nimono from just bento

I've used recipes from Just Bento in this blog before (like my post about the peanut-curry furikake recipe), and I also love the sister site (run by the same person, Makiko Itoh), Just Hungry. Itoh always marks when a recipe is vegan, and many of the non-vegan recipes on the site can be adapted easily.

This week I used her guide on how to make Nimono (Japanese "simmered dish"), and to go with it, used her guide on pickling sauces for quick-pickled veggies to pickle some radish and cucumbers on the side.

The nimono contains basically what I veggies I had to use up: sweet potatoes, black soy beans, radish greens, some celery, and the last of last year's yield of butternut squash. It was not very traditional (I pretty much think that being vegan means you go off-book when it comes to traditional Japanese food anyway), but was delicious! And, for the record, I chose the ama-zu sauce for the pickled veggies, which was ama-zing!

I just groaned out loud at my own pun, which is probably a bad sign.

the joy of bowls

I've been getting really into bowls lately. Not the actual dishes themselves (though actually I love buying bowls more than any other dishes; they're so pretty and round!). I mean what some restaurants refer to as "Dragon Bowls." They always, on menus at vegetarian restaurants, sound like one of the more boring options: a grain (usually rice), a green (usually kale), a protein (usually beans, sometimes tofu), and a sauce on top. But they're also usually one of the more reliably nightshade-free options at a restaurant, so I have started ordering them more often.

AND LOVING THEM. I have never had a bad Dragon Bowl. Recently I realized it's ridiculous that I don't make them more at home, especially when they're fairly easy to put together, so I've been giving it a shot.

Starting off simple, this bowl has maple-glazed grilled tempeh over sauteed zucchini, carrots, and spinach (basically the first veggies I reached for in the fridge), and rice.

Beans, quinoa, and teriyaki zucchini and greens, all under green goddess dressing. (And, for Kevin, some Indian pickles on top.) We had an abundance of chives this year, so I might have over-chived the dressing.

This one isn't very pretty, but was so tasty: chickpeas sauteed with greens and green beans, rosemary beets, and rice, with a light tahini sauce on top.

To show you that this was actually a pretty meal BEFORE it got to the bowl, here are the beans and beets cooking:

I think one of the things I like best about Dragon Bowls is that I don't have to worry about having strong or distinct flavors as I prepare each element (though that's a nice touch); adding the sauce at the end ties it all together.

What are you favorite things to put on Dragon Bowls? What sauces do you like?