i’ve been working from home since 2017, and in that time i’ve learned to prepare many quick lunches for myself, usually consisting of odds and ends in the fridge or that i’ve prepped beforehand for this exact occasion. my favorite lunch is one where i simply pull the prepared ingredients out of the fridge and throw everything together in a bowl! i have discovered that the rice bowl is the perfect medium for this style of hurried eating.
the rice bowl itself consists of: cooked rice, vegetables (sautéed, raw, fermented, or however you like them!), toasted sesame seeds, a protein (my fav is tempeh!), and a sauce! obviously add other stuff as you want. but what really pulls a rice bowl together for me and gets me excited, is the freaking sauce. i am a big fan of all sauces, of all kinds. and it turns out, they really add a healthy amount of flair to any meal. when someone doesn’t love sauce i’m like, oh sorry i didn’t know you hated flavor!!
all right, without further ado, here are some sauces that have made it into my regular routine:
tried & true: vegan mayo, regular mayo, or greek yogurt with a little rice vinegar, sriracha, coconut aminos, and salt
- i eat the tried & true when i need to whip something up in about 5 seconds flat. it reminds me of japanese white sauce from the japanese steak house restaurants i used to eat at and LOVE. they were the hotness for me as a 12-year old kid in south carolina, and i was always like, i’ll have 10 of the white sauces, pls. all right. i don’t have any measurements, so do your best on that. i just taste it and modify til i am in love with it and depending on how much sauce i need. starting with 2 tbsp of the creamy base is a good plan for 1-2 servings, then adding a splash of the other ingredients will get you there.
love & lemons cilantro-lime dressing
- this is just simply GOOD and has a million varieties. you basically just need some limes and cilantro and then you can go from there. i love it with avocado, yogurt, and mayo as the base. i love that you add all the ingredients to the food processor or blender, and voilaaaa, your sauce is prepared.
bon appetit’s spicy cashew dressing
- i’m leaving this here more for myself because i want to make it again soon. perfect on a rice bowl or with anything that needs a little jazz. it’s also got a good dose of healthy fats from the cashews. what’s not to love?
do you have any recommendations of sauces to add to my typical rice bowl roundup?
cooking with leeks 
I love your sauces. I tried a new sauce this week that I think I’ll keep in my repertoire. It’s basically creme fraiche (which I love) with a little mayo, lemon juice and grated peel. But what makes it really outstanding is the addition of capers and minced tarragon. The recipe instructed me to rinse the capers, which I think tames them down, yet they still added wonderful flavor.
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