LuAnn's Sushi Salad

This sushi salad requires little of the skill needed to assemble traditional sushi, yet retains all of the tantalizing, slightly exotic flavors. My elder son, who does not always share my enthusiasm for vegan dishes, declared this salad…“Awesome!”

Yield: about 8 cups

Ingredients

Rice

• 3 cups COOKED white or brown rice, cooled to room temperature (or chilled)

Tofu and Marinade

• 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
• 1 (12 to 16 ounce package) extra-firm water-packed tofu, drained, then diced in 1/4 inch (or slightly larger) pieces

Dressing

• 1 to 2 tablespoons wasabi powder (one for a milder flavor; two if you want your nose to burn!)
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise-type spread (I use Vegenaise)
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
• 1 tablespoon liquid pickled ginger "juice" (liquid drained from pickled ginger)

Vegetables

• 2 cups matchstick-cut or coarsely grated carrots
• 1 hothouse seedless cucumber, peeled if waxed, then thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1/4 cup grated pickled ginger
• 3 to 4 nori (dried, toasted seaweed) sheets (half of a 6-ounce package), snipped lengthwise into quarters, then stacked and snipped crosswise at 1/4 inch intervals (reserve a small amount to garnish the top of the salad, if desired)
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, rinsed and excess water shaken off, thicker stems removed and discarded, then chopped (do not pack; should have about 1/2 cup)
• 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled then diced

Garnish

• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• Reserved sheet of nori, snipped into small, irregularly shaped pieces (optional)

Instructions

1. If needed, cook and cool rice before beginning the salad.

Marinate the tofu

1. About 1 hour before serving the salad, in a medium saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and sesame seed oil; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cubed tofu, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the tofu and marinade to a 2- or 3-quart glass baking dish. Fluff the cooled rice, then gently stir the rice into the tofu and marinade. Place the bowl in a freezer to chill the mixture quickly.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing.

Dressing

1. In a small bowl, whisk the hot water and wasabi powder until smooth. Whisk in the Vegenaise, soy sauce and ginger “juice”, then refrigerate until ready to complete the salad.
2. Prepare the vegetables.

Assemble the salad

1. Shortly before serving, stir the dressing and all the prepared vegetables EXCEPT THE AVOCADO into the rice and tofu mixture until well mixed. Gently toss in the avocado.

Garnish the salad

1. If desired, transfer the salad to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and the reserved nori, if using. Serve promptly, before the avocado begins to darken.

Notes

The rice needs to be cooked and cooled to room temperature (or chilled) before the salad is made.

Attribution

Recipe by LuAnn Bermeo, author of Amazing Meals I and II, a two-volume set of family-approved plant-based recipes.