People are always looking for nutritionally balance, yet simple and quick, dinner ideas. This protein packed vegan sushi bowl with sweet soy ginger sauce checks all those boxes! Sushi bowls are perfect for a quick weeknight meal, and by using baked tofu and edamame, you get significant amounts of plant-based protein.
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Vegan Sushi Bowls Pack Plant-based Nutrition
Sushi bowls are an ideal way to load up on nutritious plant-based foods. You can add whatever vegetables you like, and leave out the ones you don’t. Where possible, aim for a green and an orange vegetable; if you can fit in a purple vegetable, that’s even better!
Why eat a variety of colours? The molecules that give fruits and vegetables colour are also antioxidants and each different colour is a different antioxidant. Antioxidants are important for our bodies and can help reduce the risk of chronic disease. There are other micronutrients that tend to be higher/lower depending on the colour of the vegetable. Orange vegetables are higher in beta-carotene, the precursor molecule for vitamin A. Green vegetables tend to be high in folate, one of the B vitamins. Leafy greens are packed with vitamin K and may be a source of calcium.
To get a rainbow of colours, this vegan sushi bowl recipe calls for using an orange (carrot), purple (cabbage), and three green (cucumber, edamame and avocado) vegetables. There is also nori, which is black in colour and is a type of seaweed.
Seaweed provides several nutrients not often found in a standard Western diet (whether that diet is plant-based or not). The main one that is important for a vegan diet is iodine. Iodine is fortified into table salt, so if you use conventional table salt, your iodine intake should be normal (but you can always check with your doctor to be sure). However, the use of sea salt or pink Himalayan salt is becoming more popular, and these options do not provide adequate iodine. If you use these salt alternatives, it’s a good idea to speak with your doctor about testing your iodine levels.
Baked Tofu: Vegan High-Protein Sushi
I love to marinate tofu before baking it, but I don’t always think ahead or have the time to do this. Luckily, my back up plan is a tofu “recipe” that is just as delicious, but takes no time at all to prepare. Recipe is in quotes because making this tofu is so quick and easy, and with just 2 ingredients, it doesn’t really deserve to be called a recipe.
All I do is coat extra firm tofu slices with a thin brushing of hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce is usually vegan, although you should read the label if this is a concern for you. Hoisin sauce is a sweet and flavourful sauce sometimes referred to as an Asian barbecue sauce. It is delicious when baked into tofu and adds a lot of flavour to this vegan sushi bowl recipe.
Sweet Soy Ginger Sauce: Complement your Healthy Vegan Sushi Bowl
In the past I would pour soy sauce onto my sushi bowl and call it a day. Then I discovered sriracha mayo, and that became by go-to sauce because the creamy and spicy tang was amazing along with salty soy sauce. However, when making this recipe, I knew I wanted to present a sauce option that was a bit healthier than mayonnaise. Not that there is anything wrong with using sriracha mayo in a sushi bowl, it’s just that I knew I could come up with something even tastier.
This sweet soy ginger sauce has an amazing balance of flavours. It’s not completely whole-foods based, but is a lower calorie option compared to mayonnaise and offers far more flavour than plain soy sauce. I will forever love the taste of sesame oil; it is by far the tastiest oil in my opinion, and can elevate the flavour of any dish. Along with the ginger and a bit of sweetness from maple syrup, you really can’t go wrong with this sweet soy ginger sauce for your epic vegan sushi bowl.
Protein Packed Vegan Sushi Bowl with Sweet Soy Ginger Sauce
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Rice cooker
- Baking tray
- Silicone baking mat
- Blender
Ingredients
Sushi bowl ingredients (amounts depend on personal preference)
- 1 1/2 C brown sushi rice , cooked (regular brown rice works as well)
- 1/2 C carrot , shredded
- 1/2 C cucumber , sliced
- 1 avocado , sliced
- 1 C edamame , cooked
- 1/2 C purple/ red cabbage , shredded
- 2 nori sheets , cut up
Baked hoisin tofu
- 1 block extra firm tofu 350 g
- 16 tsp hoisin sauce
Sweet soy ginger sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce tamari for gluten free
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 3/4 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tbsp sriracha sauce
- 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare all the sushi bowl ingredients: cook the rice according to package directions; prepare all the vegetables you want to use, including cooking edamame.
To make the tofu:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Slice one block of extra firm tofu into thin pieces, horizontally (place the block with the largest edge flat on the cutting board; I cut the block in half, then quarters; then cut each quarter in half, and once again, each of these pieces in half to get 16 pieces).
- Place each slice onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet.
- Brush ½ tsp of hoisin sauce onto the face-up side of the slices (I just pour a drop of the hoisin sauce onto the tofu directly from the bottle, and spread with the back of a spoon or a kitchen brush to coat the tofu).
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the tofu from the oven and flip over the slices. Brush another ½ tsp of hoisin sauce onto the tofu. Place it back into the oven for 10 minutes.
- Once out of the oven, I like to slice the pieces in halves or quarter, to make them easier to eat in the bowl.
To make the sauce:
- Blend all the ingredients together.
To assemble:
- Place a portion of cooked rice in a bowl and top with the vegetables you have prepared. Add a few pieces of the baked tofu. Pour on the sauce and enjoy! Optional to top with a few sesame seeds.
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