One of my most popular recipes on here is my copy cat recipes featuring the Ginger Nama Shoya Special sauce from Life Alive in Cambridge, MA. Life Alive is one of only a handful of vegetarian restaurants in the Boston area. Every meal I have ordered has been amazing. Tonight, I decided to recreate their Adventurer Bowl which is the most “non vegetarian” friendly item on the menu in my opinion.
I first made the sauce which was a garlic tahini sauce made with miso and coconut aminos. I used 2 tablespoons of tahini, one tablespoon of miso, 2 tablespoons of coconut aminos (you can use soy, nama shoyu or tamari sauce) and 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic. I mixed together until blended well and then added 1-2 tbsp of water, until I was satisfied with the consistency.
As for the big bowl of veggies, here is what I included.
- 1 roasted beet (I bought mine precooked)
- 1 large handful of kale
- 2 large sliced baby portabellas
- 1/2 cup of organic corn
- 1/2 an avocado
- 1 teaspoon of garlic
- 2 tbsp chopped onions
- 2 tbsp Pepitas (pumpkin seeds without the shell)
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese, I used GO Veggie! Dairy Free Mexican Shreds
I made brown rice couscous for roomie but I did not have a night time carb because I had quinoa at lunch. With bathing suit season here, I try to limit my grains to one serving a day. I don’t restrict “carbs”, I eat lots of fruit, but I limit where my carbs are coming from at night by reducing grains at night. Similarly, I’m not a vegan, but I do avoid dairy when I am going to be wearing a bikini in 4 days. My skin holds onto to water when I consume dairy so when I’m in bikini prep mode, I tend to avoid it as well. The GO Veggie! shreds are casein, gluten cholesterol and soy free and melt well. You may be surprised to know this cheese-free cheese also contains more calcium than dairy cheese, less calories, fat and saturated fat.
Directions
I first sautéed the garlic and onion in a skillet, adding the frozen corn and mushroom slices next. Lastly, I added the washed kale. Make sure to remove the hard spine down the center of the leaves. Add the beets, avocado, pepitas and cheese. Top with as much or as little of the sauce as you like. Feel free to add chicken if you are a meat eater and can’t do without like roomie.
It looks like, ehhhh, but trust me, this bowl tasted delicious! It was one of my favorite Power Bowls as they are often called here on the inter web.
I love making these copy cat bowls. They are really easy to put together. I find that I do not need to add protein to feel full. I did not eat meat once today for meatless Monday, but yesterday I ate 1/2 pound of sliced turkey at the beach. Life is about balance. You do the best you can. Don’t get caught up in the science and overanalyze everything that touches your lips. Do the best you can.
