Here’s my recipe for making a vegetarian poke bowl at home. This recipe is very simple, colorful and full of nutrients! It’s also a perfect for doing meal prep!
Kidney nutrition
Poke bowls have their origins in traditional Hawaiian culture. They were popularized in the 70s and can be found almost everywhere now. Topped with various fresh fruits and vegetables, there’s no reason not to like them!
Generally, poke bowls are served with raw fish and white rice. In this recipe, I opted for brown rice and tofu instead. This allows to have a recipe mainly made from plants with more fiber.
Note that the nutritional values presented take into account the use of my recipe for baked tofu cubes and my low sodium mayonnaise recipe. You can use the sauce and vegetable protein of your choice, but remember that the nutritional values will vary accordingly.
Nutrition facts and claims
Here are the nutritional values and claims of this recipe.
For informational purposes only.
How to make a good vegetarian poke bowl
Making a kidney friendly vegetarian poke bowl is relatively simple and does not require special culinary knowledge. Here are 3 small easy steps to prepare yours.
Cook the brown rice
The first step is to prepare your rice. To cook it, follow the instructions on your package. Cooking can vary a lot from rice to rice, so it is better for you to prepare your rice according to the instructions provided than with generic indications.
In order to optimize your time, take advantage of the cooking period of your rice to prepare all the other ingredients of this recipe.
Prepare your ingredients
This vegetarian poke bowl is served with raw vegetables and fruit. You simply need to cut out all your ingredients to assemble the bowls.
Even if this recipe says to thinly slice one vegetable and dice another, you can cut everything as you see fit, it doesn’t matter much.
For the protein source, if it is not already ready to serve, allow more preparation time, or cook it in advance.
Assemblez
Now all that remains is to assemble. There is nothing complicated here, you just have to divide the ingredients into equal parts and assemble the bowls!
Vegetarian poke bowl variations
Here are some interesting variation ideas if you want to customize your vegetarian poke bowl. Do not hesitate to personalize it while respecting your nutritional needs!
Brown sushi rice
If you would like to have sushi rice and want to keep the benefits of brown rice at the same time, there is a simple way to create brown rice for sushi.
The first step is to cook the rice according to the instructions on its packaging. Once cooked, make sure the rice has absorbed all available water. Then spread it gently on a baking sheet without breaking or handling the grains unnecessarily.
Finally, use a spatula to mix unseasoned rice vinegar and maple syrup in your brown rice and let it cool completely.
For every 1/2 cup of uncooked brown rice, I suggest using 1 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar and 1 tsp maple syrup. With short-grain brown rice, this gives a result that can be significantly close to that of sushi rice (calrose rice).
Different fruits and vegetables
The initial concept of the poke bowl is to use the fresh and seasonal ingredients that are available. If you use a different mixture of fruits and vegetables than what is indicated in this recipe, I invite you to use as many different colors as possible.
For example, my favorite fruits for this recipe, other than pineapple, are kiwis, strawberries, and mango.
Replace rice
You can substitute brown rice with any other good source of fiber. Personally, I also love using quinoa and whole grain pearl couscous to make this recipe.
Protein source
You can use any source of protein in this recipe. For example, you can swap tofu for tempeh, edamames, textured vegetable protein, etc.
Otherwise, even if it goes against the vegetarian aspect of this recipe, you can use any fish at your disposal to accompany this dish.
Sauce
I use a paprika sauce in this recipe, but it is possible to use another sauce or dressing of your choice. It is enough to pay special attention to the nutritional values before choosing.
More vegetarian recipes
If you like this recipe, here are some other vegetarian recipes you might like:
Vegetarian Poke Bowl
INGREDIENTS
Poke bowl
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 4 servings baked tofu (Note 1)
- 1 cup pineapple diced
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 1 cup red cabbage chopped
- ½ cup radish thinly sliced
- ½ cup carrots grated
Toppings (Optional)
- 4 tsp green onion tail chopped
- 4 tsp sesame seeds
Smoked paprika sauce (Optional)
- 2 tbsp low sodium mayo (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
INSTRUCTIONS
- Divide the brown rice evenly in the bowls. Then divide evenly the pineapple dice, vegetables and tofu cubes on the rice in the bowls.
- Spread the sesame seeds and the chopped green onion evenly in all bowls.
- Mix in another small bowl all the ingredients of the paprika sauce and distribute it evenly over the poke bowl.
NOTES
NUTRITION FACTS
For informational purposes only. Nutrition data is primarily calculated from the USDA National Database. Values may vary from accuracy of measurements, brands, nutritional data and more. All measurements are metric (1 cup = 250ml). Readers are encouraged to make their own calculations.
Marc-Andre has been a kidney warrior since 2007. Since that time, he has learned to create his own kidney friendly recipes to preserve as much as possible his kidney functions. Now he wants to share what he has learned to help other kidney patients find tasty kidney friendly recipes.
Roxanne Papineau, RD, is a registered dietitian specializing in nephrology with over 15 years of experience in the field. She writes articles and reviews the content published on this site to ensure that it meets the most up-to-date recommendations for people with kidney disease.
