I grew up with Super Mario. I’m confident to say that I spent more time with Mario than my actual friends when I was in the elementary school back in Japan. You might find that depressing, but I have an universe level of imagination, meaning, I never felt lonely when I was alone. In fact, this imagination of mine eventually led me to create this recipe today!

Please visit Yukitchen.com for more details :)

Super healthy vegan salad is now available with Super Mario! No meat, no oil, no food coloring! Using only healthy natural ingredients with a bit of cuteness.

INGREDIENTS
For the salad:
• Half cup quinoa
• 2 tbsp flaxseeds
• 2~3 tbsp chopped ginger
• 2~3 slices green lettuce
• 1~2 tbsp chopped thyme
• 1 lime• 1 corn
• Salt and pepper

For the Mario
• 1 cup brown rice
• Half of red paprika
• A bit of tofu
• 4~5 tbsp tomato puree
• 1~2 big sheets dried sea weed (nori)

For the Star
• 1 starfruit (if you can find it!)
• A bif of dried sea weed

For the Goomba
• A bit of Tofu
• A bit of fried sea weed (nori)
• Soy sauce

For the blocks and magic box
• 1 pack Tofu
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp miso paste
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• A bit of dried sea weed (nori)
• 2 tbsp curry powder

Step 1: Prepare the Grain.

Put half a cup quinoa, 2 tbsp. flaxseeds and one cup water into a small pot and cook until they become soft. It usually takes about 20-30 minutes.

At the same time, start cooking one cup brown rice in either a rice cooker or another pot.

Step 2: Make a Mario Face.

After rice is cooked, it’t time for the Mario making! Separate rice in two bowls, and put 4~5 tbsp tomato puree in one of them. We’ll use the brown rice to make his face, nose and ears and the red rice for the hat.

Step 3: Work on the Details.

Tofu: make his eyes, logo on a hat, and the question marks on the magic boxes.

Paprika: Make his “M” logo on the hat.

Dried seaweed: Make his mustache and hair.

Step 4: Make the Magic Boxes, Blocks and Goomba.

Blocks: Cut tofu into small cubes and fly them in a heated pan together with soy sauce, miso paste and a bit of water, until they turn brown.

Goomba: Do the same, but cut the tofu rounder so it will look like a Goomba instead.

Magic boxes: Cut the tofu into cubes and fry them in the pan, but this time instead add 2 tbsp curry powder and a bit of water. Fry them until they turn yellow.

Put what you’ve made so far to the side and get ready for the next part!

Step 5: Prepare the Grain Salad.

Cut ginger, thyme and lettuce into pieces. Boil corn and edamame in different pots until they are ready then put it all together in a big bowl.

Then squeeze the lime! Citrus flavor is a huge part of this salad, so squeeze it like you mean it!

Step 6: Mix!

Then mix well. It would look something like this and it’s so beautiful… <3

Step 7: Assemble Them Together!

Put the grain salad on a plate. Make sure the plate is flat. This will make it easier to create beautiful Mario art! *wink!*

Place the Tofu boxes like in the picture.

Step 8: Time for Some Details:

First the blocks. Take the brown tofu and wrap thinly cut dried seaweed around it so it looks like blocks.

As for the magic boxes, place question mark-shaped tofu cuts on top of the yellow tofu cubes. Then use a toothpick to put tiny dots of tomato puree on all for corners.

Step 9: Stars Are Made Of… Starfruits, Literally.

Have you had star fruits? Honestly, this tropical little thing was actually the reason why I wanted to make Mario-salad to begin with. It has a beautiful shape and the taste is so interesting. I am a huge fan of starfruits!

Just slice the fruits and it will give you a perfect shape of star. The power of nature…. Truly an amazing thing.

For Star’s faces, use cut dried seaweed on top of the cut starfruits. It should be easy!

Step 10: Don’t Forget the Goomba.

Place the Goomba’s face on the salad, then add the body using cut tofu. I made his face by cutting dried seaweed and just two tiny dots of tofu, as you can see in the picture. I know it’s not my best work, but hey! It’s still cute!

Step 11: Set Them All Together

There you go, a vegan version of Mario Salad. Just looking at this makes me realize two things: One, “Wow, veganism is so underrated. It’s actually fun and delicious!”, and two, “Wow, I can’t believe how much I miss playing Super Mario!”.

Step 12: Eat the Masterpiece.

It takes a little bit of effort, but it’s all worth it. I hope you try it and when you do, make sure you take pics and send it my way, or post it under hashtag #yukitchen

Please visit Yukitchen.com for more details :)

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