Sea Vegetable Grain Bowl

Make this simple and umami-packed dish in minutes. Wakame, a type of kelp, is the star of this grain bowl. Commonly used in soups, salads and side dishes. This dish can be prepared ahead of time and served hot or cold. 

Preparation Time: 25 minutes      
Makes 2 bowl meals

Ingredients:

Cucumber Wakame Salad:

¼ cup wakame, dried 

2 cups warm water 

¼ cup carrots, shredded 

¼ cup cucumber, sliced 

Wakame Dressing: 

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 

1 tablespoon sugar 

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce 

1 tablespoon sesame seeds 

Bowl:

1 cup brown rice, cooked

1 cup edamame, frozen, thawed 

1 medium avocado, peeled and sliced 

½ cup carrots, shredded 

2 radishes, sliced 

¼ cup red cabbage, shredded 

Instructions: 

1. To make Cucumber Wakame Salad: In a medium bowl, soak the dried wakame in 2 cups of warm water for 10 minutes until rehydrated. Once the wakame is done soaking, drain the water, and toss it with prepared dressing, carrots, and cucumber. Makes 1 ½ cups. 

2. To make Wakame Dressing: Mix together rice wine vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Makes ¼ cup.

3. Assemble grain bowls by evenly distributing bowl ingredients among two bowls and top with ½ cup of cucumber wakame salad each. 

Notes:

Save the soaking water for the wakame to add to soups and broths for an added umami flavor. 

To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce.

Nutritional information per serving (one bowl):

449 calories, 21 g fat, 3 g fat, 643 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 55 g carbohydrate, 13 g fiber, 12 g total sugar, 16 g protein

Recipe by Sherene Chou, MS, RDN, a Los Angeles based culinary dietitian and Co-Founder of Food + Planet focused on building a more equitable and sustainable food system through the intersection of plant-based nutrition, food and social justice.