Weshop Wes-cipes: Late Summer Caprese Bowl

Hi all! I am excited to welcome you to a new column: Weshop Recipes! These are not just your standard, casual “recipes.” Instead, everything in these recipes can be purchased in the famed, ever-beloved Weshop, or, in the rare case, purchased online (and can be shipped to your WesBox). As students, we often have limited time, money, access to transportation, and cooking supplies. This column aims to rectify these issues by bringing you delicious, quick, and cheap recipes for the coolest of University students. 

Late Summer Caprese Bowl:

Notes: This recipe can be vegan, just omit the mozzarella and find vegan pesto. Also, make sure that you press the tofu enough because that will make it deliciously crunchy on the outside! Happy cooking. 

Makes enough for 4 people.

Ingredients:

For the tofu:

• 1-2 blocks of tofu (depending on who you’re cooking for)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup of pesto 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

For the roasted tomatoes:

• 3-4 large tomatoes, cut into halves
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 

For preparation:

• Mozzarella
• 1 cup cooked grain, either quinoa, couscous, barley, rice, etc
• Spinach, kale or mixed salad greens

Supplies:

• Bowl 
• Cutting board
• Knife
• Textbooks ( or similar item for pressing tofu)
• Paper towels
• Baking sheet
• Spatula

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Farenheit, or as high as it can go. 
2. Press the tofu for 10-15 minutes under some textbooks and paper towels, until it feels like most of the water has soaked into the paper towels. Then, cut into small squares. 
3. While the tofu is pressing, cut the tomatoes into quarters. Crush and mince the garlic and stir the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, olive oil, salt & pepper, and garlic together in a bowl. Spread on a sheet pan and cook for approximately 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are extremely soft. 
4. Mix the cubed tofu in a bowl with the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, and salt & pepper. Allow it to marinate for 10-15 minutes. After, heat olive oil in a medium non-stick pan. Add the tofu, and cook until the cubes are browned on all sides. Then remove the cubes, add them to a bowl, and mix in the pesto. 
5. Assemble the bowl: Add tofu, roasted tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella, and grain of choice. Mix and enjoy!

Annika Shiffer-Delegard can be reached at ashifferdele@wesleyan.edu