Vegetarian Banh Mi Bowls with Gardein
Thanks to Gardein for sponsoring today’s post and sharing their delicious Gardein Teriyaki Chick’n Strips and Meatless Meatballs.
Lately I have been a bit obsessed with two things – turning traditional sandwiches into "bowls" and making all things Asian. So when an opportunity came around to work with delicious Gardein products and come up with a quick and easy Meatless Monday meal, I jumped at the chance. Without too much thought, I knew I wanted to make my own version of a traditional Banh Mi sandwich in a bowl complete with spicy pickles, lots of crunchy veggies, and Gardein’s delicious Teriyaki Chick’n Strips and Meatless Meatballs. It was too hard to pick just one.
I have been a pretty big fan of Meatless Mondays for a long time and stand behind it for both its health and environmental benefits. (Reducing your meat intake just one day a week can have a considerable impact on your health, increasing life expectancy while reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes. Additionally if all Americans ate one meatless meal a week all year it would equal the equivalent of taking 1/2 million cars off the road.) However getting my meat loving partner to get on the Meatless Monday train has not been quite as easy.
To overcome his aversion to meatless meals, I am a huge fan of vegetarian meat replacement and Gardein makes some of my absolute favorite products in this category. I like Gardein for lots of reason, the most important of which is that is it delivers on the taste, the texture, and the nutrition of meat with no cholesterol, less fat, and less calories. Seriously, every time I make the chick’n, it takes him a few minutes to realize it isn't the real thing. It’s also made with non-GMO soy and wheat, ancient grains and veggies and is a product that’s good for me and for the planet. For me it’s a terrific, easy to prepare, alternative to meat and comes in so many varieties I can pretty much find a Gardein product to use in any of my favorite recipes.
So now on to that Banh Mi Bowl I was telling you about! And make sure to check out the coupon and giveaway below as well.
Vegetarian Banh Mi Bowls with Gardein
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 U jalapeno, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar, white sugar, or agave
- 6 U Gardein Meatless Meatballs (or Teriyaki Chick’n strips)
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 4 cups greens
- 1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
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Instructions
(Hide Photos)Start by making the quick pickles. Bring the water, vinegar, and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the carrots, cucumbers, and the jalapeno if you like spicy. Let sit for at least one hour. You can refrigerate once they come to room temperature.
Cook the meatballs (chick’n strips) according to the package directions. I followed the oven instructions. Then toss in the Hoisin sauce. For chick’n strips, just toss in the teriyaki sauce that it comes with.
Assemble the Banh Mi Bowls by placing 2 cups greens in the bottom of the bowl. Top with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice. Then add the meatballs (chick’n strips) and remaining veggies.
If you love the spicy aioli that comes with a traditional Banh Mi, mix together 2 tbsp. reduced fat mayonnaise, 2 tbsp. nonfat plain Greek yogurt, 1.5 tsp. Sriracha, 1 tbsp. lime juice, and 1/2 minced garlic clove. Then rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.
Notes
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