Hi everyone! We’re almost halfway into the summer holidays and in July I was mostly working in a clothing boutique in Ghent. I’m only working a few days in August and September, because I will be traveling a lot (tomorrow I’m leaving for Venice and Verona!), and in between my last working days and the days I will be away, I like to get creative at home by trying out some new recipes. Yesterday I told my family that I would cook a vegan dinner for them, more specifically a tofu poke bowl with some sushi rolls as a side dish. Both my parents, sister, and I loved how this bowl turned out, so here’s the recipe, if you want to give it a try!

Ingredients for the poke bowl (for 2 people):

• about 125 grams of rice
• 2 grated carrots
• a few slices of cucumber
• half a mango, cut and diced
• 1 avocado
• about 100 grams of tofu pieces
• stir fry paste of your choice, to marinate the tofu pieces
• about 60 grams of edamame beans
• some sesame seeds

Ingredients for the sushi:

• 2 nori sheets
• 250g sushi rice
• some cucumber
• about half an avocado
• the other half of the mango
• sesame seeds
• optional: crispy onions

You can’t see it on the pictures, but the basis of a poke bowl is rice. The sort of rice differs, I used basmati rice, but feel free to use whatever rice you prefer. You can even use quinoa, if you’re counting calories. As for the toppings, you can get creative by mixing salty and sweet ingredients and using unusual toppings: the possibilities are endless! For my bowl I used half an avocado, which I transformed into a rose (if you have no idea how to do this, Youtube is your best friend!), some grated carrots, cucumber, marinated tofu and, my favourite, salted edamame beans. I also added some mango cubes, to add some sweetness to this bowl and make it even more refreshing. On the avocado and tofu pieces I spread some sesame seeds, you don’t really taste them but they will make your poke bowl look like a real piece of art! 😉 Other great toppings would be cilantro, mandarin wedges, or shallots, for example.

You may not know this about me, but one of my favourite things to eat is sushi. When I tell people this, the reaction I often get is “But I thought you don’t eat fish?”. Vegetarian sushi can be found at almost every sushi restaurant, and it’s so easy to make, really! Just substitute the fish for avocado, cucumber or mango, and don’t be afraid to try out new combinations. I have found that vegetarian sushi tastes amazing with some mayonaise on top of it, or filled with pieces of strawberry. Like I said about the poke bowl, some sesame seeds (or chia seeds) on top of your sushis will make them look nicer, just like crispy onions.

Although this dish was very easy to prepare, it took me a bit longer than I expected. Nonetheless, I was very happy with the result and will definitely make this poke bowl again 🙂