Vegan sushi quinoa salad

Who says vegans can’t enjoy the flavors of sushi? A common misconception is that sushi is raw fish. Sushi can actually be any number of fresh ingredients flavored with rice vinegar and doesn’t have to include fish at all. I was craving sushi and wanted to give this recipe that sushi flare and flavor in salad form and without even using any rice.

1 package Extra Firm Tofu, drained and patted dry

2 cups quinoa

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 clove minced garlic

1 1/2 Tbsp. grated ginger

2 cups mung bean sprouts

2 cups broccoli

2 diced green onions

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces (or about 1 cup of baby carrots sliced into thirds)

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, torn

1/3 bunch cilantro leaves

Avacado

Unfortunately, I was in a hurry and only got one good picture but doesn’t it look mouthwatering?

To make this salad, first cook the quinoa in 2 quarts of cold water. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil, cover, and cook on low heat for 12 minutes, then drain.

While the quinoa is cooking you can start cooking your tofu and prepping the other veggies. After draining the tofu and patting it dry, pat it dry again until you have sucked out all the life in it. I do this by using 2 thick white kitchen towels, place the tofu block on one towel, cover with the second towel and press repeatedly while turning the tofu. This helps extract as much water as possible and is the key to getting your tofu crisp. Slice the tofu into bite sized pieces and toss with 1 Tbsp. soy sauce and 1 Tbsp. of the grated ginger. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a nonstick pan and add the tofu. When cooking the tofu, do not disturb it! Let it cook for a full 5 minutes on one side without touching it. Then gently stir, cook another 5 minutes without touching, stir again, and then cook 5 minutes more. DO NOT TOUCH IT! If you touch it, you will have mushy tofu, mushy tofu = not good.

Now for the veggies, chop the broccoli and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. To speed this up you could also microwave it in a covered, microwave safe dish with a couple Tbsp. of water for 3 minutes. This just takes a bit of the crisp out of it and I think makes it better in the salad.

Wash and drain the bean sprouts, chop the green onions, carrots, cucumber, jalapeno. Then wash and tear your basil and cilantro leaves. Set all of these aside in a large bowl.

For the dressing combine 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 1/3 cup soy sauce, and 1/2 Tbsp. grated ginger. Mix and pour over the prepped veggies.

After the quinoa has cooked, rinse thoroughly in cold water to cool it down, make sure to drain all of the water out. Do the same with the blanched broccoli. Then mix the quinoa and broccoli with the vegetables and dressing. The last step is to add your cooked and crispy (because you DID NOT touch it) tofu. Toss everything together really well with the dressing. Top with diced avocado – YUM squared.