Name: Kimchi Brown Rice Bliss Bowls
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 cup cooked brown rice; Heaping ¼ cup kimchi* ((see note)); 1 Persian cucumber (peeled into ribbons); ½ cup thinly sliced red cabbage; ½ avocado (sliced); 8 ounces Marinated Tempeh (Baked or Grilled); ½ recipe Peanut Sauce; ½ teaspoon sesame seeds; 2 Thai chiles (thinly sliced, optional); Lime slices (for serving); Microgreens (for garnish, optional)

Piled high with crunchy, creamy, savory, and spicy components, these hearty bowls are healthy, satisfying, and (most importantly) fun to eat!

vegan / dinner — Jump to recipe

I hope you’ve all had a great start to the New Year! I’m popping in today to share these super fun, super healthy Kimchi Brown Rice Bliss Bowls. They’re a delicious mix of crunchy fresh veggies, creamy avocado, spicy kimchi, tangy peanut sauce, and brown rice, with savory marinated grilled tempeh steaks on top. If you’re someone who wants to eat more plant-based recipes in the New Year, you have to try this one! Hearty, satisfying, and fun to eat, it’d be a great make-ahead lunch or easy dinner.

I posted this recipe on Instagram a while back, and I was surprised to see how many people commented saying they wanted more tempeh recipes. I’ve always been a tempeh fan – it has a yummy nutty flavor and firm texture – so I’m excited to see that it’s growing in popularity! If you’re new to tempeh, check out this post to find out what it is and how to cook it. Then, try it in these bowls! The flavorful marinade and fresh components in this recipe really make it pop.

My Veggie Bowl Components

These veggie bowls are simple to put together! In fact, the most time-consuming part is cooking the tempeh (and that’s still pretty simple.) I steam it for 10 minutes before soaking it in a simple marinade and cooking it on a grill or grill pan. If you don’t have a grill pan, baking it works just as well!

When the tempeh is cooked, assemble the bowls with these components:

Cooked brown rice. My pick is short grain brown rice, but long grain brown rice, cauliflower rice, or even quinoa would work just as well here.
Kimchi! It adds a fantastic tangy, spicy pop of flavor. I use store bought kimchi to make this bowl easy to put together.
Cucumber ribbons and red cabbage. For crunch! Steamed asparagus or snap peas or roasted broccoli would also be good additions.
Avocado. Because it just makes everything better.
And lots of peanut sauce! My simple recipe is easy to stir together, and it’s creamy, spicy, sweet, and savory. Yum!

Finish your bowls with sesame seeds, Thai chiles, microgreens, and a big squeeze of lime juice. Then, dig in!

Even if you’re not a tempeh fan, I urge you to try it in this recipe! However, if you’d like to use another protein here, baked tofu or roasted chickpeas would both be great.

If you love this recipe…

Try this rice bowl, this quinoa bowl, this buddha bowl, or these soba noodles next. Then, check out this post for more healthy dinner ideas and this post for some 2020 meal prep inspiration. Happy cooking!

Kimchi Brown Rice Bliss Bowls

rate this recipe:

5 from 13 votes

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Serves 2 to 3

Save Recipe Print Recipe

These healthy vegan kimchi bowls are so delicious and fun to eat! If you're making them ahead, save the avocado to add at the last minute.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked brown rice
Heaping ¼ cup kimchi*, (see note)
1 Persian cucumber, peeled into ribbons
½ cup thinly sliced red cabbage
½ avocado, sliced
8 ounces Marinated Tempeh, Baked or Grilled
½ recipe Peanut Sauce
½ teaspoon sesame seeds
2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced, optional
Lime slices, for serving
Microgreens, for garnish, optional

Instructions

Assemble the bowls with the rice, kimchi, cucumber, cabbage, avocado, and tempeh.
Drizzle a generous amount of peanut sauce on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds and Thai chiles, if using. Serve with lime slices and remaining peanut sauce on the side. Garnish with microgreens, if desired.

Notes

*I like Mother In Law's Vegan Kimchi. It's easy to find at Whole Foods and most natural grocery stores. If you're vegan or vegetarian, be sure to read the label as many kimchi contain fish products.