FORBIDDEN BLACK RICE HIGH RAW VEGAN SUSHI BOWL WITH POBLANO PUMPKIN SEED PESTO
I hear from so many clients that they want to eat high raw and plant based, but that it is challenging to know how to prepare delicious meals that are healthy at the same time. Many people are frustrated with raw cookbooks which are typically fat-laden with recipes that include cupfuls of oil, combined with lots of nuts and seeds. While a high fat raw dessert is delicious and wonderful as a treat, eating raw lasagnas made with nut cheese, raw breads made entirely from nuts, and vegetables topped with oils is an unhealthy high fat route to travel. High fat is high fat, and it’s not healthy for anyone.
On the other hand, while there are definitely some great vegan cookbooks out there, many don’t have nearly enough fresh, raw foods. And many contain tons of recipes using wheat, bread, too high in grains and packaged processed foods like seitan and tofu, and are just as unhealthy.
So, I ended up creating a series of weekly meal plans for my personal clients so they would know how to prepare clean, fresh, oranic, high raw and low fat recipes with soy and wheat free. I ultimately decided to offer them to my Facebook community a while back. To this day they are still one of our most popular programs. I’ve been asked to do a “cook”book, but as of right now, my primary focus is on my Health Mastery Institute wellness coaching program and other endeavors. But I am happy that there are people around the world who are able to get a clean eating program with 12 weeks of meal plans.
If you’d like to check out the meal plans for yourself, go to www.rawfoodmealplans.com
I really can’t even describe this dish, except to say that after making a large batch for testing purposes, I went ahead and made a second batch, new sauce and all. It was just so good, we couldn’t get enough. Something about the heat and creaminess from the poblano pesto, matched up with the sweet juiciness of the mango and the crunch of the raw asparagus and cucumber, enveloped in the nutty depth of the black rice…it was truly one of the most flavorful bites I’ve ever taken. Culinary heaven!
The reason I came up with the “roll and bowl” idea was because on my first go-around, after all of the components were done, and I was ready to create my sushi roll, I realized we were out of Nori sheets! Crazy, I know. It’s a staple around here. But, we were.
So while I sent my husband out to pick up a new pack of raw nori sheets, I experimented with my stainless steel mold (you can use an empty can of beans or something similar to get the same visual effect) – sans the nori sheets – to create a stack. But then, I thought back to the days when I worked outside of the home, and realized that lot of busy working people who come home after a long day, may not have the time nor the inclination to carefully stack their food into a mold. And, although rolling sushi isn’t really hard, it can take a few tries to get the hang of it. So you can just layer all of the components into a bowl of choice and top with the sauce. Just be sure you get a bit of sauce with each bite!
Ingredients
- 1 cup black rice You can substitute with brown or Jasmine rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 cucumber
- 2 carrots
- 1/2 avocado
- 1 mango you can substitute with melon or another sweet and juicy fruit
- 5 crimini mushrooms feel free to substitute
- 1 bunch asparagus
POBLANO PUMPKIN PESTO
- 2 poblano peppers
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup onion chopped
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 cup basil fresh, packed loosely
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1/4 cup hemp oil can sub with melted coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
TO MAKE RICE
Black rice is a medium-grain rice that has a wonderful nutty flavor too it. Unlike most rices, black rice does not cook well in a rice cooker. Making black rice takes a little more water than making traditional rice or brown rice. I use a ratio of 2 and 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of dry rice.
Rinse the rice a few times under cold running water. Then add 1 cup of dry rice and 2 and 1/2 cups of water in the pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover, cooking until soft. You need to check the rice frequently to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan, and you may need to add a little more water if it looks like it is getting dry and is still hard. Cook covered for about 25 minutes. Set aside to cool a bit.
TO MAKE SAUCE:
Cut open poblano peppers and remove inside membrane and all seeds. Place chopped onions, minced garlic and poblanos in a small roasting dish and drizzle with 1 tsp of coconut oil and mix. Place in oven (I actually use my toaster oven for this because it’s such a small amount). Roast at 400 for about 10 minutes or less. (In the toaster it was under 10 minutes). You want to see a little char on the skin of the poblano and slight browning to the onions. Be careful not to burn it.
Place peppers, onions and garlic into food processor with pumpkin seeds, hemp oil, basil, salt, and lemon. Process until smooth and creamy. You may need to add a little more oil, or a little bit of water to get it to blend smooth. This sauce is only an accompaniment and not the main dish, so it’s ok if there is a little extra fat.
TO ASSEMBLE SUSHI:
Slice carrots and cucumber into matchsticks. Slice mushrooms, avocado, and mango very thin. Trim off the bottom of the asparagus so you have the tender top and middle parts. Lay out your nori wraps and spread about 3 TBSP of rice down the middle of the wrap. Then, add thin strips of carrot, cucumber, mango, avocado, mushrooms and your asparagus.Roll gently the long way, from side to side. Once rolled, use a very sharp knife (I use my ceramic knives) and cut into bit sized pieces. Spoon a bit of the Poblano Pumpkin Pesto on top of each bite, or simply put a spoonful in the middle of the plate and dip!
If you are going with the “BOWL” rather than the “ROLL”, just layer your items starting with the rice on the bottom, and go upwards, and top with the Pesto sauce. Enjoy!
