I love Asian food. Give me some sushi, pad Thai, or Chinese food any day of the week and I’m a happy girl. 

But being gluten free and soy avoidant, a lot of these dishes can be a problem for me. I mean, noodles, soy sauce and fried foods tend to contain one or both of these ingredients! I’m (mostly) dairy free too, but this actually isn’t a problem since most these cultures don’t normally use dairy.

So what’s an Asian cuisine loving gal to do when she can’t eat some of her favorite foods anymore? Improvise and create my own!

I want to eat foods I love, while still feeding myself foods that feel good for my body. Call me a rebel with a cause, but it’s really important to me to be able to show you that you can eat what you love while maintaining your health too. 

Alternative Ingredients:

One of the first swaps I found when I started eating an anti-inflammatory diet was coconut aminos. This is a soy adjacent sauce that’s great as a marinade or to use as a straight dipping sauce. Hello sushi rolls! Coconut aminos are a little sweeter than salty, and the sauce is thinner than your traditional soy, but otherwise it’s a close match. It’s a main ingredient in this meal and it helps to give the bowls an authentic Asian taste. 

While you can include any vegetables you want in this recipe, I’m going to give you an easy button to hit here. Get pre-cut, pre-washed stir fry veggies from your produce aisle! (I use these all the time.) Toss the sauce packet into the trash and replace it with the healthier version below. 

If you want to forgo this easy tip (but, why would you?), good veggie options to include are broccoli, snap peas, carrots, cabbage, boy choy, kale and/or brussell sprouts.

Another ingredient you may notice being different is the type of noodles you’ll use. Rice noodles are traditionally used in Asian dishes, but most restaurants opt for egg noodles (egg and wheat) or udo noodles (wheat). I recently discovered these rice noodles and my entire family cannot get enough of them. My eight year old ask for them and spicy sauce. That’s it. And he’d probably eat them daily if I let him!

But enough of my family, and back to what you’re hopefully making yours for dinner tonight! 

The Recipe:

Gluten and Soy Free Asian Inspired Bowls

Ingredients:

• Rice Noodles: 1 box (4 servings)

• Pre-Cut Stir Fry Veggies (1 bag)

If opting for your own veggies, use 1/4 – 1/2 cup of each veggie of choice depending on how many different vegetables you are adding. 

• Fresh or Frozen Tuna Poke Cubes (1 lb)

If cubed tuna is not available near you, get ahi tuna steaks and chop into bite sized pieces.

How To:

Place veggies in a pan on medium heat. 

Veggie sauce- In a small bowl, mix together 1 TBSP of avocado oil, 1/2 TBSP coconut aminos and 1/8 TSP of ground ginger seasoning. (I personally use 2 drops of doTERRA ginger essential oil instead of the ground ginger. It’s so good!)

Pour sauce over top vegetables and mix. Saute until vegetables are cooked throughout (you’ll notice the color of the veggies becomes brighter and you should be able to pierce the veggies with a fork).

Cook rice noodles as directed on the packaging. These guys cook quickly (4-5) minutes so that’s why we are starting the veggies first. 

After staining your noodles, place noodle in a bowl. Pour a small amount of coconut aminos over the noodles and mix. 

Add your sautéed vegetables onto of your noodles.

Top with fresh, raw tuna.

Add sliced avocado and enjoy!

For an additional topping option, spicy sauce can add a nice punch your bowl. Mix 1/8 cup of avocado mayo with hot sauce to taste (1 tsp – 1/2 TBSP). If you like a little kick, you’ll love this!

*Eating raw or under prepared foods can cause an increased risk of foodborne illness.

I hope you enjoy your healthier, anti-inflammatory Asian bowls as much as I do! They’ve become a staple around our house and I’m sure they will be at yours as well. 

I’d love to hear what you think of the bowls and for you to share any variations you make to yours to make them your version of your favorite Asian meals! Comment below or tag my on Instagram (@ashleydaniels.coaching) and let me know how it goes!

The only link in this post I am affiliated with is doTERRA, which means I might make money if you purchase through the link. All other links are not affiliated, but I wanted to give you some easy ways to find these awesome options!