[A super easy-to-prep meal that covers all the bases for amzing taste and texture. Sushi Bowl is vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, optionally grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, optionally soy-free, nut-free, yeast-free, and low glycemic. Suitable for all stages on an anti-candida diet.]
I’ve known fellow nutritionist Heather Nicholds for almost a decade now, ever since she first interviewed me for an online summit about healthy eating.
Since then, I’ve shared many of Heather’s events and recipes, including this stellar Black Bean Burger, this “Six Degrees” interview and this quick and easy Parsley Quinoa Tabbouleh from her book, Protein from Plants. Heather’s recipes are always easy to prepare, delicious, and a huge hit with RH readers.
Today, I’m excited to share a recipe from Heather’s new book, Plant Based Meal Plan: A 3-Week Kick-Start Guide to Eat and Live Your Best. The book provides a full meal plan with recipes for a 3-week transition to eating more plant-based foods, and so much more, too!
The book opens with a section called “The Plant-Based Diet Primer,” and it supplies just that: everything you’d need or want to know about plant-based eating so that you can easily incorporate more fruits, veggies, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and other plant-based foods into your diet in an informed and relaxed way.
First up, Heather shares information about the many health benefits of plants. From cardiovascular disease to diabetes or inflammation and more, plants can help to prevent, alleviate and sometimes even reverse disease. She also includes a section on weight loss and some “Sneaky Tips for Losing Weight without Feeling Deprived.”
[Strawberry Spritzer. Photo: Nadine Greeff.]
Chapter Two outlines the various types of plant-based diets from vegan to flexitarian, plus an explanation of the plant-based food groups and bonus list of 10 superfoods that you’ll want to incorporate into your meals as often as possible (#7 is probably one of my favorite foods, ever); plus an explanation of the nutrients in plants and how to balance out your macronutrients (protein, carbs and healthy fats). This section also includes the “Ideal Plant-Based Diet Plate” so you can balance out your daily nutrients one meal at a time.
In Chapter Three, “The Plant-Based Food Lover’s Pantry,” Heather walks you through everything you need to know to stock a healthy pantry with plant foods. You’ll learn about your best choices for Pantry, Refrigerator, and Freezer, plus kitchen equipment (like some good knives) that will make your life easier.
This chapter also includes some simple guides for building smoothies and bowls, plus other tips, such as how to choose foods, tasty food combinations, and seasoning guidelines. You’ll be well on your way to not only eating more plants, but coming up with your own choices and combinations, too.
[Miso Coconut Dragon Bowl. Photo: Nadine Greeff.]
Part Two of the book, and its main contents, is the three-week Plant-Based Meal Plans, plus recipes for every item in the plans. These are practical, doable recipes that won’t break the bank or leave you spending days in the kitchen. The plans provide preparation tips so you can get parts of the week done in advance; shopping lists; and snack ideas for each week.
Plus, Heather re-uses and re-purposes the recipes and ingredients so that you can cook once and eat two–or three-times.
I loved the recipes and stunning photos that accompanied them! (I should note: this isn’t a candida diet book; some of the recipes contain ingredients like flours, peanuts, or natural sweeteners like maple syrup, bananas or dates, which aren’t allowed on an anti-candida diet; while many others are fine or easily adaptable).
[Quinoa Pistachio Cookies. Photo: Nadine Greeff.]
Just a few of the recipes I’m particularly excited about trying include the Tropi-Kale Breeze smoothie; Overnight Oats on the Go; Applesauce Crumble Muffins; Chickpea Scramble; Creamy Pumpkin and Walnut Soup; Warm Lentil Salad; Cajun Burgers; Mediterranean Hummus Pizza; Black Bean Taco Salad Bowl; Nori Snack Rolls; Roasted Garlic Pesto Potatoes; Lime in the Coconut Chia Pudding; Chocolate Krinkles; High-Calcium Buckwheat Sesame Milk; Green Goddess Dressing; and Spiced Hot Chocolate. Cannot wait to try these out!
For today, I’ve got this amazing, easy and lip-smackingly good Sushi Bowl with Toasted Sesame Miso Dressing to share. After the photo shoot, I ended up just mixing all the ingredients together in a big bowl, and it was spectacular! Let me know what you think if you do give it a try.
Sushi Bowl from Plant-Based Diet Meal Plan by Heather Nicholds
reprinted with permission
Heather says: “Make a quick sushi night by putting all the fixings into a bowl rather than making hand rolls. Vegetables from the sea, like nori (dried seaweed) are a rich source of minerals, including iron, manganese and iodine. Edamame beans are the young green pods of the soybean, and are the best way to get that heart-healthy soy protein in a whole and unprocessed form. Making your quinoa or rice in big batches for the week allows you to throw a meal like this together in about 15 minutes on a week night.”
For the sauce:
2 Tbsp (30 ml) miso
2 Tbsp (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp (15 ml) wheat-free tamari or soy sauce, Braggs or coconut aminos [I used Braggs]
1 Tbsp (15 ml) water
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) toasted sesame oil
1/2-inch (1 cm) piece fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) maple syrup, optional (I used yacon syrup and 3 drops stevia)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sesame seeds (optional)
For the bowl:
1/2 cup (120 ml) shelled edamame beans (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup (180 ml) cooked brown rice, quinoa, millet or other grain [I used cauliflower rice]
1/2 cup (120 ml) chopped spinach
1/4 cup (60 ml) sliced avocado
1/4 cup (60 ml) sliced bell pepper
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh cilantro, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
1/4 nori sheet
1-2 Tbsp (15-30 ml) wheat-free tamari, soy sauce, Braggs or coconut aminos [I used Braggs]
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sesame seeds, toasted if you like
Prepare the sauce: Put all ingredients into a small bowl and stir until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Prepare the bowl: Thaw or steam the edamame beans, then assemble the edamame, rice, spinach, avocado, bell pepper, cilantro and scallions in a bowl.
Cut the nori with scissors into small ribbons and sprinkle on top. Drizzle the bowl with the sauce and top with sesame seeds. If you like pickled ginger or wasabi, feel free to add those. Makes one bowl. Eat immediately.
NOTE: If you prefer not to make the sauce, you can simply top the bowl with Braggs or soy sauce and sesame seeds.
Suitable for: ACD All stages; refined sugar-free, gluten-free, optionally grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, optionally soy-free, optionally nut-free, yeast-free, vegan, low glycemic.
Reprinted with permission from Plant-Based Diet Meal Plan by Heather Nicholds. ©2018 Rockridge Press.
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I have never had a sushi bowl before and this looks really yummy! Can’t wait to try it out, thank you for an amazing vibrant recipe!
Thanks so much, Ushmana! Glad you like it. It was fabulous! 🙂
Looking is awesome and writing is step by step. I will try to make it next weekend.
Thanks, Mariya! Hope you enjoy it. 🙂
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