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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Pumpkin Coconut Beef Sauce/Soup (Paleo)

Last week, I had my annual Super Bowl Sunday Home-Alone-Cook-Off. Not going to lie, I’m no a football fan. I’ve tried watching games, but every time my mind begins to wander off to the 100 things I could be doing instead. And no, the Super Bowl is not the exception.

So every year, I have the house to myself and have my own party where I create my own recipes that I know my family would put their noses up to if they were around.

The arrangement works out nicely: I get to experiment in the kitchen and end up with a week’s worth of yummy food. I then eat while watching some Netflix with the game on in the background (for the halftime show and commercials).

Anyway, this was one of the end results:

Pumpkin Coconut Beef Sauce/Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbsp red palm oil (or avocado oil)

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp sage

1 lb. organic, grass-fed ground beef

1 cup chopped carrots

1 (13.5oz) can of full-fat coconut milk

1 (15oz) can of pumpkin

2 handfuls of fresh spinach

salt and pepper

For soup version– add in 1 cup vegetable/chicken/beef broth (if you just want a sauce, omit)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a pot and add in the onion, garlic, and sage. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add in the carrots and meat and cook until the meat is entirely brown. Add in the coconut milk and pumpkin and bring to a boil. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted. Adjust with salt and pepper, to taste. If you are making the soup: Stir in your broth here. If not, serve over rice or cauliflower rice.

Butternut and Chicken Tomato Bake (Paleo)

First post of 2017! I’m expecting great things out of 2017:

1. I’m finishing Student Teaching and college in the next few months
2. I’m moving to Thailand to teach and travel!!!!!
3. I’m planning to continue to post recipes until moving day (and maybe even while in Thailand).

Needless to say, I am very excited for upcoming events!

Now, onto food. This is something I served at my family’s Christmas Eve party. It was a definite hit and gobbled all up before the evening ended. Enjoy!

P.S- Results are in! My most popular post of 2016 (with 2,681 views): Shrimp and Chicken Fajitas! 

Butternut and Chicken Tomato Bake (Paleo)

Ingredients:

4 cups butternut squash, cubed

2 tbsp avocado oil

salt and pepper

1.5 lb chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup whole fat coconut milk

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups fresh spinach

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a bowl, toss together the butternut squash, 1 tbsp oil, salt and pepper. Spread in a roasting pan and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the other tbsp of oil in a skillet. Add the chicken pieces, salt and pepper, and cook all the way through. Add in the onion and garlic cloves and sauté for 2 minutes. Add in the coconut milk, sauce, and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute and then reduce to a simmer to thicken. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted.

Once butternut squash is finished, gently mix squash in with the chicken mixture. Transfer entire mixture into a baking dish. In a bowl, whisk an egg and then pour on top of mixture. Place mixture into a 350°F oven for 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

This year’s annual Christmas Eve Sibling picture (I’m the one on the left!)

Artichoke and Lemongrass Sauce over Summer Squash Noodles

One last summer recipe before the start of fall recipes! Since fall doesn’t officially begin until next week, I feel that I’m still within reason to post a recipe with summer squash in it 🙂

Artichoke and Lemongrass Sauce over Summer Squash Noodles

Ingredients:

1 summer squash

1 tbsp ghee

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp lemongrass paste

1 handful of fresh thai basil, chopped (you can use regular basil instead)

1 can artichokes, drained and chopped 

2/3 cup full-fat coconut milk

1/4 cup feta cheese

salt and pepper 

Directions:

Use a vegetable spiralizer to make summer squash noodles. Place noodles in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.

In a deep skilled, melt ghee over medium-low heat. Add in garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add in lemongrass paste, basil, and artichokes and cook for another 3 minutes. Add in coconut milk, cheese, noodles, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish with more fresh basil and serve.

Coconut-Tomato Sauce over Japanese Yam “Pasta” (Paleo)

For the past few days, I’ve been on a mini-road trip and vacation to visit my friend  in North Jersey. Living right on the Hudson River, this meant a day trip into New York City!

And rather than going to the #1 Tourist Spot (AKA Times Square), we decided to take the aerial tramway to Roosevelt Island. Totally recommended day trip idea! It wasn’t overcrowded as the rest of the city and I got to see the ruins of the Smallpox hospital, catch Pokemon on the promenade, and visit the FDR memorial at one of the island’s tips. I swear, I want to be proposed to there one day- so pretty and tranquil.

After the last few days of eating out, I was ready to make a home-cooked meal. Unfortunately, I was too tired from my trip to go out shopping for more ingredients and instead settled for whatever was already in my kitchen. No regrets though- this meal turned out to be a winner. The only thing I might do next time is add in some more veggies 🙂

Coconut-Tomato Sauce over Japanese Yam “Pasta” (Paleo)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ghee (or butter or oil)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

salt and pepper

1 and 1/3 cup full-fat, canned coconut milk

1/4 cup vegetable broth

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp fresh basil + extra for garnish

1 medium-sized Japanese yam

Directions:

Heat ghee in a deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add in garlic, onion, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. Next, stir in coconut milk, broth, tomato paste, and basil. Bring sauce to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let cook for another 10 minutes.

While waiting, make the yam into a pasta with a vegetable spiral. Once the sauce is done cooking, mix in pasta. Don’t worry if it seems like you don’t have enough sauce!- just mix it in the best you can and top with a lid. Let cook for 15 minutes (during this time, the noodles will get soft and shrink). Afterwards, stir the pasta around around in the sauce, adjust with salt and pepper, and place in a serving bowl. Top with the extra fresh basil.