Coconut Veggie Curry (Paleo)

Hello, all! It has been a very long time since my last post. But, to let everyone know, I am alive and well and have been living in Thailand now for the last month and a half. You can see my adventures on my other blog, Teach. Eat. Travel. Repeat.

I’ve been loving my time in Thailand, but the one thing I was really missing was cooking. So, I invested in an electrical skillet/wok to make some home-cooked meals some nights. Meaning… I can start up this food blog again! This time, it’ll be featuring fresh and in-season ingredients that I pick up from my local food stands and market.

To kick this blog back off, here’s a very Thai-ish meal (minus the spice) that I prepared with all of the ingredients literally down the block from me!

Coconut Veggie Curry (Paleo)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp coconut oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into sticks

1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets

1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

1/4 head of cabbage, chopped

3/4 cup of water (broth would probably be better, but I can’t find any in Thailand!)

250g full-fat coconut milk

1/2 tbsp curry powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper (by all means, add more! I just needed a break from spicy foods)

125g shimeji mushrooms

2 tomatoes, diced

1 large handful of snow peas, ends removed

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat oil over medium-low heat and add in your garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant. Add in your carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the water, coconut milk, and spices. Higher the temperature to medium heat and place a lid on top. Let cook, stirring occasionally until veggies shrink in size (about 15 minutes). Stir in mushrooms, tomatoes, and snow peas and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper and serve!

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Italian Eggs over Cabbage (Paleo)

Greetings from vacation at the Jersey Shore!

While I absolutely love cooking- even while on vacation- I know some people are either too busy with outings or simply not in the mood to plan an extensive meal while in paradise. And so, I present you with a simple recipe that can please a crowd without a lot of work on your part!

While I list multiple ingredients in this recipe, you only really need three of them: tomato sauce, cabbage, and eggs. The rest are optional (yet totally recommended to boost flavor!)

Italian Eggs over Cabbage (Paleo)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp avocado oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

5 cups cabbage, chopped

2 cups tomato sauce (store-bought or homemade)

salt and pepper, to taste

3 eggs (or more, depending on how many people you’re serving)

Directions:

Heat oil in a deep skillet (that comes with a lid) and add the garlic and onions. Sauté over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, add in fennel seeds and basil, and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chopped cabbage, tomato sauce, and salt and pepper and let cook for 10- during this time, the cabbage will shrink down and become saturated in tomato sauce.

With the back of a spatula, pat down the cabbage to create a flat surface. Crack one of the eggs into a bowl and then gently slide on top of cabbage. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Cover skillet with lid and let eggs cook through (this takes me about 15 minutes). Top with extra basil and serve.

Cabbage and Chicken Skillet (Paleo)

A tasty meal with some simple ingredients…

Cabbage and Chicken Skillet (Paleo)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp avocado oil

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 and 1/2 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 head of raw green cabbage, chopped

1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed (I use leftover grilled chicken)

1/3 cup tomato/marinara sauce

1/3 cup beef broth

2 bay leafs

salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add paprika and thyme and cook for 1 more minute. Throw in cabbage, chicken, tomato/marinara sauce, broth, bay leafs, and salt and pepper. Stir altogether and top skillet with lid. Let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leafs and serve.

 

Crockpot Red Cabbage and Apples (Paleo)

The opportunity to housesit could not have happened at a better time. With holiday sweets and leftovers stacked high in both of my parents’ fridges, I needed the chance to physically remove myself from the proximity before Christmas Eve and Day repeated themselves over and over again.

Now in an empty house in literally the middle of nowhere, I can detox for a few days and eat some more wholesome foods. Plus I get to read my new books and “play” with the weighted hula hoop that I got for Christmas (yes, similar to Alvin and the Chipmunks, I wanted a hula hoop for Christmas). Well, maybe not immediately. I already have some killer bruises from hula hooping the first time for 10 minutes 😦

Anyway, back to food. Since I knew I’d be sitting in a house all day, I brought along my crockpot and cooked up some red cabbage and apples. Topped with a little bit of sour cream, it was the perfect thing to eat as I rediscovered my love of Netflix (I don’t allow myself to go on Netflix during the school semester).

Red Cabbage and Apples (Paleo)

Ingredients: 

1 head of red cabbage, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 large apples, peeled and cubed

1 and 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions: 

Place all ingredients in a crockpot and stir together. Place on LOW for 4-6 hours. Stir once halfway through cooking time. Let cool slightly and top/mix in sour cream (if desired) before serving.

This year’s Christmas picture with the siblings (not that you could tell with us standing directly in front of the tree. Oops.)

Cabbage, Onion, Bacon, and Avocado Salad (Paleo)

Bacon might as well be a museum artifact in my house. Why? My dad has a very strict “you can look, but not touch” policy towards the stuff.

Consequently, we have a lot of “untouchable” bacon buried in our freezer.

For some reason, he believes that if he gives us free reign with the bacon, it’ll all be gone by the end of the week. I’m actually not a big bacon person, but when denied, the desire for it tends to grow…

Which is why, when my dad leaves town for a few days, I sneak a pack down from the freezer to add to meals and whatnot. Shhhhhhhh! 

But hey- I don’t feel guilty because I know he makes some for himself when my brother and I are out of town.

Another family quirk to talk about in future family therapy…

Anyways, I had to dispose all of my contraband before my dad returned, and this was an effective and yummy way to use some up!

Cabbage, Onion, Bacon, and Avocado Salad (Paleo)

Ingredients:

3 strips of thick, organic bacon

1 onion, chopped

1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped

salt and pepper

1 avocado, diced 

Directions:

In a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and blot off the extra fat on the bacon. Set aside.

Without removing any of the liquid fat, add the onion to the skillet. Let cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring every so often.

While the onions are cooking, crumble your bacon into small pieces.

Once the onions have had their 10 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl, and set aside.

Add the cabbage to the bacon skillet (depending on the bacon you use, you may need to add extra fat at this point- I didn’t need to though) and cover with a lid for 5 minutes. Afterwards, take off the lid, add salt and pepper, and sauté for another 5 minutes, until the cabbage has shrunken down sightly. 

Add the onions and bacon back into the skillet and mix around for another 2 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Transfer contents to a serving platter and gently stir in the avocado chunks. Serve.