Hawaiian-Style Lamb Poke Bowl

Try This New (And Simple) Food Trend At Home: Hawaiian-Style Lamb Poke Bowl

Fresh and light flavours combine in this nourishing recipe.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

600g lamb rump, fat trimmed
2 tbsp soy sauce, plus extra for drizzling
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp chilli flakes, plus extra to serve
1 cup brown rice
1 green capsicum, 1cm dice
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, 1.5cm dice (or sliced)
2 spring onions, finely sliced
Lemon wedges and coriander leaves, to serve

Method

Combine soy, garlic, sesame oil and chilli flakes in a bowl large enough to hold the lamb, turn the lamb in the marinade. Marinate for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight if time allows.
Wash rice and cook according to packet directions.

Preheat a BBQ to hot and cook lamb, with BBQ lid down for 10 minutes on each side or until it measures about 55°C on a meat thermometer. Transfer to a clean plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 2cm dice.
Place rice in a large bowl and add capsicum, tomato, avocado, spring onion and 1/2 cup chopped coriander. Squeeze over the juice of one lemon and 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce. Stir gently to combine and divide between serving bowls.
Top rice bowls with lamb, sprinkle with extra spring onions, chilli flakes and serve with lemon wedges.

Tips:
You can also cook the lamb in a preheated oven at 180-200°C fan forced for 20-25 minutes.
If you are preparing your salad ingredients ahead of time, toss the avocado in some lemon juice so it doesn't go brown.
Try with lamb leg steaks or lamb eye of loin (backstrap).

Build Healthy Lamb Macro Bowls Worthy Of Your Instagram Feed

Simple, healthy and filled to the brim with a rainbow of fresh seasonal ingredients, it's no wonder macro bowls are trending on Instagram. Not only are these tasty bowls good for you, they're ideal for a quick and easy midweek dinner or work lunch meal prep – ensuring you're the envy of the office.

Practising nutritionist Jessica Cox believes that macro bowls are one of the simplest ways for balanced eating and has teamed up with Australian Lamb to show how easy it is to create these magical bowls of goodness in your own kitchen.

Coined 'macro' bowls because they hit all your macronutrients, Jessica says cooking up a meal with an appropriate amount of complex carbs, quality fats (such as avocado or extra virgin olive oil) and protein such as lamb provides long-lasting energy and keeps you fuller for longer.

From Asian to Mexican, Moroccan to Italian, any of your favourite cuisines can inspire the ultimate macro bowl. Simply select your preferred carb, good fat, serve in a bowl with a variety of fresh veggies and add a little lamb. Lamb is the perfect protein as it easily marries with a range of different flavours and ingredients.

Jessica Cox's Top Tips For Building The Best Lamb Macro Bowl

Balance your bowl - when creating a balanced bowl, it's important to have all of your macronutrients included for long lasting energy and stable blood sugar levels. This includes:
Complex carbohydrates such as root vegetables or grains (approximately 1/2 cup cooked)
Quality fats such as extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds or avocado (approximately 1/4 cup)
Protein such as lamb (approximately the size of your palm)

Vegetables should make up the remainder of your bowl with a range of colours and an important source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Protein power - including red meat such as lamb in your macro bowl provides a naturally nutritious, good protein source of iron, and zinc, vitamin B12; and a source of magnesium. The form of iron in lamb (heme iron) is absorbed by the body at a higher capacity than plant-based iron sources (non heme iron). The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommends up to 455g cooked red meat such as lamb per week. To meet protein requirements in balance with a diversity of protein intake this would equate up to 120g-150g cooked red meat three times per week to provide an appropriate amount for health and wellbeing. Eating lamb (and beef) regularly can help to maintain your body's iron stores, preventing iron deficiency. Iron is particularly important for babies, toddlers, young girls and women, who are at risk of iron deficiency, as their bodies need more iron to meet the needs for growth and losses through menstruation.

Give lamb some love - Lamb loin chops are a delicious and affordable cut of lamb. They are flavoursome and contain ample meat on the bone. Remember there are range of other lean and flavoursome lamb choices including cutlets, diced cuts, strips and lean mince.

Keep things interesting - when making a balanced bowl, keep in mind that variety is the key to a healthy dietary intake. Continue to mix up your choices of macronutrients and use seasonal vegetables bursting with nutrients.

Give your bowl a boost – for a flavor twist, pimp up your macro bowl by adding some ferments such as a spoonful of kimchi or sauerkraut, which goes wonderfully with lamb.

Jessica Cox is an accredited practicing nutritionist with a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition) and over a decade of clinical experience. She is the founder of the JCN Clinic in Brisbane, which focuses on balanced nutrition and dietary education. She's devoted to a healthy and active lifestyle, and when she's not at the clinic you'll find her in the kitchen, creating and photographing delicious culinary delights. Follow Jessica on Instagram at @jescoxnutritionist.

Recipe by Jessica Cox for @australianlamb