Thai Green Curry

Easy, Paleo, Gluten-Free, One Pan Wonder

Makes 2 large servings

While in Thailand, my husband had the opportunity to attend a Thai Cooking class. We LOVE Thai food, especially curries and pad thai, so he jumped at the chance to learn how to make it from scratch. In the class they learned how to make Pad Thai, Green Curry, Pad Kra Pow (sliced chili and Thai Basil) and Som Tam (papaya salad) from scratch. The teacher provided the recipes and instructions for everything, and when he finally returned from deployment we set out to make the recipes ourselves! We ended up not being able to find some of the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce and curry paste, so we had to just buy the packaged sauces. The recipe turned out really well, and this is definitely a satisfying comfort food. The brown rice provides a better source of protein, and while the sauce does have sugar making it not the healthiest thing in the world, this version is healthier and cheaper then what we would buy at a restaurant. 
This recipe is straight from Thailand, and we didn't have to spend $9+ per serving! :) 

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 tbs. coconut oil 
• 2 tbs. Green Curry paste (we used Thai Kitchen brand)
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 lb chopped chicken, beef, seafood (optional, to make vegan you can use chickpeas as the protein source, or serve over quinoa)
• 2 tsp. brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1.5 cups chopped vegetables: Thai eggplant, Pea eggplant
• 1/2 cup Thai Basil (find at farmer's market, looks more pointed and purplish than regular basil)
• 1 tbs. Fish Sauce

Steps: 
- Heat the coconut oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the curry paste. Stir until you smell the curry (20 seconds). 

- Add 1/4 can of the coconut milk to the pan and dissolve the paste. Let it boil for 1 minute. 
Add another 1/4 can and wait until it's boiling. Repeat until the measured coconut milk is emptied. 

- Add the meat and wait until it's cooked. Do not stir until chicken is 80% cooked. Wait until everything is boiled evenly, and add water if the coconut milk is too thick. 

- Add vegetables (Thai eggplant and Thai basil), and stir occasionally until they are cooked. The Thai eggplant should have the consistency of a cooked potato once it is ready. 

- When the vegetables are cooked, stir in the brown sugar and fish sauce. Serve garnished with red chili and Thai basil leave. 
Enjoy!

Green Curry & Pad Thai!

Pad Thai with Brown Rice Noodles

Easy, Gluten-Free, One Pan Wonder, Thai Comfort Food

Makes 4 large servings

While in Thailand, my husband had the opportunity to attend a Thai Cooking class. We LOVE Thai food, especially curries and pad thai, so he jumped at the chance to learn how to make it ourselves. In the class they learned how to make Pad Thai, Green Curry, Pad Kra Pow (sliced chili and Thai Basil) and Som Tam (papaya salad) from scratch. The teacher provided the recipes and instructions for everything, and when he finally returned from deployment we set out to make the recipes ourselves! We ended up not being able to find some of the ingredients for the Pad Thai sauce and curry paste (like tamarind, kaffir limes, etc.), so we had to just buy the packaged sauces. The recipe turned out really well, and this is definitely a satisfying comfort food. The brown rice provides a better source of protein, and while the sauce does have sugar making it not the healthiest thing in the world, this version is healthier and cheaper then what you would buy at a restaurant. 
This recipe is straight from Thailand, and we didn't have to spend $9+ per serving! :) 

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 tbs. coconut oil
• 1 diced red onion, or 1/2 cup diced shallots
• 2 tbs. Pickled Mixed Vegetables (found at asian market)
• Chicken, beef or seafood approx. 1/2 lb
• 4 eggs
• Pad Thai Sauce (we used Thai Kitchen brand) 8 oz
• Brown Rice Vermicelli Noodles, 200 g package (soak for 5 min. or according to package instructions)
• 1 cup diced garlic chives (they look like flat chives, found at farmer's markets, can also use scallions)
• 1 or 2 grated carrots
• 1 grated zucchini
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• (any more veggies you would like ... broccoli, bamboo shoots, etc.)
• 2 tsp. paprika (for color)

Steps: 

- Heat up the coconut oil on medium heat, and when the oil is hot, add the diced onions and pickled mixed vegetables. Cook for about 1 minute or until they begin to brown. 

- Add the meat and cook it well. (If using shrimp, cook it quickly and set aside before adding the eggs.) You can also add the carrots and zucchini (or any other preferred veggies) at this time. 

- When the meat is ready, add the eggs in the middle of the pan. Scramble slightly and do the "pancake" movement to spread the egg around your pan. 

- After 1 minute or until 80% of the eggs are cooked, add the noodles and Pad Thai Sauce. Using tongs incorporate everything together, and add the paprika for color. 

- The Pad Thai should barely start to become dry in the pan, then add the garlic chives and bean sprouts and cook for another 20-30 sec. Turn off the heat and serve on a plate with lime wedges, extra bean sprouts and some crushed peanuts. 
Enjoy!

Traditional Pad Thai Sauce:  4 servings  (if you can find the ingredients...)

• 4 tbs. Brown Sugar
• 4 tbs. White Sugar
• 2 tbs. Tamarind (pre-packaged sauce from the Tamarind tree nut)
• 6 tbs. Fish Sauce
• 4 tbs. White Vinegar

Herbed Chickpea Veggies

Chickpea Vegan Dinner

Chickpeas are so yummy, and when seasoned beautifully in this recipe they almost have a cheese-like texture with the warm veggies. 

Garlic + Lemon + Basil = Trinity of Herbs

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 chopped red onion
• 1 diced red pepper
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1-3 tbsp. crushed garlic
• squeeze of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• sea salt or Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning to taste
• Braggs Liquid Aminos (optional)

In a large saucepan, saute broccoli and garlic over medium/high heat with a bit of coconut oil or water (to keep fat-free, coconut oil is a healthy fat though that does not change with heat). After about 4 minutes once the broccoli are more tender, add in the chickpeas, red pepper, red onion, lemon, and optional seasoning. You can smash some of the chickpeas while stirring to give it a bit of a sauce and different texture. Once the veggies are tender and cooked through take off the heat. Stir in the chopped basil (or fresh herb). 

I don't add the fresh herbs earlier since you don't want them to wilt too much in the heat and you want to preserve as much of the antioxidant/healing properties as possible!

To make this taste EXTRA Amazing, you can serve it topped with warm Tomato Basil Marinara sauce (no salt/sugar kind from TJ's). The marinara makes it taste like a decadent Italian pasta dishes with bits of cheesy chickpeas, bringing the garlic, lemon, basil combo together beautifully!

1 cup of cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans contains 12 grams of protein, so again this is a tasty way to get your protein and veggies in.

Enjoy :)

Black Bean Artichokes

Bean Protein Vegan Dinner

This is a quick recipe that basically involves veggies and a vegan protein source - today featuring black beans!

Ingredients: 

• 2 cans artichokes (drained, no salt), or 3 cups fresh artichokes 
• 1diced red onion
• 1-3 tbsp. crushed garlic
• 2 cans organic black beans
• squeeze of half a lemon
• sea salt or Trader Joe's everyday seasoning to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

In a large saucepan, saute the artichokes with garlic over medium/high heat. You can use a bit of water or coconut oil to saute the artichokes, and the artichokes will take a little while to brown since they are wet to start out. Once the artichokes are slightly browned, add in the red onion and black beans with remaining herbs/seasonings. ... then done!

Black beans contain 15 grams of protein per 1 cup, making this a protein and flavor-packed vegan meal for the whole family! 

One-pan wonder :)