Vegan Sunshine Bowl w/ fresh crunchy summer veggies- grated beets, carrots, kohlrabi, sunchokes, radish & jicama with nutty brown rice and sunflower seed “tahini” sauce. Vegan and GF!
Happiness consists not of having, but of being. It is a warm glow of the heart at peace with itself.
David O. McKay
Coming home after a two week road trip, exploring Idaho’s beautiful nooks and crannies -our fridge is frighteningly bare. I make a quick trip to the farmers market and return home, arms full of fresh produce. While at the market, I have this Sunshine Bowl in mind and make sure to pick out fresh crunchy veggies like golden beets, carrots, kohlrabi, sunchokes, radish, jicama and cucumber – all which can be grated, spiralized or thinly sliced- and taste good in their raw state. In this recipe, all the veggies are raw, served over a bed of warm, short grain nutty brown rice (or any other whole grain) with kale.
But it’s the Sunflower Seed Tahini Sauce that really makes all this healthiness -palatable and delicious. Earthy and flavorful, it’s low in fat and oil, vegan and gluten free. Because most of the ingredients are all raw, this dish is pumped full of antioxidants, vitamins and living nutrients. I think of this as a “detox” bowl, and whenever I eat this, I feel energized and alive, and my body thanks me for it. It also passes the Brian taste test, meaning – he loves it without knowing how good it is for him. Haha!
The Sunshine Bowl makes shopping at the farmers market fun… giving a good excuse to try different, interesting veggies that you wouldn’t normally pick out.
You will need a total of four cups of grated or sliced raw vegetables…so try to use four different vegetables.
The Sunflower Seed Tahini Sauce is whipped up quickly in the blender. It is made with sunflower seeds, water, Bragg’s liquid Aminos, apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, a teaspoon of sesame oil and fresh orange juice. I added bee pollen as well, but this is optional. You can substitute tamari or soy sauce, but I find the Braggs adds an earthy nutty flavor that I really enjoy, one that is lost when using soy sauce.
Fresh grated beets add a pleasant sweetness to the dish, and I always try to include them.
Carrots can be grated -or shaved with a vegetable peeler to add a different texture.
Kohlrabi has thick skin, so be sure to peel and either grate or cut into fine matchsticks. It tastes a little like a cross between turnip and radish. Substitute fresh radishes, or daikon if you can’t find these.
Fresh sunchokes, are the tuber of a type of perennial sunflowers. Raw they add a delicious crunch and nutty flavor. Roasted they taste similar to artichokes. For this recipe, I leave them raw, scrub them and slice them thinly, leaving the peels on.
For protein, add small cubes of raw, sprouted tofu lightly marinated in Braggs Liquid Aminos. Of course you can always crisp up or bake the tofu, or add a poached egg to the top, but for the sake of keeping this lean and raw, I used fresh uncooked tofu.
Once the rice is cooked and the veggies prepped, divide into bowls. Place a bed of warm rice or grain into the bowls and top with kale and then divide the other veggies.
Top with sunflower seeds and chives.
Drizzle the Sunflower Seed Tahini Sauce over top……. and feel your body tingle with energy.
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Sunshine Bowl w/ Sunflower Seed Tahini Sauce
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: healthy veggie Bowl
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
A low fat, vegan, healthy veggie and grain bowl with a flavorful sunflower seed tahini sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 cups hot cooked brown rice, quinoa or other whole grain
- 1 cup cubed extra-firm tofu
- 4 Cups fresh raw crunchy veggies, grated and/or sliced – grated beets, grated carrots, radish, daikon, kohlrabi, cucumber, jicama, peppers, tomatoes
- 2 cups packed leafy green–kale, spinach or arugula
- 2 T chives or scallions- chopped
- 2 T sunflower seeds
- 1 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos ( or tamari or soy sauce)
Sunflower Seed Tahini Sauce:
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds – roasted or raw
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice ( half an orange)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Amino’s or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1–2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger ( optional)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp bee pollen ( optional)
Instructions
- Cook grain or rice according to directions. Drizzle 1 teaspoon Braggs liquid amino over cubed tofu in a bowl and set aside, letting it marinate.
- Prep all veggies (peel- then grate or slice).
- Make sunflower tahini sauce– place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- When grain is cooked, divide among 4 bowls. Top with chopped kale. Arrange veggies and tofu overtop.
- Drizzle with tahini sauce. Garnish with chopped chives ( or scallions ) and sunflower seeds.
- Notes: you can also pan sear tofu ( blot dry after marinating and coat in cornstarch, sear in oil until crispy)
I LOVE this recipe and make it often! I didn’t have all of the ingredients for the sauce the second time I made it and ended up using substitutions with great success, which I think I will repeat in the future:
-substituted the soy sauce and orange juice for one ingredient – Yuzu Ponzu Sauce
-substituted the Apple Cider Vinegar for Rice Vinegar
-left out the nutritional yeast
-added a splash of Mirin
-topped with raw pecan pieces instead of additional sunflower seeds
★★★★★
Love it! Thanks for sharing Lynn!
Made this tonight but next time I will change the dressing a bit. Mine came out very watery and a little too salty flavored. I poured out half the liquid and added cashew butter to thicken it and added some orange rind. Delicious bowl idea though, and a good way to use up extra veggies. Thanks!
Hi. Need to add on tahini ? Or just blend without tahini sauce?
Yes, no actual tahini in it – the sunflower seeds replace it. 🙂
I’ve loved this bowl for years now and never thought to leave a rating, The dressing is SUPERB!
★★★★★
But plz can i use white Basmati Rice in place of Brown Rice , will it turn out to be the same ?
Of course- use any grain you like!
The pop up ads at the bottom of the screen are extremely annoying.
Thanks, I’ll look into it. Are you on mobile, desk top or i-pad?
I love rainbow salads! The dressing sounds unbelievable, I love using tahini in recipes. I’m going to have to try making this!
What a gorgeous salad! It makes me happy just looking at it. We just returned from a long weekend in Idaho and I’m itching to get back to explore more places.
Your pictures are so bright and inviting! I can’t wait to give this a try 🙂
Thanks Paula!
Your pictures are beautiful and that sunflower seed tahini sauce sounds delicious! I’ll try out tomorrow for lunch.
Let us know what you think…thanks!!!
That sunflower seed-tahini dressing sounds really nice! However, I wonder if the recipe is missing tahini? 🙂
The sunflower seeds replace the tahini in this recipe. I suppose the tahini should be “tahini”. 🙂
Beautiful photos that captures the essence of an equally beautiful salad. I love dressing.
This is gorgeous! I love kohlrabi!
another stunning recipe. i love how nourishing it will be for my body!
Thanks Amanda!!
Looks so gorgeous – I love bowls!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
This is a beautiful salad, and so, so healthy. : )