Tag Archives: sushi

greengimbap1

Goodness, today just flew by. I went for my appointment (ugh, now I go to the doctors EVERY week) and did some shopping/errands, then when I got home ate, then my parents texted me that they were coming over to bring my sister’s old rocking chair. Which led to talking with my parents, then eating out, and now I am rushing to get this vegan mofo out there. Sorry I am not going to be as detailed as normal.

greengimbap2

For my monochrome meal I am making gimbap. I know what you are thinking- Jen this just sushi. WRONG! This is Korean rice rolls. Well, not really. See gimbap is often described as Korean sandwich sushi, which seems pretty accurate. See these are really common to find in Korea. Basically you take a nori wrap and add unseasoned rice and fill it with various namuls (aka think about using your leftover veggie sides from dinner) Traditionally gimbap uses pickled radish, carrots, spinach, cucumber, egg, or cheap seafood. But over the years, the fillings have gotten to be much more “american” with additions like mayo (you actually get this often in modern gimbap), potted meats, and cheese

Unlike sushi, gimbap isn’t an artistry. How pretty it looks isn’t important. If you watch Korean dramas you will often see kids and adult main characters eating gimbap that their parents made (Pst… I suggest reading our Korean Food 101 from last year’s vegan mofo for my context.) I remember a bonding scene where to female characters talked about how they always picked the spinach out of their rolls. I personally like slicing mine, but sometimes people leave the rolled nori uncut like a long skinny burrito.

greengimbap3

It is funny because I remember getting a homework assignment similar to this. I am not sure if it is still up, or what the name was, but there were various artistic experiments that Yoko Ono posted online. It was a really interesting interactive artist think piece, and the homework assignment was to do one of the prompts. I don’t remember what I did, but I remember there was one that was to make a monochrome meal. A lot of students did this, and almost all soon found out how hard it was. 

So when I saw this vegan mofo prompt I was a little more prepared, but I was kind-of lazy. I don’t like making several dishes, but I felt like cheating saying something was monochrome if it covered in a sauce. Enter my green gimbap. The end result wasn’t nearly as green as I hoped, but still very green overall! I also fought the temptation to use a dye, and try and use all flavors. Okay, so the rice didn’t get a green as I hoped from the spirulina, and yeah the mayo and tofu is white, but hey can’t be perfect right?

Continue reading


Hello friends! This is Alexa here, and I’m so excited for Vegan Mofo this year. It’s one of my favorite things to look forward too because of all the different recipes I see being posted. My prompt for today, day 11, is “Favourite Cuisine – Where does your  favourite food come from?”

vegetarian-sushi-rolls-jpg-839x0_q71_crop-scale

One of my favorite foods of ALL TIME would have to be sushi. I love all of the diverse flavors you can get from such a small and seemingly simple food. I also love burritos and enjoy the idea that sushi is just a tiny burrito itself. 

Sushi comes from Japan, and while it is probably the most main stream and my favorite Japanese cuisine, there are certainly other Japanese foods that I really enjoy. A lot of the main dishes of Japanese cooking include fish but what I enjoy about it is that it can very very easily made vegan instead. I’ve also loved Japanese culture and history since I was young, so this may have some influence as to why I enjoy the food from that country so much.

I personally haven’t had too many crazy vegan sushi recipes because the sushi places near me have the basics when it comes to that sort of diet (cucumber, cucumber avocado, sweet potato and sometimes something with mango will make an appearance) so I’d like to make a wish list or “bucket list” of vegan sushi rolls to try someday. 

1) While writing this post and gathering all of my thoughts I was talking to Jen and she mentioned that she makes a really great spicy tempeh roll. YUM CITY USA am I right? I’m a lover of spicy food and I tend to lean toward getting spicy rolls when I order sushi, and I wish there was an easier way for me to get access to a roll like that. I’m still learning when it comes to cooking tempeh, and it is one of my favorite meat substitutes, so I’m sure this homemade roll would be absolutely delicious. 

maxresdefault

2) The “Spicy Mang” roll from Beyond Sushi. Jen has been to the Union Square location in Manhattan with her father-in-law (see post here), and while looking at their menu I noticed that they now have several different locations. I wish I had known this the last time I was in the city, I absolutely would have gone and probably wanted to try everything, but this roll stood out in particular because it hits all of my food buttons. It has black rice, avocado, mango, and english cucumber topped with spicy veggies with a toasted cayenne sauce. That sounds like it would be one of my favorite things ever, and now I’m really hoping to try it soon. 

raw-vegan-sushi

3) I found another vegan sushi & Japanese cuisine restaurant while looking up recipes online, and now I know where I want to go the next time I am in Los Angeles. This place is called Shojin, and their entire menu is vegan! Two rolls actually popped out at me first, so I’ll just add them both as number three… one being their seasonal “Black Volcano” roll. This roll is made with Spicy tofu, avocado, brussels sprouts, shiitake mushrooms and green chile mixed with ginger, the sauce that comes with it is a spicy red beet and black sesame sauce. The other roll that made my mouth begin to salivate is called the “Crunchy Dynamite Roll” and it has mashed avocado, cauliflower, carrots and asparagus with soy-free mayo. I love the use of cauliflower in this, I feel like sometimes it can be an overlooked vegetable with a lot of potential.

I feel like my mind was just blown and this is why I love the amazing variations in sushi. There are so many different vegetables that combine to make delicious flavors and I feel like the options are almost limitless.  Thank you Japan!

asksjennJen’s note: To add to Alexa’s list- I thought it might be fun to share a few recipes. Including the spicy tempeh roll she mentioned up above. I hope everyone takes a dive into sushi making, which can be hard. But once you get the hang of it you’ll wonder why you had so much trouble from the start.

Books: Vegetarian Sushi Secrets & The Vegetable Sushi Cookbook

Fish Roe: Gingeraid Kombucha Caviar, Faux Roe Stacks, Faux Roe Gunkanmaki

Nigiri: Shiitake Nigiri, Seitan Negimaki

Rolls: Spicy Vegan Scallop Roll, Elephant Roll, Dynamite Roll, Spicy Enoki Mushroom Rolls, Yamroom Rolls, Goin’ Back to Cali Rolls, Spicy Carrot Lox and Avocado Roll, Vegan Cream Cheese and Veggie RollSpicy Tempeh Roll, Eggplant Dragon RollSpicy Shiitake Roll


storefront

Beyond Sushi

229 E. 14th St (Between 2nd & 3rd Ave), New York, NY 10003
75 9th Ave (Between 15th & 16th St) New York, NY 10011
62 W 56th St (Between 5th & 6th Ave) New York, NY 10019
website | facebook | google+ | instagram | twitter | youtube

You may of read in one of my posts that I had a surprise concert in September. I got a call from my Father in Law asking if I was free, he bought tickets to see a concert but his wife was sick. He said he would invite my husband, but he knew that he had a particularly bad work week (apparently he didn’t get home that night until 9!) So we rushed plans, caught a train into New York City, and I looked for some vegan grub for us to get. I found out the venue was really close to Beyond Sushi. I’ve heard of Beyond Sushi from an instagram post by Terry Hope Romero– and yeah I dug deep in the instagram archive to share that image with you.

092515-o

First sorry for the photos, we were kind of rushing. I am not sure why. I knew it would be awhile for the band to start, but there is still that hardwired feeling to get to the venue when the doors open. Plus I didn’t want to carry an expensive camera to a show or look like weirdo with my Father in Law… though I doubt he would of cared. So you get poorly lit iPhone photos! Oh well. We decided to kind-of share our sushi and get two different combos (combo number 2, two rolls, and two a la cart/individual pieces for $14.25) We got the following rolls:

  • Might Mushroom: Six-grain rice – Enoki – Tofu – Shiitake – Micro arugula; Sauce: Shiitake Teriyaki
  • Green Machine: Six-grain rice – English cucumber – Asparagus – Basil marinated veggies; Sauce: Jalapenõ Wasabi 
  • Spicy Mang: Black rice – Avocado – Mango – English cucumber – Spicy veggies; Sauce: Toasted Cayenne
  • Pickle Me: Six-grain rice – Gobo – Carrot Pickled daikon – Avocado; Sauce: Carrot Ginger 
  • Individual Pieces: Baked Tofu, Carrot, Enoki, and Seaweed

The store also provides some other non-sushi options. They will make some rice paper wraps, ranging from about $6 to $10. There are also hand rolls, side salads, side soups, and meal salads. There were also desserts and juices that looked like they might of been made at a different site. I didn’t get a good look at the company that makes them, but I assume it is another vegan shop located in New York City.

longrows

Combo number 2 was pretty filling, and I would probably get again. My FIL (father in law) didn’t quite eat all of his plate, like maybe two pieces too many. I found the seaweed and baked tofu individual pieces pretty awesome, the tofu being really firm and the seaweed perfectly spiced. My FIL seemed happy with his enoki mushroom and carrot choices. His favorite overall was the Green Machine, which had nice crunchy veggies inside, and a mildly spicy topping. My favorite was the Mighty Mushroom which had lots of umami flavors and made me think of eel rolls that I use to love to eat. The spicy mang packed a nice punch, making it most comparable to spicy tuna rolls. And the pickle me was yummy, but truthfully the most unoriginal for vegans, since pickled daikon rolls are common place vegan option in sushi bars. It was still good, but if you aren’t from the area, you might want to try the other rolls first.

I definitely would like to take my husband here next time we go into New York City. The place is awesome but truthfully not the most relaxing spot. We went to the Union Square location (229 E. 14th St) and it was a hole in the wall, as many of the stores are on that block. There aren’t many seats, and some seasoned New Yorkers might be a little rude and take up extra space to prevent you from sharing a table (though I am sure they would just move their shit if you ask if you could sit down). I would suggest coming during off hours to grab a seat, or ordering take out, which sushi holds up well for that.