Healthy Vegan Teriyaki Shish Kebabs with Sunflower Seeds
These healthy vegan teriyaki shish kebabs with sunflower seeds can be combined with a wide variety of vegetables. Good alternative to traditional shish kebabs.
For the balls
Soak the sunflower seeds and walnuts in water overnight.
The original recipe for 4 servings calls for 400 g sunflower seeds. We have instead used 150 g sunflower seeds, 150 g walnuts, 100 g rolled oats, and 2 teaspoons ground flaxseed.
Our motivation (apple symbol) for creating this healthier version and a link to the original recipe can be found directly above the recipe photo.
Rinse and drain the sunflower seeds and walnuts and then combine with the ground flaxseed, rolled oats, and low-sodium soy sauce.
In the original recipe, the author uses tamari, which we have replaced with a low-sodium soy sauce called genen shoyu (not gluten-free). The original recipe also calls for 1 tablespoon of additional oil.
Finely grate the carrot and finely chop the rest of the vegetables and the garlic and cilantro. Add all of the ingredients to the sunflower and walnut mixture in a bowl.
If you or your guests donʼt like the taste of cilantro, you can instead use ½ tablespoon chopped chives (for 4 servings). However, this will give the dish a completely different flavor.
Mix well and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Knead the mixture and use the palms of your hands to form medium-sized balls.
The balls should all be about the same size so that they need about the same amount of time in the dehydrator. If they are larger, they will need to be dehydrated longer and if they are too small, it will be difficult to thread them onto the skewers.
For the marinade
Finely chop the dates, garlic, and ginger; combine with the rest of the ingredients, and then blend in the blender.
We have intentionally left out the 1 teaspoon of sesame oil (for 4 servings) called for in the original recipe. We also use a low-sodium variety of soy sauce called genen shoyu here whereas the original recipe calls for the gluten-free soy sauce tamari. In addition, we have reduced the amount of soy sauce by ¼.
For the shish kebabs
Cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces and then place in the marinade along with the balls and let the flavors briefly meld.
Zucchini, onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms are good options for the vegetables.
Dehydrate in a baking oven at 50 °C on the middle rack (or in a dehydrator) about 3–4 hours, using a towel or kitchen spoon to keep the oven door open a crack. Brush the teriyaki shish kebabs with the marinade occasionally while they are dehydrating and serve with a fresh salad.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
These healthy vegan teriyaki shish kebabs with sunflower seeds can be combined with a wide variety of vegetables. Good alternative to traditional shish kebabs.
Basic recipe: This is only a basic recipe for the balls and marinade for teriyaki shish kebabs. The vegetables you will use for the shish kebabs are not included in the list of ingredients. Zucchini, onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms are good options.
New nutritional profile:This dish contains very high amounts of vitamin B1. According to GDA guidelines, it also meets more than 100 % of the recommended daily requirement for vitamin E, manganese, and copper. And at 80 % of the recommended daily requirement, the content of folic acid is quite high. As a result of the changes we made to the original recipe, we were able to reduce the amount of fat from 80 % to 65 % of the recommended daily allowance and the salt content from a staggering 200 % to only 11 %. At 6:1, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is close to the recommended maximum recommended ratio of 5:1. Please read more in our article A Vegan Diet Can Be Unhealthy. Nutrition Mistakes. The link to the article can be found under “Motivation” by the apple symbol.
Reducing the salt: The high salt content of the original recipe comes primarily from the soy sauce tamari. For this healthy version of the recipe, we have instead used a low-sodium soy sauce called genen shoyu and then slightly reduced the amount.
Leeks and ginger: The original recipe from Kristina Unterweger calls for a 4 cm piece of ginger and a 1 cm piece of leek. We have listed the average weight for these.
Tips
Raw food and temperature: A raw diet includes unprocessed foods that have not been heated above 42 °C. Higher temperatures denature many proteins found in natural foods, which is why a line is drawn at this point between cooked and raw food. Many baking ovens can’t be set for temperatures under 50 °C, but if this is the case, the oven door can be left cracked open so that the temperature in the oven remains under 50 °C. Nevertheless, dehydrators are a reliable alternative for strict raw foodists.
We don’t consider soy sauce to be raw. Soybeans are generally heated during the production process since green beans of all types contain the glycoprotein phasin, which is toxic for humans. Phasin inhibits the absorption of nutrients in the intestine, causes hemagglutination (clumping of the red blood cells), and in larger amounts can destroy the intestinal villi. Heating processes (e.g., cooking and roasting) destroy phasin and make soybeans and soybean products such as tofu, miso, and tempeh edible for humans. As a result, even unpasteurized soy products are not actually raw, but are instead cooked products that have been “revived” through the process of fermentation.
But at least one brand claims (with two years fermentation and without pasteurization) that its soy sauce is raw. On Soyana’s website, for example, we find the claim “SUITABLE FOR RAW FOOD even though the beans are cooked at the beginning of the production process and are then only ’revived’ via fermentation and not heated again. I hope this explanation will be helpful for you and will make it clear that these outstanding fermented foods from Soyana have not been reheated but were cooked at the beginning of the process.”
This information should help you understand why we label this recipe as cooked vegan food even though it is listed as raw food in the cookbook it comes from. As a result of the high salt content, we do not regard the recipe to be “especially healthy.” There are also types of soy sauce that contain a significantly lower amount of salt. For example, reduced or low-sodium soy sauce called genen (減塩) contains up to 50% less salt.
Conventional rolled oats are heated. For those who prefer to buy raw foods, they will be happy to hear that they should be able to find raw rolled oats made from sprouted oats. The sprouting process makes the rolled oats easier to digest and increases the bioavailability of its nutrients.
Alternate preparation
Baking oven or dehydrator: As described under tips, you can dehydrate this dish either in the baking oven (about 3–4 hours at 50 °C in a convection oven with the door cracked open) or a dehydrator.
Cilantro (fresh coriander): There is a wide range of opinions regarding the flavor of cilantro. Some people react to its intensive, slightly soapy aroma with symptoms ranging from aversion to nausea. According to Swiss statistics, 15 % of the allergic population reacts to cilantro. If you prefer, it is fine to simply omit this ingredient. You should realize, however, that it is the cilantro that gives this dish its exotic taste. There is no alternative that has a similar flavor. Flat-leaf parsley may look like cilantro, but it has a completely different flavor.
