Cruelty free 'poke' bowls

I've been cooking this watermelon dish for days and for a bunch of my friends!!! My husband found this idea in a video while scrolling trough his Facebook feed and showed it to me. Dustin was so excited about it that he asked me to make it for him; the video didn't have any measurements for the ingredients so I modified it to my liking and avoided the soy. 

I moved to LA only a year ago and for the first time heard the words ‘poke’. I have not eaten meat for 16 years so I don't know how this ‘poke bowls’ are supposed to taste like... but my husband says the cooked watermelon resembles the texture of fish.  I researched what POKE was all about and it means ‘to cut or slice' in Hawaiian. The new trend of the poke bowl is sliced chunks of marinated fish over rice, topped with sauces and veggies. I truly believe all Fishes are friends and beautiful living entities that I respect and admire so I am all for this non-violent version of ‘poke bowls’ Try it! you wont regret it!

The watermelon should marinate for at least two hours. You can prepare it a day prior and leave it in the fridge overnight to make things easier.

Serves: 4

Cooking/prep time: 2 hours and 15 min

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1/2 Watermelon, peeled and diced in 1’ cubes 

3 cups cooked Forbidden Rice 

Marinate:

1/4 cup Cashew butter

1/4 cup Toasted sesame oil

1 tsp lime zest 

1/4 cup lime juice 

1/4 cup Coconut Aminos 

1 tsp salt

2 tbs Ginger root, minced 

2 tbs Jalapeno, minced 

toppings:

2 cups Organic bean sprouts 

1 cup sliced Snap peas

1/2 cup thinly sliced red Cabbage 

Avocado slices 

Parsley leaves for garnish 

Basil leaves for Garnish 

Whisk all the marinate ingredients together until well mixed.

Place the watermelon in a big ziplock bag or tupperware and pour in the marinate. Refrigerate the mixture for two hours or overnight.

Strain the watermelon and set the marinate aside.

Heat a skillet and add a few drops of sesame oil, add the watermelon and grill for two minutes.

Add the Marinate and cook for 4 minutes or until the mixture is thick.

To serve the 'watermelon poke':

Place a layer of forbidden rice in the bottom of the bowl.

Add a generous spoonful of watermelon and sauce of top the rice.

Layer the toppings on top the watermelon and “Voila” 

Enjoy

Soy-free Red Rice Pad Thai

My favorite cuisine is hands down Thai food! Their use of fresh roots like galangal and ginger, lemon grass, kaffir leaves, basil, spices and coconut milk as a base for so many of their dishes makes it to me, the best food in the world! I love eating pad Thai, my only worry when I eat out is that traditionally thai food is also made with fish sauce... So in an attempt to satisfy my cravings for it I make my own!!!

Every time I decide to make a dish the first thing I think about is how to make it not only delicious  but also easy to digest! This is what I call 'non violent cooking' it is my first priority when cooking that whomever eats my food won't feel indigestion or any discomfort! In Ayurveda indigestion is said to be the root cause of all disease. When you eat very heavy foods or foods that don't combine well; AMA or toxicity is created; the accumulation of this toxic byproduct with time creates many ailments. You will notice that my recipe is soy-free and peanut-free! (soy and peanuts are very difficult to digest). 

I discovered this amazing Gluten free organic red rice noodles by Explore Cuisine! I highly recommend them! Follow the instructions of how to cook them (I prefer to cook them for 4 minutes only and mix them right away with the sauce.) 

Enjoy!!!

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serves 4

10 minutes cooking

SAUCE:

• 3 Tbs Organic Cashew butter 
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Aminos
• 2 Tbs Organic Lime juice or Rice vinegar 
• 2 Tbs Organic  toasted Sesame oil
• 1 tsp freshly ground Coriander 
• 1 tsp Organic Himalayan Salt (or real Salt)

TOPPINGS:

• a handful of organic Snap peas, cut into thin slivers 
• 1/2 Cup Organic Bean sprouts 
• sliced Radishes 
• Shredded Purple Napa Cabbage (this cabbage is softer than the regular one but if you can't find it the regular kind works great too)
• 1/4 Cup toasted Pumpkin seeds (dry toast the seeds by placing them is a oil-less pan in a low flame for a few minutes switching them around until they are golden)
• parsley, cilantro or Thai basil for garnish

NOODLES:

• 8 oz Organic red rice pad thai noodles (or noodles of your choice)
• 1 cup Broccoli chopped into small florets 
• 1/2 Cup Carrots thinly sliced 

Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Boil 8 cups of water, add the noodles and the vegetables. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Strain the noodles and veggies. Toss them with the sauce right away!

serve in bowls and layer the toppings making it a beautiful rainbow like irresistible dish!