Orange Cashew Sesame Tofu Zoodle Bowls
These Orange Cashew Sesame Tofu Zoodle Bowls are loaded with vegetables and protein and bursting with flavor. Served cold, they can be made ahead making them a perfect weekday lunch or dinner option.
I love a meal that gets better the longer it sits. Zoodles and tofu are both better after they “marinate” in a sauce for a few days. This dish is meant to be served cold, like a pasta salad of sorts.
Oranges get forgotten about in the summer time. There are so many other delicious fruits that they get over shadowed. Then in the winter when nothing else is good, we go running back to them. But, these days, you can find good oranges year round.
The sauce for this dish is cashew based – I love a nut based sauce to add a little extra protein – and flavored with fresh squeezed orange juice and sesame oil. The cashews make the sauce a little bit sweet so I also add some lemon juice to balance it out a bit.
Since you eat it cold it’s a perfect dish to meal prep. You can really add whatever other roasted vegetables you like to this dish. I added tri-colored carrots and golden beets, but the basis of the dish is the zoodles and sauce. You can play with your protein (ex. sub chicken for tofu) and your added veggies (ex. sub cauliflower for carrots).
The only problem with this dish is how fast it will disappear! I always have that problem with zoodles! You think that it’s going to make so much and then, whoops, you ate it all 😉
Orange Cashew Sesame Tofu Zoodle Bowls
- Yield: 4 bowls 1x
Ingredients
Orange Sesame Cashew Sauce
1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup light coconut milk
Zoodles
3–4 large zucchinis (about 4 cups zoodles)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 sea salt
Tofu
15oz extra firm tofu, pressed
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup sea salt
Carrots
6 tri-colored carrots
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp sea salt
Golden Beets
2 golden beets
Instructions
Orange Sesame Cashew Sauce
Add the cashews, orange juice, sesame oil, lemon juice and sea salt to the bowl of a food processor
Process on high until the cashews break down
Slowly add the coconut milk – sauce should be thick, but still drip off a spoon
Zoodles
Using a spiralizer, spiralize the zucchinis – this should yield 3-4 cups of zoodles*
Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet
Add the zoodles, sauté 5-8 minutes**, sprinkle with sea salt
Transfer cooked zoodles to a colander to drain out an excess water released while cooking
Tofu
Preheat the oven to 450°F
Cut the pressed tofu into bite sized cubes
Toss with the coconut oil, sesame oil and sea salt
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, spread tofu evenly on the baking sheet
Bake for 50 minutes, flipping once half way through
Carrots (optional)
Peel and chop the carrots
Toss with coconut oil and sea salt
Spread on to a baking sheet
Bake for 40 minutes
Golden Beets (optional)
Reduce oven heat to 400°F
Wrap beets in aluminum foil
Roast for 50 minutes until fork tender
Cool and slice into bite sized pieces
Bowls
This dish is meant to be served cold and can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
In a large bowl, pour the sauce over the zoodles, mix
Add the tofu, carrots and beets (if desired), toss
Spoon into bowls, garnish with more cashews, sesame seeds and a slice of orange, if desired
Notes
*Or buy them already spiralized!
**You want the zoodles to be soft, but not mushy, if you over cook them they will get mushy
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