This simple vegan gluten-free pear avocado sushi salad is the perfect compromise when you don't feel like rolling sushi. Enjoy the taste without the work!
Imagine rolling slices of pear, avocado, and cucumber in a rice-coated sheet of nori. Slice the roll and dip a piece in peanut sauce. Yum! Sounds delicious, right? But maybe it’s more work than you’re up for… Sushi salad is the perfect compromise when you don’t feel like being fussy. With minimal effort, this Pear Avocado Sushi Salad can be just as satisfying as the sushi roll described above. It has the same healthy ingredients.
Why You Should Eat Nori
I share nori’s many health benefits in my Veggie Quinoa Sushi Rolls post. But I recently discovered another important reason to include these unassuming strips of seaweed in my diet. Apparently consuming raw cruciferous veggies (kale, broccoli, etc.) has the potential to interfere with iodine absorption. (Iodine is vital for a healthy thyroid.) If you enjoy raw cruciferous veggies, be sure you also eat iodine-rich foods like nori.
Tasty Ingredients
You hardly notice the nori in this Pear Avocado Sushi Salad. It adds a hint of salty texture under the creamy flavor of peanut sauce.
This recipe was partly inspired by the Budda Rolls (avocado and peanut) I enjoy at my favorite Japanese restaurant. I didn’t have peanuts so I figured peanut sauce would do. The lovely pears sitting on my counter also seemed like a good fit. Good call. They add a delectable touch of sweetness.
The salad tastes best at room temperature. To add some leafy greens to the mix, I like to serve it on a bed of baby romaine lettuce. I bet it would also be great wrapped in a large leaf of romaine.
📖 Recipe
Pear Avocado Sushi Salad with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 Tbsp. low sodium Tamari
- 1 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar
- 2 tsp. maple syrup
- ¼ tsp. ground ginger
- ⅛ - ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Salad
- 2 cups long grain brown rice or wild rice mix uncooked, I use the Tinkyada brand
- 4 ½ cups water
- 1 cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped
- 2 pears chopped
- 2 avocados peeled and chopped
- 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
- 2 nori sheets torn into 2 inch pieces
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
Instructions
Peanut Sauce
- Combine ½ cup of water, peanut butter, garlic, Tamari, rice vinegar, maple syrup, ground ginger and crushed red pepper flakes in a high-speed blender.
- Begin blending on low and slowly turn up to medium high (7 on Vitamix). Blend for approximately 30 seconds or until the sauce reaches a smooth consistency.
Salad
- Rinse rice and combine with 4 ½ cups of water in a rice cooker. Cook on brown rice setting. (Alternatively, combine rice and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil on stove top. Reduce heat and simmer covered for approximately 45-50 minutes, or until rice is tender and water is absorbed.)
- Fluff cooked rice with a fork and set aside.
- Combine chopped pears and avocados with lemon juice in a large bowl and stir to mix.
- Add sesame seeds and chopped cucumber and stir to mix.
- For easier mixing, add ⅓ of each of the remaining ingredients (cooked rice, peanut sauce and torn nori) at a time. Stir to mix well after each addition.
Notes
Note: I do not include nutrition information with my recipes because I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.
Patt
I just found out about you on Facebook. Considering you are a plant based blogger I am surprised you don't use an electric pressure cooker especially since they are so great for cooking beans and rice. The instant pot brand also is a slow cooker. You would eliminate several large appliances with just the one.
This recipe looks amazing and I will try it but maybe with just balsamic vinegar. My new favorite salad is homemade chickpeas, avocado, cuke, quinoa over a bed of chopped lettuces and veggies, again with balsamic for dressing. Olives or fruit is good in it too, or maybe pumpkin seeds. I have a falafel recipe that I just toast loose in the pan and toss over my mixed salad, add green olives and honey mustard dressing. It is great.
Margaret
Thanks for the tip about the pressure cooker Patt. I've seen recipes that use them. I can't help but equate them with the scary device my granny used to can produce from her garden. She always cautioned me about the dangers of it blowing up! Ha ha - Perhaps I'll overcome my childhood fear and give it a try!
Your salad sounds yummy. I'm also a fan of balsamic - I particularly enjoy infused balsamic vinegars offer by bemaandpas.com
But if you are reluctant to try the peanut sauce in this recipe, you could try the applesauce vinaigrette I share in my Cranberry Walnut Wild Rice Salad recipe. I think it would be a good combo. 🙂
P.S. Glad you found me on FB
Marla's Muffins
Thanks for another great recipe! I had 2 avocados about to go bad, so this was perfect:)
Natasha Andorful
My husband love it...thanks for the great recipe.
Margaret
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂