Today’s going to be all about first dates, sushi, and Whole Foods. Ever since we moved to Austin we’ve been in the land of Whole Foods. The mothership is only a few miles from our house and oh my goodness, oh my goodness. I’ve actually only been there 3 times since moving, but each time has been an experience. So many people, so many aisles, and so many restaurants. Yes, restaurants! They have maybe 7-10 little “restaurants” built into the grocery store itself where you can order, sit down, and enjoy your food. The last time I ordered at a grocery store then sat down to eat my food was probably junior year of high school, eating some good old Hy-Vee Chinese food. Not the same at all.

First dates. I’ve only been on 2 of them in my life. One with my high school boyfriend of about a year and one with my most recent boyfriend, i.e. husband! This past weekend I went by myself to the If:Gathering (check it out if you’ve never heard of it) and felt like I was on about 5 first dates with each of the ladies at my table. The second day of the gathering I got asked out to lunch and yes, it was a first date. Maybe not your typical one, as it was me and 3 other women, but the format was similar. We asked questions about each others lives, hobbies, and passions, and then essentially after you’re done, you decide if you’re suited for each other and then the relationship can progress from there! That might seem super silly to you, but I’ve discovered as I’ve gotten older that that’s really the only way to make new friends. And hey! I even got a few numbers out of the deal 🙂

Anyways, we went as a small group to the Mothership Whole Foods for lunch and I visited the sushi bar for a simple vegetarian sushi roll. It was so super good and fresh that I wanted to recreate it for eating at home. When I was browsing Pinterest one night I came across this fabulous recipe from Cookie and Kate and it was exactly what I was looking for!

A rice bowl is the way to go if you’re looking for a super easy and healthy lunch you can make ahead and eat for lunches the rest of the week. The rice in this recipe is good enough to be eaten alone as well! It’s got a bit of tang from the rice vinegar and then the sweetness of the sugar and saltiness from the soy sauce. Then you top it off with the crumbled nori and it’s so good!!

You can definitely alter the veggies to fit your taste, but I love this combo as well. Happy eating friends!

Sushi Inspired Rice Bowl

★★★★★

5 from 1 review

Author: Kitschen Cat
Yield: 4 1x

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

Rice

5 cups cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon soy sauce (affiliate)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (affiliate)
1/2 teaspoon salt
8x8 sheet dried nori (I prefer the Teriyaki flavor)

Veggies

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled into ribbons with veggie peeler
1 large avocado, cut into wedges
2 cups shelled, steamed edamame

Toppings

Sriracha (affiliate) sauce
Sesame Seeds
Additional dried nori
Soy sauce (affiliate)

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Instructions

In small saucepan over medium heat, bring soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and salt to a simmer, just until sugar dissolves.
Chop dried nori into small pieces.
In large mixing bowl, combine cooked brown rice, soy sauce mixture, and dried nori.
Assemble rice bowl by starting with a base of rice then adding sliced cucumber, ribboned carrots, avocado, and shelled edamame.
Add additional toppings of sriracha, sesame seeds, nori, and soy sauce if you desire.

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