Woman in Real Life

Don't you love the idea of eating your dinner out of one big bowl? In the early part of this year, I renewed my commitment to eating more healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. (It's an ongoing process.) I became fascinated with the idea of vegan bowls - proteins, grains and toppings in one comforting, healthy lunch or dinner bowl. Vegan bowls are ideal for summer, because you can do minimal cooking on hot days (or none at all really if you opt for a raw foods bowl).

I was excited to learn that vegan food blogger Jackie Sobon's new cookbook is called Vegan Bowl Attack!: More than 100 One-Dish Meals Packed with Plant-Based Power. It came along at just the right time for me, as I was looking for vegan bowl inspiration. You might know Jackie as the creator of the blog Vegan Yack Attack.



Vegan Bowl Attack! features over 100 simple and nourishing vegan bowls. Many combine vegetables, whole grains and protein, but Jackie also thinks outside the box bowl, offering innovative breakfast and dessert recipes that take advantage of one-bowl eating in refreshing new ways. You definitely don't need to be vegan to enjoy the selections in this book - anyone can take advantage of these healthy and often family-friendly meal options.

Photo by Jackie Sobon

I chose to try Jackie's Spicy Sushi Bowl and share the recipe with you all. We are big fans of vegetarian sushi in this house and I know that many of you are similarly sushi-addicted. The sushi bowl makes for a more casual affair than rolling your own maki sushi.


You still make sushi rice and chop up yummy "fillings" like mango and avocado, but instead of rolling, you throw it all into a bowl. Fun and easy, it would be a great option for buffet food at a party. Jackie's recipe includes instructions for making your own vegan spicy mayo, a delicious topping to drizzle on (or drown) your Spicy Sushi Bowl.

A note on daikon radish: my regular grocery store didn't have any in, so I went to a Chinese grocery store to get some. They didn't know what daikon was (because I believe that's a Japanese word), so look out for "white radish" or "Chinese radish."

In my family, we all loved putting together our own sushi bowls. In the photo above, you can see my daughter's sushi bowl on the lower left and mine next to it. The kids were really happy with the meal (and that doesn't happen all that often, trust me). I was happy I got some vegetables into the kiddos without having to nudge, persuade (and basically force) them. There's a gluten-free option too, if you go with gluten-free bread crumbs.



If you haven't had your sushi via a bowl before, I urge you to try this recipe! You could definitely add some of your other fave toppings as desired. If you are in the US or Canada, enter to win a copy of Vegan Bowl Attack! below.

I also made the Tex-Mex Potato Salad. I doubled the recipe to take to a potluck party and everyone really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to making more recipes like White Bean Beer Fondue, Cabbage Roll Bowl, S'Mores Pudding Bowl and especially Mini-Cinni Rolls With Cashew Cream Cheese Drizzle!

Do you eat bowl meals often? What vegan options would you add to a sushi bowl?




Recipe reprinted from Vegan Bowl Attack!: More than 100 One-Dish Meals Packed with Plant-Based Power By Jackie Sobon, published by Fair Winds Press.