To quick pickle cucumbers, thinly slice a mini cucumber with a mandolin and add to a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Let sit, and wait until the juices of the cucumber release (roughly 10 minutes) while you prep your other ingredients. In another small bowl, mix together a splash of gluten-free soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar and coconut sugar. After your cucumbers release liquid, squeeze out excess liquid and then add your sauce mixture to cucumbers.

In a frying pan over medium heat, cook cubed tofu with gluten-free soy sauce and minced garlic. Using a spatula, make sure all sides of the tofu cubes are exposed to the frying pan and cook until all of the sauce is absorbed and the tofu is golden brown. Set aside.

Assemble bowls, starting with a base of salad and rice if using. Add remaining toppings, and garnish with green onion, sesame seeds and nori if desired. Serve with sauce on the side if desired.

(Optional step) To prepare penguin rice balls, prepare short grain, white sushi rice according to package directions. It's typically best to use a rice cooker for best results, and you want to work with rice when it's fresh. Once cooked, scoop out a cup or 2 and let cool down, closer to room temp. Cut seaweed shapes for penguin rice balls, or other animal shape of your choice. Use plain sheets of sushi nori and kitchen scissors. Using slightly damp hands, form rice balls using about 2-3 tbsp of cooked and cooled rice. Press firmly so that rice balls are tightly packed, but do not squish the rice too much (if you break the grains it will turn into mush). Stick seaweed pieces onto rice balls, rough side of the seaweed down. It should stick easily to the rice, but you can add a touch of water to the backside of seaweed pieces if not.