I’m in the family-coming-in-for-weekend-so-clean-like-your-life-depends-on-it mode. The tulip-man likens this side of me to a headless chicken, running about with no clear direction…poor chicken. But yes, our little American family is convening in Holland to celebrate the 4th, and I’ve been bustling about with cleaning (so as to give the impression that their child is, in fact, now an adult), stocking the fridge with zucchini for dad, and trying to figure out how I’ll entertain everyone in this typically dreary Dutch weather. But amidst the chaos, I’m really just so excited. My sister is flying in from Hawaii, where she’s lived for a few years. And when flights to each other take an upwards of 24 hours, you make your trips worth it (i.e. staying up late watching movies and eating stroopwafels, traveling around Southern France for a few days, anything is possible in the coming month!) This veggie poke bowl, like many of the pineapple recipes this week, is inspired by Hawaii. Poke bowls, a longtime staple in Hawaiian cuisine, just began making a debut on the mainland. So it’s about time they make their debut here on the blog!
What is a poke bowl?
Traditionally made with raw ahi tuna, poke bowls are like the island cousin of the equally popular Buddha bowl. Spoon in some rice, top with fresh, local fruits and veggies, and throw in marinated raw fish.
How can you make vegan poke bowls?
We’re replacing ahi with tofu, marinating it in a flavor-packed sauce, while keeping the traditional raw aspect of poke bowls (you could also make tomato “tuna” instead of using tofu here). Combine with loads of fresh fruits and vegetables and serve over a mound of rice. And can we just talk about how I finally learned how to use chopsticks? After a few days of embarrassingly asking for a fork in Southeast Asia, I just decided to go for it. Is learning to eat with chopsticks one of those steps towards adulthood? Am I a bit closer to being a real grown up now? Okay, that’s all, we can go back to these Vegetarian Poke Bowls now.
