A lot of us, whether we are seasoned vegans or new to the plantbased lifestyle, love the idea of eating more fresh, raw, whole-food plant-based foods in our diet! It goes hand in hand with that vegan goddess glow up we thought we’d have! A few vegan pizzas later, however, and we are left wondering how to fit more raw vegetables into even a plant-based diet! That is where drawing inspiration from cuisines that naturally use more fresh raw ingredients comes in handy.

After a weekend’s worth of birthday food such as vegan pizza, nachos, sushi, cake, and more, my husband and I were craving a fresh and healthy week! To be honest, even thoroughly vegan people struggle with finding ways to eat more raw vegetables that go beyond a salad or Buddha bowl! Instead of trying to create completely original new salads and Buddha bowls all week long, I decided to go with a Vietnamese theme!

When I think of Vietnamese food I think of rice noodles, fresh vegetables, hoisin sauce, pho, cilantro, lime, and lemongrass! Vegan Vietnamese food happens to be very conducive to a boatload of delicious vegetables in your diet.

We kept things very simple, here is what we made for our Vietnamese inspired Vegan Meal Prep!

LOTS of tofu salad rolls dipped in spicy peanut sauce.
Tofu egg fried rice
Vegan Lemon Grass Chicken with Pulled King Oyster Mushroom
Vegan Pho
Deconstructed salad roll bowls with peanut sauce and hoisin
Rice and raw vegetable salad bowl with an Asian inspired salad dressing and hoisin “steak”

I think it is the delicious sauces and herbs that make eating these raw vegetable-based meals so easy to do!

Vietnamese Vegan Tofu Salad Rolls and bowls

Vegan Vietnamese Salad Roll Photo By Julius Yls on UnSplash

These are always delicious. I wrap each one individually and reuse the wrap for the new ones I make in the middle of the week. These salad rolls make eating fresh raw vegetables something to look forward to!

Ingredients for Vegan (Vegetarian) Vietnamese Tofu Salad Rolls:

Smoked Tofu cut into strips
Basil leaves
Cilantro
Green onion
Bell peppers cut into match sticks
Cucumber shreds
Shred purple cabbage
Spinach or mixed greens
Carrot shreds
Thin vermicelli noodles
Rice paper

For the Peanut Dip you will need to mix the following:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2-3 Tbsp gluten-free tamari, soy sauce, or coconut aminos
1-2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp chili garlic sauce or sriracha
2-3 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup water (to thin)

These make a delicious lunch, snack, or dinner. The fresh vegetables are high in fiber, the tofu is high in protein, and the peanut sauce is just completely addicting. I usually make 12 rolls in one sitting, then on Wednesday I make another 12 for the week.

For the deconstructed salad roll bowl, simply take all of the ingredients with a bit more noodles and toss it in a bowl! Top with peanut sauce, hoisin, and/or sriracha.

Vegan Vietnamese-Inspired Tofu Egg Fried Rice

I got this recipe from The Viet Vegan. This vegan tofu egg fried rice has more vegetables than most of the salads I make and less oil than most salad dressings! So yes, it is a healthy and delicious way to eat more vegetables without eating a salad. It is healthy comfort food at its finest. I like to keep my vegetables crunchy (as raw as possible) so I am mindful about not overcooking them.

I used the following ingredients for the vegan tofu egg fried rice:

Frozen Peas
Carrots (shred and then chopped)
Diced Zucchini
Snap Peas
White Onion
Green Onion
Cilantro
Kale
Chard
An Asian Spinach Variant
Broccoli Florets

This dish is so satisfying and filling. This is the video to see how she quickly whips this beauty up.

I topped my fried rice with some vegan lemongrass chicken which I will breakdown now!

Vegan LemonGrass Chicken - Made with King Oyster Mushrooms

Vegan Tofu Egg Fried Rice with Vegan Pulled Lemon Grass “Chicken”

If you have seen any of my older posts, chances are high you have seen some form of pulled king oyster fake chicken or pork recipe. I love King Oyster Mushrooms as an easy whole-foods based meat alternative that is soy-free and gluten-free.

I made this as a side in case I wanted to throw it in a salad roll, deconstructed salad bowl, or on top of my fried rice. It’s nice to have that savory umami kick to a fresh salad.

Ingredients:

Package of King Oyster Mushroom (or 3 single king oyster mushrooms)
2 Garlic cloves minced
Red Thai Chili (according to the heat level you like)
2 Lemon Grass Stalks - only using the soft white part, finely chopped
Cilantro and Lime to taste

How to:

Pull the king oyster mushrooms with a fork.
In a cast iron, with about 1 Tbsp oil, cook the garlic for about 30 seconds to a minute.
Toss in the mushroom, lemongrass, and chopped Thai Chilies, and ensure the heat is medium-high.
Cook until browned, don’t stir around too much!
Optional, bake in the oven for 5-8 mins at about 400 F for extra firm texture.
Toss with chopped cilantro and squeeze fresh lime to taste.

Asian-Inspired Vegetable Bowl with Vegan Hoisin “Steak” (Oyster Mushrooms)

You will have lots of pre-chopped delicious veggies in your fridge thanks to the other meal ideas. Taking any combination of vegetables you can dream of, some cooked brown rice and any Asian inspired sauces you love that are in your fridge, it will be very easy to create a delicious “Asian-inspired” bowl.

I love topping my bowls off with some umami flavor so I like to make my vegan hoisin steaks! These are made with oyster mushrooms and are an incredible soy-free and gluten-free vegan meat alternative.

Check out this video below to learn how to make them!

Vietnamese Vegan Pho Loaded with raw Vegetables

I needed a tasty way to eat more fresh/raw veggies and Vietnamese Pho just felt like the right answer!! This dish is far more exciting than a regular salad. You can kick it up with hot Thai chili peppers or jalapeno if you are a spicy fiend. I used regular rice noodles for my pho and threw on a load of sriracha.

This vegan Vietnamese Pho contains the following raw veggies:

Raw broccoli florets
Green onion
Basil
Raw shred carrot
Bean sprouts
Cilantro
Raw enoki mushrooms
Spinach variation (raw)
Raw bell pepper
Some plain tofu

How do I make raw vegetables taste good?

I hope this post has helped answer this question! You do not need to only eat salads or plain steamed veggies. With the right mix of herbs, dressings, and umami flavored toppings, eating a bowl full or roll full of raw vegetables can be delicious. We can dip our veggies in a flavor-packed peanut sauce or vegan hoisin sauce. We can have comforting vegan fried rice packed full of lightly cooked vegetables and tofu egg. We can devour soup bowls full of spicy broth and fresh raw vegetable toppings. We can even toss our raw veggies in delicious Asian Inspired sauces and top them with vegan meat alternatives that are whole-food plant-based vegetables themselves (mushrooms)!! All of these are incredible ways to make sure your raw vegetables (or nearly raw) taste amazing!

I found that vegan Vietnamese food highlights how people can eat raw vegetables in a tasty and exciting way! Comparing Vietnamese Cuisine to a lot of different cuisines, it is incredible how well the Vietnamese cuisine incorporates vibrant raw vegetables in its many dishes.

If you know of another cuisine that is highly conducive to eating raw vegetables in new and exciting ways, let me know! I would love to do a part 2 or make this a series about different ways people around the world incorporate raw vegetables in their diet that we can all learn from!

Vegan Pho - Making Raw Veggies Taste Amazing!

How to Eat More Raw Vegetables and Like It - Vegan Vietnamese Recipes!