Poke is a traditional Hawaiian dish. Hawaiian food takes a lot of influence from Japanese food, but poke is Hawaiian. Traditionally, poke is made from ahi tuna or octopus (tako) that has been roughly cut into bite sized pieces and marinated with whatever was on hand.

A poke bowl base usually consists of rice, with a seafood protein. Sauces can consist of wasabi mayo, eel sauce, dragon aioli, among others. Poke bowls can effortlessly turn into vegetarian or vegan meals. All you have to do is swap the seafood with proteins like seasoned tofu, tempeh, seitan, mushrooms, or cooked beets and add your favorite veggies and vegan sauce.

Serves: 4 | Cooking Time: 50 Minutes

Ingredients

• 6 medium beets (or pre-cooked beets, as a time saver*)

• 3 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

• 1 small garlic clove, grated

• ½ teaspoon ginger, grated

• 1 teaspoon minced green onion

• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the poke bowl

• 1 cups short-grain white rice or brown rice

• 2 cup shelled edamame (thawed)

• 3 green onions

• 8 radishes

• 1 avocado

• 2 medium carrots

• Spicy Vegan Mayo for drizzling (use lime juice instead of Siracha sauce for a non-spicy version or Peri Peri sauce to make it even spicier)

For the garnish:

• Toasted sesame seeds, micro greens, or sprouts (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook the beets*: Use How to Boil Beets (takes about 40 minutes total) or Instant Pot Beets (takes 25 minutes). Peel the beets according to the recipe, then slice them into 1/2-inch cubes.

2. Make the rice: Make the rice on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot. When it’s done, give it a few shakes of rice vinegar and stir in salt to taste. (Or, make the rice in advance and reheat it on the stovetop with a splash of water.)

3. Season the beets: When they’re cooked, place the beets in a bowl and stir together the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, grated garlic, ginger, minced green onion, and kosher salt.

4. Prepare the veggies: Thinly slice the green onions and radishes. Slice the avocado. Julienne the carrots (or peel strips with a veggie peeler). Sprinkle all the veggies with salt.

5. Serve: Place the veggies and rice in a bowl. Top with the beet poke and garnish the poke with sesame seeds. Drizzle with spicy vegan mayo and serve.