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Recipe: Zucchini Noodle Veggie Lo Mein

08 Sunday Jan 2017

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Need an idea for Meatless Monday? Eating less meat is one of our goals for the new year, and we plan to accomplish that by cutting out meat on Mondays. Since I cook extra for leftovers it may turn out that most Tuesdays are meatless too! I stumbled across this Zucchini Noodle Veggie Lo Mein recipe when making the Mango Noodle Bowls for our Tapas Party on NYE. Another great, low-carb and grain-free recipe from Get Inspired Everyday. At the start of 2016 I cut out gluten from my diet, but any grains in general are a form of carbohydrate and thus get converted to sugar when digested. As many researches have shown that cancer LOVES sugar, I’ve decided to go completely grain free in 2017! This will make eating out much more difficult as even gluten-free crusts, breads, or buns will have to be avoided unless I am fortunate enough to find a paleo restaurant (paleo diet is grain-free) like Hu, where we frequent when in NYC. And we just so happen to be going there this weekend to see my specialist! I have no doubt that I will have more energy and less inflammation due to this decision, which is so key for me given my almost constant sacrum pain. Fun fact: did you know that eating an anti-inflammatory diet can drastically reduce joint pain?

This recipe was so easy to accomplish with our KitchenAid spiralizer attachment. We had beautiful noodles made from both zucchini and carrots in just minutes! Check out this short video as proof!

After not being able to eat lo mein in over a year, this recipe changed all of that. And I didn’t miss a single thing about not having real noodles. As a little girl who grew up LOVING Chinese takeout out, I am a very happy camper!

Zucchini Noodles Veggie Lo Mein

Athour: Get Inspired Everyday!

Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 8 mins
Total time: 38 mins
 Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons avocado oil, or olive oil
  • 12 crimini mushrooms, 6 ounces, washed and sliced
  • 2 baby bok choy, 6 ounces, thinly sliced and thoroughly washed
  • 1 large red bell pepper, 8 ounces
  • 1 large carrot, 6 ounces, peeled and ends cut off
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons ginger, minced
  • 1 bunch of green onions
  • 4-8 zucchini, depending on their size, weighing 2 pounds, spiralized into noodles
Sauce:
  • 2 Tablespoons tapioca starch
  • 3 Tablespoons gluten free soy sauce or coconut aminos
  • 1 Teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 Tablespoon mirin, optional but nice for more authentic flavor
Instructions
  1. Make sure all your veggies are prepped before starting the stir fry.
  2. For the bell pepper, cut out the core and remove as many seeds as you can. Thinly slice it or spiralize it by place the core side on the blade side of the spiralizer and pushing the pronged side into the bottom end of the pepper. Then turn the handle and spiralize it. Spiralize the carrots, or if they’re too small, thinly slice them. For the green onions, thinly slice the whole bunch, both the green and the white part. Reserve the green part for the end of the stir fry and keep the white part with the garlic and ginger.
  3. Preheat a very large skillet (at least 15″) over medium high heat. While the skillet heats, make the sauce by mixing together the tapioca starch and soy sauce until the tapioca has completely dissolved, and there are no lumps. Mix in the sesame oil and mirin if you’re using it, and set the sauce aside.
  4. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add 1 Tablespoon of the oil into the pan along with the mushrooms, bok choy, bell pepper, and carrots. If you’re comfortable cooking over high heat, increase the heat from medium high to high for a more authentic seared flavor. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the veggies are starting to soften.IMG_0504.JPG
  5. Add the garlic, ginger, and the white part of the green onions and stir fry for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until it’s fragrant and the green onions have wilted. Transfer the stir fried veggies to a large serving bowl and place the bowl in the oven at a low temperature to keep warm (150ºF) while you finish cooking.
  6. Place the pan back over high heat, and add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the zucchini noodles to the pan and stir fry just until the noodles are barely beginning to soften, 1-2 minutes. Add the sauce mixture and the reserved green part of the green onions, and immediately remove the pan from the heat.
  7. Add the noodles to the veggie mixture in your serving bowl and toss to completely combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings by adding a bit of sea salt if necessary.
  8. Serve immediately.
  9. The leftovers keep well for this dish, and I like to eat them cold for lunch the next day. The zucchini noodles will shed water, but you can just pour off the extra liquid, the taste is still great.
Notes
You may need to add sea salt to taste, especially if you use coconut aminos which is generally less salty than soy sauce.
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Veggie Lo Mein!

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For added crunch we topped this dish with sesame seeds and sweet pea sprouts!

Recipe: Sweet Potato Gnocchi Topped with Ground Turkey in a Maple Dijon Sauce

22 Thursday Dec 2016

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IMG_0207.JPGI’m always searching for creative ways to be able to enjoy pasta dishes and still eat relatively clean. My last post featured a zucchini noodle dish, which we loved, but I wanted to try something new. I’ve often found gnocchi (potato based pasta) offered as a gluten-free option at some restaurants, but with my diet I stray away from all potatoes, with the exception of sweet potatoes. Figuring that there must be such a thing as gnocchi made from sweet potatoes, I took to Google to find such a recipe using flour that was both grain-free and gluten-free. Thanks to Heartbeet Kitchen for providing me with this winner!

5 Ingredient Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Author: Amanda Paa, adapted from Fork and Beans 
Serves: 2-3 servings

 INGREDIENTS
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons of mashed & smooth, roasted sweet potato (157 grams)
  • ¼ cup millet flour (30 grams)
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon almond flour (38 grams)
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon tapioca starch (38 grams)
  • heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
 INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Whisk the flours/starch and salt together. Put the mashed sweet potato in a large bowl and add half of the flour mixture. Lightly need it in with your hands, then add the other half and knead just until no flour streaks remain.
  2. Pull it together into one ball – the mixture should not be too sticky. If it is, add another tablespoon of almond flour and ½ tablespoon tapioca starch.
  3. Then flatten into a disc. Cut the disc into fours. Dust a clean surface with millet flour. Roll out each piece with your hands & fingers on the surface until you create a snake-like piece about 6 inches long, and ½ inch wide. Then with a knife cut individual gnocchi, about 1 inch long. (You don’t want them to be too big or they won’t cook through). Press the tines of your fork lightly into them to make the indents.
  4. Repeat for each piece of dough. Coat the surface lightly with more of the flour mix just so it doesn’t stick when you cut it.
  5. In a medium pot of lightly boiling water, pour half of the gnocchi in. Wait until they begin to float to the top, then let cook for a minute or two. Remove with a slotted spoon and lay on a cutting board.
  6. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi. Put gnocchi in the refrigerator for 5 minutes, then add 1½ tablespoons olive oil to a skillet. Saute gnocchi for 5-6 minutes on medium heat, stirring, until they are crisp on the outside. Sprinkle with a bit of salt (this is key!).

Now it was onto deciding what to serve over top of the gnocchi. We recently had a cooking demo at work that featured a pasta dish with a maple Dijon sauce. Since I couldn’t eat it with the past I figured it was the perfect opportunity to try it out with this dish and had the notion that it would pair well with ground turkey simmered in garlic, sage, and thyme. But what veggies to throw in? Kale and asparagus seemed to be the perfect savory accompaniments to the sweetness of the maple and sweet potatoes. If you are avoiding naturally sweetened dishes, and the maple syrup is throwing you off from trying this dish, I suggest experimenting with a sage pesto sauce. I haven’t tried it yet, but this one from The Suburban Soapbox caught my eye to try out next time.

We made this meal with friends for a fun date night in! It was certainly an experience making pasta from scratch. Hint, hint: next time I think I’ll be buying canned (BPA-free) sweet potato puree to skip a few steps. Luckily we had some delicious Ithaca Hummus, rainbow carrots, and Plentils to hold us over until dinner time! Side note: Best. Hummus. Ever. (and made right in my town!).

IMG_0196.JPGHere is the recipe for the maple Dijon sauce adapted from food.com, along with my recipe for the ground turkey and veggie topping:

INGREDIENTS
Maple Dijon Sauce
  • 185ml pure maple syrup
  • 125ml Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (heaped teaspoon)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper

Ground Turkey Topping

  • 1lb organic ground turkey
  • 1 medium sized onion chopped
  • 10oz asparagus cut into pieces (fresh or frozen if not in season)
  • 2 cups chopped kale
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil (olive oil works too)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground sage
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Optional Garnish

  • Shaved raw milk organic Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Bring the maple syrup to the boil and boil keeping it bubbling. When the bubbles start to go from small to big and the mixture is thickened it should be ready ( about 4-5 minutes).
  2. Remove maple mixture from heat when thickened and let cool
  3. While maple mixture is cooling, heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat
  4. Add in chopped onion until and cook for 3-5 minutes until it begins to become translucent
  5. Now add in the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink, break up the pieces of meat as you cook
  6. Sprinkle in garlic, sage, thyme, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper. Cook for one minute longer
  7. Add in the kale and asparagus to the mixture and cook until the kale has begun to wilt and the asparagus is fork tender. (if using fresh asparagus you may want to add it in a few minutes ahead of the kale.IMG_0187.JPG
  8. Once the maple mixture has cooled, whisk in the Dijon mustard, seeds and pepperIMG_0200.JPG
  9. Serve turkey topping over sweet potato gnocchi and drizzle with the maple Dijon sauce.
  10. If you aren’t avoid dairy, garnish the dish with fresh shaved raw milk Parmesan. We found this tasty option at our local Wegmans.IMG_0191.JPG
  11. Enjoy!

 

Recipe: Zucchini Noodles with Spinach Vodka Sauce

12 Monday Dec 2016

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My husband LOVES pasta. I, on the other hand, can live without it, which is OK as it isn’t conducive to eating clean. But, we’ve found a way to have the best of both worlds! Spiraling zucchini into “noodles” can still taste like great Italian food without all of the guilt. Now the challenge for tonight was all in the sauce. Hubby’s favorite Italian sauce is vodka sauce and because I avoid eating heavy cream, I discovered how easy it is to use cashew cream instead. We opted to top this dish with roasted cauliflower, red peppers, and crimini mushrooms, yum! If you can’t skip the protein, grilled chicken would be delicious with this as well.

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Zoodles!

This is my first recipe of my own creation, hope you enjoy!

 

Zucchini Noodles with Spinach Vodka Sauce
Approx. 6 servings
Prep./Cook Time: 30-45 mins

2.5 lbs zucchini, spiralized
3 tbs. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 large sweet onion
1 cup good quality vodka (I used Tito’s)
2/3 cup raw unsalted cashews
2/3 cup filtered water
1 28 ounce can tomato sauce (I use Muir Glen for all of my canned tomatoes)
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tbs dried oregano
3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Optional toppings: grilled chicken (for a non-vegetarian dish) or roasted veggies if you want to keep it vegetarian/vegan friendly. I tossed some chopped cauliflower, crimini mushrooms, and red pepper in olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, dried thyme, oregano, and parsley for 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Viola! And may I say the mushrooms were out of this world!

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To make the cashew cream:
If you have a high power blender -soak 2/3 cup of cashews in 2/3 cup of water while you make the rest of the recipe. We’re lucky enough to have a Vitamix on loan that did the trick. If you have a lower power blender, you’ll want to soak the cashews overnight. Blend the cashews and water on high for two minutes and set aside.

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Cashew pieces soaking in water

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Like magic, now we have cashew cream!!

1. Dice the onion
2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat
3. Add onion and garlic, cook for five minutes – until soft
4. Sprinkle red pepper flakes and 1/2 tbs. dried oregano onto the mixture and stir to combine
5. Pour vodka into mixture and cook down until reduced by about half
6. Open can of diced tomatoes and can of tomato sauce. Pour into saucepan
7. Heat to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes
8. While sauce is cooking spiral zucchini into “noodles”
9. Heat olive oil in large skillet or wok, add zucchini spirals and cook for 4-6 minutes or until they reach your desired consistency. Do not overcook
10. Remove “noodles” from heat
11. Remove sauce from heat for 5 minutes and then add in cashew cream
12. Return sauce to burner on medium-low heat and add in spinach along with remaining one tbs. of dried oregano
13. Stir sauce until spinach begins to wilt, do not bring the sauce to a boil
14. Remove sauce from heat

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Now you’re ready to plate the meal! Serve the sauce over your zucchini noodles. Add fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste. If you’re like my husband, who likes to pack on the heat, be sure to include additional red pepper flakes on the table. Now if only it were easier resist the temptation to use that leftover Tito’s for a nice dinner time Moscow Mule…

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Recipe: Turkey Zucchini Burgers with Lemon Yogurt Sauce

20 Thursday Oct 2016

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Tip: we topped ours off with an organic heirloom tomato!

We made these yummy burgers in a cast iron skillet at a recent BBQ with friends and they were a hit! Discovered the recipe from my Eat Paleo app who scored this tasty find on theironyou.com (bonus: now I have another awesome, healthy resource!).

Turkey Zucchini Burgers with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Print this recipe!
Adapted from Jerusalem: A CookBook

Ingredients
Makes about 10 medium size burgers (enough for 4 to 5 people)

Burgers

1 lb / 453 gr organic ground turkey
1 large zucchini, grated
2 scallions, thinly chopped
1 free-range organic egg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

Lemon Yogurt Sauce

1 container (7 oz / 198 gr) plain Greek yogurt
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Chopped scallions for garnish

Directions

In a small bowl combine all sauce ingredients, stir well and set aside.
In a large bowl combine all burger ingredients and with dampened hands shape into burgers (you can also make meatballs if you feel like.)
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat and cook burgers, in batches, until golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes per side (it really depends on the size of your burgers.)
Serve warm with lemon yogurt sauce on the side.

Nutrition facts

One burger (undressed) yields about 117 calories, 7 grams of fat, 1 gram of carbs and 13 grams of protein.