Pad Thai from "Well Fed"

 A couple months back, I had the pleasure of having this exact recipe prepared for me by our resident "Sunshine" CF bad-ass, C-Rose. I was so impressed with it's flavors that I felt I needed to share it with you all. Thank you, Well Fed by Melissa Jouwan for providing this delicious recipe. 

1 cup cooked spaghetti squash
1/2 cup snap peas, slivered
1/4 onion, sliced thin
grilled chicken thigh or breast, diced (whatever amount you usually eat)
1 egg, scrambled with 1 t coconut aminos
coconut oil



SAUCE:
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (I like Sunbutter; no sugar added)
dash ground cayenne pepper (optional)




Prepare the Sauce first:

1. Place the last 8 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and whirl until well blended. If you do not have a food processor,  you can mix by hand with a whisk.

2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber scraper, then add the coconut milk. Process until it’s blended and smooth. If you are whisking by hand it will have a nice, less smooth, rustic consistency.

Set aside.

3. Heat some coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat; I use about 1 teaspoon. Sauté the onion and snap peas until crisp-tender. Not too long! Then set aside.

4. Heat a little more coconut oil in the pan. Pour in the egg and let it spread out into pancake. Cook until the egg is set and beginning to brown, then flip to lightly brown the other side. Cut the egg into strips and set aside.

5. Heat a little more coconut oil in the pan. Add the spaghetti squash, snap peas/onions, egg, and chicken. Stir fry ’til heated through.

6. Add sauce and stir fry until everything is well-blended and hot.

 That's our C-Rose!

Simple Roasted Chicken Breasts!

A couple weeks ago I bought some bone in (skin still attached) chicken breasts from Whole Foods because they were on sale. I thought to myself, I'm going to find a really fancy recipe for these. Well, weeks later, I still couldn't find a recipe that tickled my fancy. I consulted a fellow foodie at work about it and she said to me... "just keep it simple. Season it just a little and then let the chicken be delicious." So, that's exactly what I did. The skin on the outside turned out crispy and flavorful while the meat itself was juicy and tender. I've never cooked chicken so juicy ever in my life. I was pleasantly surprised. Here is how I did it...

Steps:

1. Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry with a paper towel and lay in a pyrex or baking pan as seen above dish. I had 4 large chicken breasts and those fit in a 13x9 pyrex dish.
2. Slice a couple cloves of garlic and slip those suckers under the skin. I had about 3/4 a clove for every chicken breast.
3. Let the garlic chill in under the skin for about 24 hours.
4. Rub some butter on the skin so it gets nice and crispy when you cook it.
5. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, onion powder, black pepper, paprika and then a little more sea salt.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or so.
7. I had to turn the chicken breast over at about 45 minutes so the skin could get wet in it's own delicious juices. This helps the skin to get crispy. Don't leave them turned over. Just a quick flip
8. Enjoy!

Coconut Bars!

I made these for Super Bowl Sunday. They were delicious and one of the easiest desserts I have ever made. Coconut is amazing, read below to see why...

Health benefits of coconut:

• Naturally gluten free
• Full of heart healthy fats that lower LDL cholesterol
• Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic
• Reduces inflammation and promotes healthy absorption of nutrients
• High in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and zinc

 Coconut Bars

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup coconut milk
• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon coconut palm sugar (super optional, next time I won't even use this)
• ½ cup blanched almond flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Mix eggs, coconut milk, oil, maple syrup, vanilla and palm sugar with a blender or spoon.
2. Mix in almond flour, coconut flour, shredded coconut and salt
3. Transfer ingredients into an 8x8 inch Pyrex baking dish
4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes
5. Cool for ½ hour, then place in refrigerator and serve when chilled

Makes 16 bars
24 bars