This is my addition to #fruitsandveggiesmonday thanks to 
I love food! I love to eat and I love to see the things others are eating. Sometimes I get a kick in the pants when I see the beautiful healthy foods that some people eat compared to me.
So today I will take a break from using oil. Just today though ok?
I don't deep fry anything except for once in a while. But I firmly believe that heating up oil is not the best thing to do for optimal health. I think we need some natural fats. So I am using nuts and seeds in place of oil.
I am back in Bangkok for my final month, and although I would love to use cashews or macadamia nuts for cooking, I don't want to spend this kind of money. Here peanuts are the least expensive. Sesame seeds as well.
I've never actually made the popular big bowls such as the Buddha bowl and all of the other awesome combos that I have ordered in restaurants. Why have I not made them myself. Bowls with lots of colors and tastes with different dressings.
Today I have made two dressings without oil to cover big bowls full of goodies. I found dried black beans that didn't cost much. The cans are imported and are more costly.
The beans were soaked overnight and they were cooked for quite a long time before they were soft enough. It took over an hour.
I like corn with black beans so I purchased a bag of frozen corn and added them along with other veggies and salad items.
I love big bowls!
The first dressing was to resemble a creamy tangy dressing like a tahini sauce. I didn't have sesame paste so I used sesame seeds ground up with raw peanuts. I was going to roast them but I changed my mind. Normally a tahini dressing would be made with lemon juice but limes are less expensive here so I used limes and garlic.
Since I am in Thailand I have been using hot chilies quite a bit so I was obligated to garnish the sauce with finely chopped raw chilies. Honestly it wasn't that spicey.
Peanut Sesame Dressing
With the same ingredients I added papaya for a sweeter savory dressing.
Papaya Peanut Sesame Dressing
I cooked squash and at the last minute decided to mash it and the sweet potatoes which are quite popular here, were kept in slices. Broccoli was the perfect thing to add for something deep green. I love my greens and although they can be pricey in Bangkok, I found some in the bargain bin so that was perfect.
The Veggies
The Big Bowl
I loved both the dressings so I ended up with both in my bowl.
I don't know why I don't eat this way more often. It is a fun way to eat and it takes quite a while to do it.
