It's all about the dressing. The bowl itself is yummy for sure, but once you discover this dressing it will change your salad game forever. A nutritious and delicious crowd pleasing healthy recipe.
Family and I at Whitewater Ski Resort in Nelson, BC
Way out in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, in a little eclectic mountain town called Nelson, lays the home of the Whitewater Ski Resort. The owner, Shelly Adams, is a foodie just like me! She developed the most epic of menus at the ski resort cafe. When I think downhill ski resort lunches, my memories are filled with freezer bag fries, hot chocolate from the machine, and delicious fried food but really nothing healthy. Walking up to the Fresh Tracks cafe, you get the same vibe as always where you're handed your red or blue cafeteria food tray loaded up with your items, but in this case, your tray contains a healthy noodle bowl, fat veggie burger, loaded panini, or giant bowl of homemade chilli. Shelly loaded the menu with healthy options that are just as exciting and enticing as a poutine during a long ski day, but that don't leave you in a food coma when you head back out on the slopes after lunch. Perhaps the most popular of all the recipes from the cookbook, and served at Fresh Tracks Cafe, is this Glory Bowl. I'm making you the exact recipe from the book!
Shelly has published multiple versions of the Whitewater Cookbook. My mom, sister and I bought the original, called Pure Real and Simple, and though I own them all it's still my favourite one! You really can't go wrong with any of the recipes in this book. I've never made a bad one. I have a lot of go-to favourites from that book, and this isn't the first one you'll see me share with you!
Anyways, mom, Brittany and I have been longtime fans of the cookbook, but had never been to the actual cafe or Whitewater ski resort! Fate intervened when I came across an Avalanche Canada fundraiser, and one of the prizes was a stay at the Whitewater Ski Resort. I sent it to my mom, she placed a bid, and won! Just two weeks ago, my family and I all flew in from our various spots across Canada for a family trip in Nelson. We finally got to eat at Fresh Tracks Cafe! Here's a pic of mom and I... you can see exactly how excited she is!
What I'm making today is the exact Glory Bowl recipe from the cookbook! THE DRESSING. It's all about the dressing. The bowl is great, nutritious and delicious, but once you discover this dressing it will change your salad game forever. It's a staple in our house, literally always in our fridge. I made it once about ten years ago, when I cooked dinner for Ryan and I while we were still dating. Literally no exaggeration, I've been making it for him ever since. He won't really eat any other salad dressing. I've tried so many other yummy dressings from every cookbook I own, but I can't get him hooked on another. I'll switch it up occasionally, but it's true that nothing really compares to this one. We eat it on every salad (except it doesn't go so well on fruity salads), it goes great on any bowl, or you could pour it on roasted veggies.
You could really use any protein in this recipe, you don't have to use tofu. I stuck with tofu, because that's what the original recipe calls for, but chicken, sliced steak, a fillet of fish or pork would also be great. If you want to make this vegan, omit the goat cheese. I put goat cheese on top because it goes so well with the grated beets and toasted almonds.
The method I use to make this is a bit different from the cookbook, but it's all the same ingredients. I like to tear my tofu instead of cut it in cubes, because it's way more fun to eat that way. I baked it in in the oven. You could fry it on the stovetop, but I prefer just to stick it in the oven and ignore it while I prepare the rest of the ingredients. I used wild rice this time instead of brown rice... you could use any grain of choice. I also add goat cheese, because it goes so well with the grated beets and toasted almonds!
The Whitewater Glory Bowl and Dressing
Servings: 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Assembly time: 5 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
BOWL INGREDIENTS
1.5 cups dry brown rice, wild rice or grain of choice
2 cups beets, grated
2 cups carrots, grated
1 cup almonds, toasted
2 cups spinach leaves
2 cups tofu, cubed
4oz goat cheese
DRESSING INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp tahini paste
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
I start by getting my rice cooking on the stove. I used wild rice, but brown rice is great too, or any grain of choice. Cook on the stove according to the package directions. To my 1.5 cups dry wild rice, I added 3 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt, and left it to simmer on low for 30 minutes. You can use a rice cooker if you prefer.
Next up, get the tofu in the oven. I like to tear mine in to chunks, as opposed to cutting it in cubes. It's much more fun to eat that way! Season it however you like; with salt and pepper, or I just splashed some soy sauce and sesame oil on top. Put this in the oven to bake for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until it's crispy on either side.
Toast your almonds in a dry frypan on the stovetop, on medium heat. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn, giving them a stir every minute or so. You'll know they're done when they're turning light brown and smell deliciously nutty.
Grate the beets and carrots.
For the dressing, I just pour all the ingredients in to my Nutribullet and blend it until it's combined and creamy looking. You could use any blender, a food processor, or just whisk it all by hand.
Finally, assembly! I put this all in one huge bowl or platter. I like to wait until the rice and tofu cool a bit, so they don't wilt the spinach, but this can be served warm too. Layer it all up in the bowl! I start with rice, top it with spinach, grated beets and carrots, and finish it with tofu, almonds and goat cheese. Serve the desired amount in to individual bowls, making sure it has a bit of everything, and drench it with that delicious healthy dressing!
Thank you for sharing! It is seriously addictive and so nourishing!
Do you ever make the dressing in big batch? Think it’s freezable in individual servings? Looks tasty!