Thai food, to me, is a cuisine which should be eaten at a restaurant, prepared by someone who knows what they're doing. I love Thai food, but have had very limited success preparing dishes that taste authentic. On New Years Eve this year, we ordered Thai take out with friends. As I watched my boys inhale the Pad Thai and other curries, I decided it might be worth it to try out some home-cooked Thai again. I found a few recipes online and created a fusion of my own based on my preferences and the availability of certain ingredients. It turned out to be a huge hit as dinner, and also made a great school lunch for the next day.
A lot of Thai food incorporates coconut milk (delicious and Primal), fresh vegetables, and your choice of protein - the cuisine is compatible and equally lovely with fish, chicken, beef, or tofu. Pad Thai is, in my opinion, the gateway dish to Thai food. Not spicy at all, with gentle yet complex flavors, it is often a kid pleaser as well as appealing to not-so-adventurous eaters. Since it's made with rice noodles and there is no soy sauce involved, gluten is not an issue. It's also quick to put together - my second time around, dinner was ready in 30 minutes from start to finish. The only unusual ingredients which you may not already have in your pantry are rice noodles, tamarind paste, and fish sauce, also called nam pla. Fish sauce is made from pressed fish (often anchovies) and salt that have been allowed to ferment. It has a very...umm...characteristic smell. Exactly the smell you would expect when you hear the words "pressed anchovies" and "fermented" used in the same sentence. Don't be alarmed. Your food won't taste like the fish sauce smells, and it imparts a very important, if subtle, umami quality to the taste of the dish. Vegetarians who do not consume fish, or vegans, may want to use soy sauce in place of fish sauce, but it will not have quite the same flavor. Tamarind paste has been harder to find, while the fish sauce and rice noodles have been in the Asian section of my grocery store. This particular recipe has other ingredients in place of the tamarind paste. To cut down on carbohydrate content, use spaghetti squash in place of rice noodles. Ingredients: Sauce: 1/3 cup fish sauce 2 Tbsp brown or unrefined cane sugar 2 Tbsp lime juice OR tamarind paste, if you have it (found at Asian markets) 2 Tbsp ketchup 4 garlic cloves, minced Stir Fry: 6 Tbsp oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup sliced red onion 2 cups of chicken, shrimp, or tofu, cut into bite sized pieces 1 egg 1 cup carrots, grated 1 cup green onion, cut into 1 inch lengths 1 cup bean sprouts 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 1/2 toasted chopped peanuts or other nut lime juice 1. Put the rice noodles in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and allow to sit for 10 minutes, or until noodles are soft. Strain and set aside. 2. Meanwhile, put sauce ingredients into a small saucepan. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside. 3. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, or until soft. Add chicken or tofu and cook for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Clear ingredients to the sides of the skillet or wok, and scramble the egg in the center of the pan. Mix everything together. Add carrots, onion, and sprouts, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Finally, add cooked rice noodles and sauce. Stir all together. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes. 4. Garnish with fresh cilantro, chopped nuts, and a sprinkle of lime juice. We ate this along with a "cheat" green curry soup - I bought a jar of Thai Kitchen green curry paste and combined several tablespoons with a can of coconut milk. It was easy and yummy, if a bit lazy.
0 Comments
The secret to amazing tortilla soup? The right seasonings, and lots of fresh, chopped cilantro as a garnish. Everything else is secondary. You can leave out the beans and corn if you are strictly primal. I keep them in. You could easily substitute other chopped vegetables (zucchini? carrots?) and keep the carb count lower. But in general, the carb content on this recipe is still low if you leave them in.
I like to top my bowl of soup with, in addition to fresh cilantro, a generous slab of avocado and a blob of sour cream or whole fat plain yogurt. This is easily made on the stove (allow 1-2 hours) but I chose the crock pot today. Yesterday I bought a rotisserie chicken for lunch. I removed the leftover meat and saved in the refrigerator, then made a stock overnight in the crock pot. This morning, I strained the broth and threw the rest of the ingredients in. Ingredients: 6-8 cups chicken broth or water 2 cups of cooked chicken, shredded or cubed 1 cup frozen corn 1 can black beans 1 can diced tomatoes or 2 cups fresh diced/chopped tomatoes 1 tsp salt 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp chili powder, or sweet paprika black pepper 1 bay leaf Mix everything together. Let simmer on stove top for at least 1 hour, or leave on low setting in crock pot. If you tolerate corn, serve with corn chips crunched over the top (I like Xochitl brand - no gluten, no GMOs), shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado slices, salsa, jalapenos, etc. Goes great with a big salad topped with a creamy Mexican ranch (1 cup plain yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, and 1/2 tsp of each of the following: salt, pepper, dill, basil, cumin). Nachos or cheese chips make a great side dish with this soup, as well. I have been looking lately at different protein drinks, partly just to educate myself about what's out there since so many people drink them, and partly because I've been considering adding one in to my daily diet. I find that often after preparing breakfast, packing lunches, and thinking about dinner, I have absolutely no desire to prepare food for myself. I want something nourishing and easy that I can have after I workout or just as an afternoon snack, but not something I have to spend a lot of time making. Sometimes this means I end up eating some plain yogurt and nuts of my choosing; other days it's a big bowlful of greens, feta cheese, and walnuts topped with balsamic and olive oil. But even that feels like too much work sometimes.
As I've looked at a wide array of protein beverage options, I've noticed a trend: everything is super processed, most of them contain at least one ingredient I'd rather not ingest, and they are pricey. Plus they still have to be mixed with a form of milk, ideally in a blender. Sure, they advertise that they contain vitamins and minerals, probiotics, the ideal forms of protein...but ultimately, all of that is available in whole foods, without weird oils, artificial sweeteners, and highly processed proteins. So I set out today to make a smoothie that met a few criteria: 1) Low carb, with no added sugar or sweeteners 2) Full of fresh fruits/vegetables 3) But also satisfying, with plenty of fat and protein. I arrived at the following recipe, which made about, in my estimation, 3 servings. I really enjoyed it. And I'm not just saying that because this is my blog...I swear. If I were to create a package label for this smoothie in order to sell it in a store like GNC, I could make the following claims: -Full of vital micronutrients and fiber direct from raw fruits and vegetables! -Provides a dose of probiotics, important for health and well being! -Loaded with medium chain triglycerides, a superior form of fat for the athlete! -Contains complete proteins from natural, whole food sources, including branched chain amino acids for post-workout recovery. -No additives, preservatives, or sugar! How's that for marketing? Cost wise, I estimate that the ingredients to make 3 servings cost approximately $3.00 total, or $1/serving, a great deal considering that a container of Muscle Milk or some other packaged brand will run you between $3-$5 for 1 serving. You WILL need a decent blender to make this smoothie. I used my Vitamix, which could probably make a smoothie out of bookshelves if I needed it to. But I think a standard blender would handle these ingredients just fine. Ingredients 1 can coconut milk (NOT "Lite" or "Lower Fat". Get the good stuff. It won't hurt you - I promise. Thai Kitchen brand does not contain any weird preservatives - read labels before you ingest things.) 2 ice cubes 2/3 cup frozen or fresh berries (I used frozen blueberries and raspberries) 1/2 cup whole fat yogurt with live cultures OR cultured coconut milk 1 cup kale leaves 1/2 cup pasteurized egg whites (or non-pasteurized if you have a trusted source for eggs. I actually bought a carton of Just Whites, which adds to the convenience factor.) Dump everything in the blender and blend. I used the variable 10 setting on the Vitamix for about 20 seconds and it was done. It was everything I hoped it would be - creamy, cold, frothy, satisfying, a little bit sweet without added sugar. Let me know what you think. |
AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
All
Archives
June 2019
|