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My Favorite Cucumber Tomato Salad (vegan/gf recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

Chopped cucumbers and tomatoes are tossed with mint, toasted cashews, cumin seed, lime, shallots, and salt for a simple and fresh summer salad. This vegan and gluten free salad comes together in just 10 minutes with 8 ingredients!

The beginning of every tomato season over the past several years has been celebrated with an iteration of this salad. It might sound silly, but tomatoes make such a short appearance here in Houston that their presence is indeed cause for celebration! Cherry tomatoes and other smaller varieties always mature first, giving us a sweet and tangy treat to contrast the earthy and bitter flavors of winter and spring. Seeing them ripen and change colors in the garden has become one of my absolute favorite things, second only to the joy of biting into the first one of the season!

How to Make the Best Cucumber Tomato Salad

Since cucumbers and tomatoes often come into season at the same time here, my favorite way to enjoy them is with this simple yet delicious salad. I’ve tweaked it over the years, making tiny adjustments in favor of achieving the best flavor. Here are my tips for making the best cucumber and tomato salad:

In order to tame the sharpness of the shallot, you’ll mince it and add it to your mixing bowl with the juice of half of your lime. Stir to coat the shallots in the juice, and let them sit while you finish chopping your veggies. Think of it like a super quick pickle!
Don’t skip out on toasting both the cashews and the cumin seed. It truly brings out their flavors and makes the salad taste so much better!
I recommend not salting your salad until right before you’d like to serve it. Once the tomatoes and cucumbers are salted, it will begin to draw out their liquid, making the salad feel a bit soggy.
I prefer this salad with cherry tomatoes (or other sweeter varieties) since their sweetness makes a lovely contrast to the rest of the ingredients.
While you can use other herbs like basil or cilantro here, I prefer the cool punch of mint! I recommend trying it with mint the first time you make the recipe.

How to Store Cucumbers and Tomatoes

Now that cucumbers and tomatoes have made their way back into season, there’s nothing worse than storing them improperly only to have them go bad on you very quickly. Here’s how I like to store these beloved summer veggies:

CUCUMBERS – In general, cucumbers are relatively unfussy. I simply pat them dry and store them in the crisper drawer of my fridge with a clean kitchen towel draped over them. They will keep this way for 7-10 days. If I find myself stuck with a glut of cucumbers and need to use them up quickly, I’ll juice them or make a big batch of this limeade or these pickles.

TOMATOES – The thing to remember about tomatoes is that they don’t like to be stored in the fridge. The chill of the fridge causes them to lose their flavor, making them taste bland! Store tomatoes at room temperature away from direct sunlight (unless they’re green or underripe ones that you’re trying to ripen). They will keep this way for 5-7 days depending on their degree of ripeness.

Other Ways to Enjoy Your Cucumbers and Tomatoes

Once you’ve enjoyed this salad, here are a few other recipes that celebrate these summer veggies:

Cucumber Tomato Salad with Roasted Cashews and Mint

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 3-4 side servings
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

1 small shallot
1 lime
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium/large slicing cucumber
2/3 cup raw cashews, toasted
1/3 cup mint leaves
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds, toasted
sea salt, to taste

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Instructions

Mince your shallot and add it to a mixing bowl. Cut your lime in half, the squeeze the juice from the lime half over the minced shallots. Stir, then set this aside while you prep everything else.

Cut your cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters depending on how large they are. Cut your cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut into roughly 1/8 or 1/4-inch thick slices (see photos). Add the tomatoes and cucumbers to your mixing bowl with the shallots and lime juice. You can either leave the cashews whole (my favorite) or roughly chop them, then add them to the bowl. Roughly chop the mint and add it to the bowl along with the toasted cumin seeds. Toss well to combine. Taste the salad and add more salt to season and more lime juice as needed.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

To toast your cumin seeds, add them to a dry pan set over medium heat. Shake the pan as it heats up to move the seeds around and keep them from burning. Once they become highly fragrant and have darkened slightly in color, they’re ready!
I recommend adding the salt to the salad right before you eat it as it will start to draw moisture out of the cucumbers and tomatoes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Category: salad

Veggie Sushi Bowl with Spicy Mayo (vegan/gf recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

This veggie sushi bowl with tofu and spicy mayo is a filling and delicious vegan dinner option! All of the components of a typical vegetarian sushi roll are tossed together and paired with a spicy mayo. Cooked white rice forms the base and is mixed with diced cucumber, carrot, roasted seaweed, and crispy tofu. Sliced avocado and a drizzle of spicy mayo finish the dish. Enjoy this sushi bowl recipe anytime you need a delicious vegan and gluten free meal option!

I love the magical time of year when late winter, spring, and early summer crops overlap because it means that two of my favorites, cucumbers and carrots, are both in season at the same time. Their contrasting flavors and textures complement each other so well! Last year I paid homage to their union with this salad so this year, I paired them together in this veggie sushi bowl with spicy mayo that I’ve been making on repeat.

What is a Sushi Bowl?

This recipe takes all of the components of a typical vegetarian sushi roll…and just puts them in a bowl! Rather than rolling up the ingredients, we’re adding them to a bowl. Cooked white rice is mixed with diced carrots, cucumber, pan-fried tofu, and crumbled roasted seaweed. Each bowl is topped with sliced avocado and a drizzle of homemade mayo. All of the components are really great for meal prep and can be made ahead of time. And, there’s only 10 ingredients in this whole recipe, including the sauce!

Why You Should Make This Veggie Sushi Bowl

You get all of the flavors of a vegetarian sushi roll without having to order takeout or invest in equipment to make your own sushi.
You can make a filling bowl and accompanying sauce with only 10 ingredients (not including the water and sea salt).
It’s the perfect way to celebrate the pairing of carrots and cucumbers.
It’s really darn delicious!

Grab These 10 Ingredients

Note: you’ll also need water and salt in addition to the ingredients below!

White Jasmine Rice — this forms the bulk of the bowl. I prefer a white rice here for flavor and a quicker cooking time. Feel free to use brown rice if you prefer!
Coconut Oil — you’ll use some in the rice and the rest to pan-fry the tofu. You can use avocado oil in its place if you don’t like the flavor of coconut oil.
Extra-Firm Tofu — adds protein to the sushi bowl. Make sure to use an extra firm tofu for the best texture. I recommend pressing it before pan-frying for the best browning results.
Cucumber, Carrot, and Avocado — this veggie trio is typically the basis for most vegetarian sushi rolls. The add flavor, color, and texture to the bowl.
Roasted Seaweed Snacks — I love crumbling these up as a topper for the bowl as a nod to the seaweed used in sushi rolls. You can use either the small snack packages of roasted seaweed or the larger sheets.
Vegan Mayo — forms the base of the sauce. If you don’t need the dish to be vegan, feel free to use regular mayo.
Tamari — adds a salty, umami bite to the sauce. Tamari is typically gluten free but if this is not a concern for you, feel free to use your favorite soy sauce.
Sriracha — gives the mayo a spicy flavor. I like the sauce made with 2 tablespoons of sriracha but feel free to add as much or as little as you like! This is my favorite one.

How to Make This Veggie Sushi Bowl

The base of this sushi bowl is the rice. Rather than making “sushi” rice, we’re simply cooking up some white jasmine rice. You’ll add the water, rice, and some coconut oil to a pot, bring it to a boil, give it a stir, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Then remove the pot from the heat, keeping the lid on it for an additional 5-10 minutes to allow the rice to steam.

While the rice is cooking, pan-fry the tofu. It’s best if the tofu has been pressed beforehand to release a lot of the water, but if you forgot, no worries! Our goal with the tofu is mostly to create a little color and take the raw edge off. Once the tofu is starting to turn golden brown you’ll remove it from the heat.

Before assembling, you’ll do a fine dice on your carrots and cucumbers (see the photo above). You’ll also whisk together the three sauce ingredients until smooth. And, you’ll crumble up your roasted seaweed. Once you’re ready to eat, mix the diced carrots and cucumbers into the rice along with the crumbled seaweed and the cooked tofu. Top the bowl with some sliced avocado and drizzle it with your sauce. Eat and enjoy!

FAQs

Do I need to press the tofu? Pressing the tofu helps remove some of the moisture and make it easier to get some browning action in the pan when cooking it. However, if you’re short on time or not feeling up to it, you can omit this step! Your tofu will still cook in the pan, but it won’t brown as easily.
Can I use pre-cooked rice? Of course! I’m all about taking shortcuts to make a recipe better suited to your own needs. I prefer a white rice here, but I’ll leave that up to you.
Where can I get the roasted seaweed? Roasted seaweed snack packs and roasted seaweed sheets are commonly found on the “International Foods” aisle of grocery stores here in the States. At my grocery store, the snack packs are actually on a different aisle with other snacky foods.

Veggie Sushi Bowl with Tofu and Spicy Mayo

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 3 servings
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked white jasmine rice
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
1 14-ounce block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
sea salt, to taste
2 medium cucumbers
2 medium carrots
1 0.35-ounce package of roasted seaweed snacks, optional
1/3 cup vegan mayo
2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons sriracha (this one is my favorite!)
2 avocados

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Instructions

Start by cooking the rice. Add the uncooked rice to a pot along with the water and 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil. Set the pot over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, then stir it several times before reducing the heat to low and covering the pot with a lid. Cook the rice for 15 minutes, covered. After 15 minutes, remove the rice from the heat and leave the lid on to allow it to steam for at least 5 minutes. Season with salt as needed.

While the rice is cooking, focus on the tofu. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. While the pan heats up, cut your tofu into roughly half-inch cubes. When the pan is to temperature, add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil. Then, add the tofu and season with a pinch or two of salt. Cook the tofu, stirring every 1-2 minutes, until it is beginning to gain some color and turn golden brown. This will take 10-15 minutes.

Prepare your veggies next. Finely dice both the cucumber and carrot and set them aside. Crumble up the roasted seaweed with your fingers and place it in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the vegan mayo, tamari, and sriracha until smooth. Slice or dice your avocado.

Mix the cooked rice with the diced veggies, crumbled seaweed, and cooked tofu then portion into bowls. Top each bowl with some of the avocado and drizzle with the spicy mayo.

Notes

If you are only eating 1 serving at a time to eat, keep all of the components separate until you’re ready to mix them together. The rice and tofu can be gently rewarmed on the stove or in a microwave to take the chill off.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: main