Foodie Friday: Quick and Easy Sushi Bowls

My Bean, who is a notoriously picky eater, has discovered she likes sushi. I'm sure it's probably because some TikTok influencer has gone viral with a ridiculous post on social media. Still, regardless of why she agrees to eat something remotely healthy, I'm happy she's willing to try something new. A bonus to this healthy recipe is that it is so very easy to create, and it is adaptable to what you have on hand.

This recipe is for deconstructed sushi. You take all the ingredients in sushi, put them in a bowl, and enjoy. The most challenging aspect of this recipe is cooking the rice. To make this even easier to put together, I cook the rice in my rice cooker and walk away. I like recipes that don't require a ton of focus or attention. Cut up some vegetables, add your favorite protein, and make a spicy mayonnaise sauce. Toss it all together in a bowl, and you have a delicious, well-balanced, and healthy meal in under thirty minutes.

We have had this for dinner and lunch on several different occasions. Leftovers make a quick and easy meal the next day, and are even better after the flavors have had time to mingle. We have used shrimp, crab, and tuna and found we enjoy all of them equally. The Bibbed Wonder even combined shrimp and crab. Surprisingly, he was initially reluctant to try this, but he eventually discovered that he enjoyed it. On the first night, he had three bowls and ate them with gusto.

The bowls consist of sushi rice or brown rice, cucumbers, shredded carrots, pickled ginger, and your choice of crab, shrimp, or tuna, and are topped with a spicy mayonnaise sauce or purchased Yum-Yum sauce. We like the simple homemade spicy mayo, but the Yum-Yum sauce is even more convenient. As I said, the most time-consuming and challenging aspect of this meal is cooking the rice.

Quick and Easy Sushi Bowls

Ingredients:

-cooked sushi or brown rice (you can also use white rice)

-diced cucumber

-shredded carrots (I used pre-shredded)

-diced avocado

-crab meat (I used canned, but you can also use fresh), or tuna ( I used white albacore), or shrimp (I used thawed, frozen, precooked with tails removed and deveined)

Optional:

-pickled ginger (found in the Asian food aisle)

-wasabi

-soy sauce

-Yum-Yum sauce ( I used Terry Ho's Original Yum Yum Sauce)

-spicy mayo (the recipe follows)

-rice vinegar

Directions:

-cook the rice according to package directions (rice can be cooked ahead and refrigerated; this is recommended)

-add the cooked rice to your bowl and top with any of the above ingredients

Recipe for Spicy Mayo:

1/4 cup of Japanese mayonnaise (In a pinch, Helman's will do)

2 TBLS. Siracha

1 tsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. rice vinegar

-combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

This sauce can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, top with your preferred sauce, and enjoy. It's simple, delicious, low-maintenance, and healthy. In our home, it is enjoyed by all. Sushi bowls are my new go-to on nights I failed to plan a meal. I usually have all the ingredients on hand, it takes very little time, and it is tasty.

On this sunny Friday, stay safe, be smart, enjoy simple and delicious food, and keep washing your hands.