Roots Bowls

It’s the last full week of (now online) college classes for the spring semester. By this point in a normal April, I would have fallen completely off the meal-prep wagon. Between teaching and gigs, I would be spending 12-14 hours outside my house daily … which would necessitate grabbing lunch, and sometimes dinner too, at Roots Natural Kitchen.

But, this is not a normal April. Thanks to the COVID-19 shutdown, I’ve been at home since mid-March, and have cooked every darned meal chez Thorburn for the last 5 weeks. I miss the convenience and deliciousness of Roots right about now. What I wouldn’t give to walk there with a friend for lunch, grab a bowl, and chat in between rounds of teaching, rehearsing, driving, and gigging.

But for now, devising a home copycat recipe and socializing over Zoom will have to suffice. Read on for how we’ve successfully replicated Roots’ “El Jefe” bowl at home, using tofu instead of chicken.

ROOTS’ EL JEFE BOWL

Warning: No amounts given. You’ll need to eyeball everything, and mix whatever proportions look good to you.

Prepare separately:

• kale [bagged kale, massaged with olive oil]
• rice [I mixed brown with a wild rice blend]
• corn [SteamFresh frozen corn, microwaved and then “charred” in the oven]
• 1 can black beans
• avocado
• pickled red onion*
• cheese [Roots uses feta; I used grated cheddar]
• salty chips [we had tortilla chips on hand; Roots uses pita chips]
• lime, Tabasco
• barbecued tofu*
• cilantro lime vinaigrette*

*can be prepped in advance

Here is how to make an El Jefe bowl in under an hour:

1. Rice: Prepare in rice cooker. While the rice cooks and steams, heat oven to broil.

2. While oven is heating:

• Microwave the frozen corn (c. 5 minutes).
• Drain a block of extra-firm tofu, slice, and press. [See photo below of my impromptu tofu press setup, encased in towels and topped with a Dutch oven.]
• Prep the rest of the bowl ingredients:
  • Open a can of black beans.
  • Massage oil into the kale.
  • Cut the avocado in half and scoop out its flesh.
  • Grate cheese.

3. Once oven is heated and corn is microwaved, you can either char the corn for c. 5-10 minutes in the oven on broil, or skip this step if you don’t care. If you do char it, I recommend a sprinkle of salt and pepper on the corn on a baking sheet, prepped with a spray of oil.

4. After tofu has pressed 15 minutes (or more):

• Cut tofu into cubes. Spray a baking sheet with oil. Add the tofu, and brush it with soy sauce.
• Broil for 5 minutes. Flip and brush with more soy sauce. Broil 5 more minutes, or until browned and crispy on the outside.
• Remove tofu from oven. Toss in a bowl with BBQ sauce.

5. While tofu is broiling, prep the dressing. Truthfully, I like Trader Joe’s bottle of cilantro lime dressing better than anything I’ve made so far, but I don’t live close enough to a Trader Joe’s to warrant a trip there during a global pandemic. So, I made my own dressing:

• Add 1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar, 1 bunch cilantro, 2 Tbsp lime juice, salt, pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp chile powder, and 2 Tbsp honey to a food processor bowl.
• Add 2/3 cup oil through the feed tube as it processes.
• Process until greens and garlic are well-chopped and mixture is emulsified.
• Optional: Add Greek yogurt if you like it creamier.

To assemble the bowl:

• Toss massaged kale, rice, avocado, and dressing together. Add a squirt of lime juice and dash of Tabasco for authenticity.
• Add remaining ingredients–corn, onions, cheese, black beans–and give all ingredients a rough toss together.
• Portion out onto plates or bowls. Top with BBQ tofu and chips.

And, voilà! Roots’ El Jefe bowl, made in the convenience of your own home!