinkle of dried red pepper flakes

  • optional, nuggets of prepared tofu - We suggest making these ahead to have on hand to use in salads or bowl. See the notes below regarding how to easily bake tofu nuggets to enjoy with this recipe.

  • And for the Tahini Balsamic Vinaigrette:

    1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

  • 1/2 cup of tahini - We enjoy using this organic brand.

  • pure maple syrup to taste - We used about a teaspoon.

  • 1/2 cup of filtered water or veggie broth - We've used both and the broth adds just the slightest extra bit of flavor. So if you have a little veggie soup on hand, use it.

  • salt to taste - We like to use pink Himalayan sea salt in our recipes.

  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. If you're using leftover rice, allow it to come to room temperature or warm it ever so slightly before crumbling into individual serving bowls.  Add the remaining salad ingredients to each serving bowl. See the instructions in the notes below if using the tofu nuggets.

  2. In a lidded jar, combine the dressing ingredients and shake until mixed.  Drizzle the dressing over each salad, seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

  • To bake the tofu nuggets: 

    •  Slice the block of super firm tofu into bite-size chunks and place in a large mixing bowl. Cover the tofu with a couple of tablespoons worth of Braggs Liquid Aminos or tamari, gently tossing to distribute evenly. Let the marinated tofu sit as the oven preheats. If you like, you can choose to marinate the tofu hours ahead of time to shave a few minutes off of prep time and to allow the flavor to sink in even more.

    •  Once the tofu is cubed and marinating, preheat your oven to 450º F and prepare a baking sheet for oil-free baking by lining with parchment paper or use a reusable silicone baking mat.

    •  After the oven has preheated, place the marinated tofu chunks in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake for another 10 minutes or so and enjoy!

  • Since the baked tofu is optional, though highly suggested, it is not in the nutritional info at the bottom of the recipe. 

Nutrition

% DV

Calories Per Serving: 492
  • Total Fat 18.2 g 28 %
  • Saturated Fat 2.6 g 13 %
  • Cholesterol 0 mg 0 %
  • Sodium 123.3 mg 5 %
  • Carbohydrates 77.2 g 26 %
  • Fiber 13.4 g 54 %
  • Sugar 34 g ---
  • Protein 11.6 g 23 %
  • Vitamin A 37 %
  • Vitamin C 67 %
  • Iron 29 %
  • Calcium 30 %

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