I absolutely LOVE preparing and cooking meals, the clean up after not so much, but I can easily get lost in the kitchen for hours creating new dishes, modifying and changing up recipes and putting a healthy twist on some old favourites.
In this weeks dose of healthy living inspirations, I am sharing 3 simple food inspirations that will come together to build one beautiful and nutritious meal for your entire family.
Last weekend I tweeted a pic of this very meal that I made for my family and everyone went crazy over wanting recipe, so here it is:
Pad Thai over Kelp Noodles with Zesty Lemon Cauliflower ‘Rice’
Kelp Noodles? What the heck are they? Where do you find them? What do they taste like? These are some of the many questions I got about them so here is a little info to clear the confusion up:
What are kelp noodles? They are clear, thin noodles made from kelp, a kind of brown seaweed that is notable for its high iodine content. They are not “noodles” at all, and they don’t taste or feel anything like brown rice, quinoa, or wheat pasta. But they do have the same look of pasta, and you can use a lot of the same preparation methods with them that you might otherwise use in noodle dishes. They taste great with pesto, cashew alfredo, raw marinara, or any other wide variety of sauces. And the ingredient list is simple: kelp, sodium alginate (a form of salt), and water. They are also gluten free which is great for those of you in need of another tasty GF recipe!
Where can you purchase kelp noodles? My favorite brand is the Sea Tangle brand, and you can purchase them at Nature’s Emporium in Newmarket and Rawlicious restaurants, they are also available through amazon in 3 and 6 packs.
So, what do kelp noodles taste like? I think they taste basically neutral. They’re a little crunchy—especially if you eat them right after preparing them—and they might taste slightly salty if you haven’t rinsed them well, which I recommend doing.
They are great to use in soups, as ‘pasta’, instead of rice and quinoa or to make in casseroles.
1. To start, open your bag of kelp noodles and rinse them well. I like to submerge my kelp noodles in warm water for about 5-10 minutes. Rinse and separate really well.
2. If you serve kelp noodles just as they are, you’re likely to find that the noodles are super long and therefore a little hard to eat! I recommend to cut them into smaller sections with scissors or knife and fork
Pad Thai Dish
You can do any variation of vegetables for the main dish that you like, for this meal I chose:
1 large zucchini, spiralized (or you can julienne)
1 large red pepper, julienned
1 large yellow pepper, julienned
1 cup of snap peas, cut in half
1/2 head of cabbage, sautéed or braised
1 small bin of Organic Girl Super Greens, sautéed with leeks, coconut oil and garlic
1/2 cup raw cashews, halved
Heat coconut oil or organic butter or ghee over medium heat and add your garlic and leeks for 3-5 minutes now add your peppers, snap peas and already cooked cabbage, sauté until al dente not killed LOL
Add the sauce and mix thoroughly.
Toss your noodles in right at the end for a small bit of heat.
On your plate place some of the zucchini spiral on it and then serve your pad thai over top and finish it off with raw cashews.
Sauce:
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp raw almond butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Tamari
1 Tbsp raw honey
small clove of garlic, minced
grated ginger to taste
Whisk all of these ingredients together in a small bowl and add water for thinning if needed.
Now for the…
Zesty Lemon Cauliflower ‘Rice’
Chop one whole head of cauliflower and pulse in batches in your food processor.
Once all the cauliflower in pulsed into a shredded/crumble like appearance, heat 3 tbsp coconut oil over medium heat. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, and gently heat about 2-3 minutes. Add your cauliflower, plus 2 tbsp lemon zest, 1 -2 cups chopped herbs like parsley, basil, mint or chives. Season with sea salt and pepper to your liking and continue to stir until heated through.
Serve this as a side with the Pad Thai or make this dish for an entirely different meal to go with a vegan nut loaf or some roasted organic chicken, grass fed beef or fish.
I also posted a pic that evening of a very quick and satisfying desert that I made
Chocolate Banana Avocado Pudding
It is simply these few ingredients put into the vitamix for a few minutes until creamy smooth:
1 banana
1 avocado
4tbsp raw cacao powder
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup or more to thin, add a little at a time
Toss them all in the Vitamix EXCEPT for the water, add that slowly as needed.
Chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before serving.
So there you have it, 3 incredibly delicious and easy ways to bring some uber health meals into your life
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The Simplicity Project ~ Jenn Pike 