A colorful rainbow of spring veggies served are served up alongside your choice of a cooked grain and a ginger peanut sauce. Rosy-hued pickled radish slices add a nice tangy element to this vegan and gluten free deconstructed spring roll bowl.
The swift arrival of spring has brought not only the dusty yellow covering of pine pollen but a slow refilling of the creative well. I started imagining things I wanted to create, photograph, and share here. This process isn’t always the same. Sometimes it starts with a fully fledged idea, other times it centers around a single ingredient (passion fruit!) or a specific combination (strawberries and basil!). In this case however, the recipe is based on a meal that I keep in a mental list and refer to regularly when preparing for the week.
This dish doesn’t feature prominently on my rotating mental list in the fall and winter because my body is transitioning to hearty and warming fare. Now that the weather is trending warmer, it’s time to bring it back out! I like to ease my body back to lighter fare so it’s not such a shock to my digestive system, thus the lightly steamed carrots and snap peas rather than all raw veg. The pickled radish will also help with digestion as will the ginger root in the sauce.
The ingredients in the bowl are really up to you and what you enjoy about spring rolls. I’ve included a list of suggestions below along with what is in my bowl that you see in the photos. I highly recommend making it as colorful as possible!
Deconstructed Spring Roll Bowl with Ginger Peanut Sauce
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Description
A colorful rainbow of spring veggies served are served up alongside your choice of a cooked grain and a ginger peanut sauce. Rosy-hued pickled radish slices add a nice tangy element to this vegan and gluten free deconstructed spring roll bowl.
Ingredients
for the sauce:
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup mellow miso paste
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3–4 tbsp tamari (if you don’t like things as salty, start with 3 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- sriracha to taste (I used a heaping tbsp)
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
- water as needed to thin
for the quick-pickled radishes:
- one bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup vinegar (white, apple cider, red wine, or rice are all good options)
- 3/4 cup filtered water
- 2 smashed garlic cloves
- a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp mustard seed
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp of honey or maple syrup
for the bowls:
- any combination of raw or steamed spring veggies and herbs that you like such as snap peas, carrots, cabbage, sprouts, kale, mint, cilantro, and avocado
- any cooked grain that you like such as brown rice or quinoa
- for extra protein, you could add tofu or tempeh
Instructions
Make the sauce by blend all of the ingredients until smooth. Add water a little at a time to get a consistency that you like. I ended up using roughly 1/3 cup of water. Makes 1 3/4 to 2 cups of sauce depending on how much water you use.
To make the pickled radishes, add the sliced radishes to a jar with at least 2 cups (pint) capacity. Add everything else to a small pot and heat it over medium-high. Stir it a few times while it heats to make sure the salt dissolves. Once the vinegar mixture comes to a simmer, let it simmer for 2-3 minutes, then remove it from the heat. Carefully pour the vinegar mixture over the radishes into your jar. The liquid should cover all of the radishes. If not, gently press the radishes down until covered. Ideally the radishes are best after pickling in the brine for at least 24 hours but you can eat them once they cool if you like. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks.
To assemble your bowl, think about all of the things you like that tend to make their way into spring rolls. I went with more of a seasonal veg combination with a literal interpretation of spring roll but once we hit summer, you could add in cucumber, sweet peppers, and basil. Once you build your bowl, add your sauce, your pickled radishes, then eat and enjoy!
Notes
The bowl you see here is filled with Napa cabbage (a beautiful purple variety called Red Dragon), lightly steamed carrots and snap peas, broccoli sprouts, cooked brown rice, avocado, and pickled radishes. I lightly steamed the carrots and snap peas to make it easier on my digestive system.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
