Chang’s Spicy Chicken is crispy tender pan-fried chicken coated in a delicious & spicy sauce. This gluten & soy free Chang’s Chicken recipe is a healthier take on the classic takeout dish. It uses whole food, high-quality ingredients, PLUS heat stable oil for frying. A true guilt-free pleasure for those living a healthy lifestyle!
This recipe is not only super yummy, but it’s also fun to create! So, gather your family or significant other and plan a date night in the kitchen where you can have some fun creating the most delicious Asian-inspired recipe you’ll ever taste!
Enjoy on its own, with a side of steamed veggies or on top of cauliflower “rice”.
When making Asian-inspired dishes (like this one), I coat my chicken in arrowroot powder and then fry in heat stable avocado oil. This creates a crispy coating on the chicken that absorbs sauce and tastes delicious!
Want more healthy Asian-inspired recipes? You’re going to love these …
Chang's Spicy Chicken is crispy tender pan-fried chicken coated in a delicious & spicy sauce. This gluten & soy free Chang's Chicken recipe is a healthier take on the classic takeout dish. It uses whole food, high-quality ingredients, PLUS heat stable oil for frying. A true guilt-free pleasure for those living a healthy lifestyle!
Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl with arrowroot flour, salt & pepper. Toss until chicken is coated. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients (or use a blender to combine ingredients). Set aside.
Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with avocado oil and heat until it begins to sizzle. Add coated chicken cubes to the hot oil. You may need to do this in two batches if your frying pan is not big enough. Cook each batch for about 10 minutes, turning mid-way through, until all sides are golden. Set chicken aside.
Once all chicken is browned, add back into the hot skillet. Whisk sauce once more & pour into the skillet with chicken. Add 3/4 of the green onions (save the rest for garnish) & cook, stirring until sauce thickens & chicken is well-coated.
Top with remaining green onions and enjoy on its own, with steamed veggies or on top of cauliflower "rice"!
Keyword arrowroot flour, asian food, avocado oil, chicken, coconut aminos, grain free, healthy asian recipe, healthy dinner
This Paleo Tuna Pizza is absolutely delicious and the perfect recipe for your next pizza night! It’s gluten, grain & dairy free, making it the ideal pizza for anyone following a paleo diet.
Cassava health benefits
DID YOU KNOW? Cassava is high in resistant starch, a type of starch that bypasses digestion and feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut, which can support digestive health.
There are hundreds of different species of bacteria in your intestine. In fact, the bacteria in your intestine outnumber the body’s cells 10 to 1 — WOW!Science has discovered that the number and type of bacteria can have a profound impact on your health.
Whereas most foods feed only 10% of your cells, fermentable fibers and resistant starches feed the other 90%. Resistant starch not only feeds the friendly bacteria in your intestine, but it MAY bind to & expel “bad” bacteria, having a positive effect on the type of bacteria as well as their number.
In addition, resistant starch has also been studied to for its ability to contribute to better metabolic health and reduce the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. This is due to its potential to improve blood sugar control, in addition to its role in promoting fullness and reducing appetite.
NOTE: Products made from cassava, such as flour, do contain resistant starch, but the levels are lower than in cassava root that has been cooked and then cooled in its whole form.
The best cassava flour pizza crust
This cassava flour pizza crust was created by Otto’s Naturals, one of the leading suppliers of cassava flour. You can get the original recipe here or check out the recipe below.
The texture and taste truly resembles regular pizza crust. The BF and I have been super excited to come up with different toppings for this awesome crust. We created this Paleo Tuna Pizza Mediterranean Style this past weekend and absolutely loved it! Let us know what you think in the comments section below 🙂
This paleo tuna pizza is absolutely delicious and the perfect recipe for your next pizza night! It's gluten, grain & dairy free, making it the ideal pizza for anyone following a paleo diet. The texture and taste of cassava flour pizza crust truly resembles regular pizza crust, so you won't be disappointed by yet another gluten free pizza.
1cupcassava flour, I recommend Otto's cassava flour
1tbspcoconut flour
5tbsparrowroot flour
1tspsalt
1tspgarlic powder, optional
1egg
¼cupavocado oil
Toppings
114-ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and crushed
1can wild skipjack tuna, drained
2clovesgarlic, minced
1tspfresh thyme, chopped
1tspfresh rosemary, chopped
1tbspcapers, drained
½red pepper, sliced thin
Hot red pepper flakes, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
2tbspextra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Prepare yeast mix: In a small bowl, add warm water and honey. Mix to dissolve. Sprinkle yeast in. Mix to dissolve. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to activate. It will get foamy on top.
Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl to combine.
Lightly whisk eggs and olive oil together in a small bowl.
Add egg mixture and activated yeast to the dry ingredients.
Mix to form a dough ball. Transfer ball to an oiled bowl, cover with dish towel and set aside in a warm place (70-80 F is ideal) to rise for 1 hour. It will not double in size, but it will rise a little.
Once dough has risen, preheat oven to 550 F. Preheat pizza stone, baking sheet or metal pan.
Place the dough on parchment paper. Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough (if necessary) and shape dough with your hands by pushing down (on top of parchment, so it doesn’t stick) and roll with rolling pin. Flatten your pizza about 1/8-1/4 inch thin. Roll the crust thick or thin (to your liking) by shaping with your fingers and rolling the edges. Use extra cassava flour if dough is sticking. NOTE: Split the dough in half before rolling it out to make two smaller pizzas.
Season tomatoes with half the garlic and sea salt then spread over the rolled out dough.
Break up the tuna in a bowl then add 1 tbsp olive oil, remaining garlic and thyme & rosemary. Combine ingredients then spread over the tomatoes. Add hot pepper flakes, capers, and strips of red pepper. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over the entire pizza.
Lift the whole piece of parchment paper with pizza on top and transfer to the preheated baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes until dough is firm and slightly golden, pulling out halfway and removing parchment paper. For a crispier golden crust, allow a few more minutes. Allow more time if cooking at lower temperature.
Picadillo (pee-cah-DEE-yo) is an Latin American dish that combines ground or finely chopped beef, vegetables, olives and dried fruit. It’s easy to make and there are so many ways to enjoy this flavourful dish, including with tostones!
Depending on the region and personal customs, picadillo serves as a main dish, often accompanied by rice and beans, or as a filling for empanadas, chiles rellenos, tamales, tacos, stuffed potatoes and more.
Since tostones have been a hot menu item for me lately, I decided to pair this dish with these delicious golden bites on the side. Tostones not only make this dish hearty, but they also do a great job of soaking up the sauce! A great complement to this dish, if I do say so myself 🙂 Find my recipe for Tostones here.
Here are a few other healthy ways to enjoy picadillo:
Picadillo (pee-cah-DEE-yo) is an Latin American dish that combines ground or finely chopped beef, vegetables, olives and dried fruit. It’s easy to make and there are so many ways to enjoy this flavourful dish, including with tostones!
1/8cupdates, pitted & sliced (omit for Keto/Low-Carb version)
Instructions
In a pot, heat avocado oil over medium-high then brown meat. Set meat aside in a bowl.
Reduce heat to medium and add onions and peppers. Sauté until onions are slightly caramelized. Add garlic and cook for a minute.
Add paprika, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and black pepper--stir for a minute until spices become fragrant. Add chicken stock and stir, scrapping off brown-bits at the bottom of the pot. Add in the browned beef, bay leaf, olives and dates. Mix to combine ingredients.
Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 1-hour. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
When the picadillo is 20-minutes from being ready, prepare the tostones (get the recipe here) OR other choice of side.
Serve picadillo in a shallow bowl and place tostones around.
Sausage & Butternut Squash Skillet makes for a wonderful dinner during the fall and winter. The combination of warming spices, butternut squash and sweet Italian sausage creates a recipe that’s heartwarming and healthy–not to mention, low-carb and paleo too!
DID YOU KNOW? Butternut squash has over four times the recommended daily value of vitamin A and over half the recommended intake of vitamin C in just one serving!
Vitamin A has the ability to fight diseases like cancer and autoimmune disorders, it can also help prevent the common cold and other infections. Part of how it protects against such a large number of infections and diseases is because vitamin A reduces inflammation, which is at the root of most diseases.
Inflammation is generally caused by an overactive immune system that attacks more than it should. Vitamin A helps to keep your immune system in balance therefore reducing inflammation.
In addition, butternut squash contains high amounts of vitamin C, anothercommon immune system booster that not only helps prevent and treat colds, but also lessens or inhibits the development of more serious conditions from common infections.
Consider adding more butternut squash to your diet to help boost vitamin A & C. Try this yummy Sausage & Butternut Squash skillet.
What you need for Sausage & Butternut Squash Skillet
Sweet Italian sausage (find pastured pork sausage here)
Butternut squash
Chicken broth
Onion
Garlic
Fresh sage
Fennel seed
Ground cloves or ground allspice
Crushed red pepper
Ground nutmeg
Avocado oil
Sea salt & black pepper
Want more wholesome squash recipes? You’re going to love these …
Sausage & Butternut Squash Skillet makes for a wonderful dinner during the fall and winter. The combination of warming spices, butternut squash and sweet Italian sausage creates a recipe that's heartwarming and healthy--not to mention, low-carb and paleo too!
1 1/2poundsbutternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes*
1largeonion, chopped
4clovesgarlic, sliced
1tsp.crushed red pepper
1/4tsp.ground nutmeg
1/2cuporganic chicken broth
Sea salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
In a medium bowl, mix sausage, finely chopped sage, fennel seed, cloves/all spice and ground black pepper.
In a large skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium-high. Add the sausage mixture and cook, breaking into large pieces until browned.
Add the squash, onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, nutmeg and coarsely chopped sage; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add broth and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, 18 to 20 minutes.
Notes
* TIME SAVER: You can find containers of peeled and cubed butternut squash at most grocery stores.
This Margherita Pizza with Cassava Flour Crust is the perfect recipe if you’re looking for a gluten free pizza that actually tastes like pizza!
Cassava flour is the most similar to wheat flour when compared to other gluten free flours.
It’s derived from cassava root (also known as yuca or manioc), a starchy, high-carbohydrate tuber – similar to yam, taro, plantains and potato.
As a tuberous root vegetable, cassava is gluten, grain and nut-free, as well as vegan and paleo.
Cassava flour is a good choice for those with gluten intolerance symptoms, sensitive digestive systems or disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome or disease.
It is very mild and neutral in flavor. It’s also not grainy or gritty in texture – rather, it’s soft and powdery.
These qualities, along with the fact that it can be replaced on a 1:1 basis with wheat flour in many recipes, make cassava flour a preferred flour for gluten-free, grain-free baking and cooking.
Otto’s Naturals is one of the leading suppliers of cassava flour and they’ve created this perfect recipe for cassava flour pizza crust (you can find the original recipe here).
My BF (who loves his gluten-filled pizza–maybe even more than he loves me!) thinks this gluten free pizza crust is brilliant and the best we’ve created to date. He claims that the texture and taste truly resembles regular pizza crust–and he’s more than happy to make it (and eat it) over and over again. This is super exciting because now I can kick up my feet with a glass of wine while my man makes me pizza!
OK, it’s time for you to give this awesome pizza crust a try!
Make this recipe dairy free & paleo… If you’re following a dairy free or paleo diet, omit the mozzarella. Add some garlic and/or oregano to the tomatoes to make it marinara style instead.
Want more healthy pizza recipes? You’ve got to try these …
This margherita pizza with cassava flour crust is the perfect recipe if you’re looking for a gluten free pizza that actually tastes like pizza! Make this recipe dairy free & paleo by omitting the mozzarella and adding some garlic and/or oregano to the tomatoes to make it marinara style instead.
1cupcassava flour, I recommend Otto's cassava flour*
1tbspcoconut flour
5tbsparrowroot flour
1tspsalt
1tspgarlic powder, optional
1egg
¼cupavocado oil
Toppings for classic margherita
Plum tomatoes, drained and crushed
Buffalo mozzarella (sliced), omit for dairy free & paleo version*
Fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste (mix into tomatoes)
Instructions
Prepare yeast mix: In a small bowl, add warm water and honey. Mix to dissolve. Sprinkle yeast in. Mix to dissolve. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to activate. It will get foamy on top.
Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl to combine.
Lightly whisk eggs and olive oil together in a small bowl.
Add egg mixture and activated yeast to the dry ingredients.
Mix to form a dough ball. Transfer ball to an oiled bowl, cover with dish towel and set aside in a warm place (70-80 F is ideal) to rise for 1 hour. It will not double in size, but it will rise a little.
Once dough has risen, preheat oven to 550 F. Preheat pizza stone, baking sheet or metal pan.
Place the dough on parchment paper. Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough (if necessary) and shape dough with your hands by pushing down (on top of parchment, so it doesn't stick) and roll with rolling pin. Flatten your pizza about 1/8-1/4 inch thin. Roll the crust thick or thin (to your liking) by shaping with your fingers and rolling the edges. Use extra cassava flour if dough is sticking.
Place toppings (tomatoes then cheese then some basil) on the dough. Lift the whole piece of parchment paper with pizza on top and transfer to the preheated baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes until dough is firm and slightly golden, pulling out halfway and removing parchment paper. For a crispier golden crust, allow a few more minutes. Allow more time if cooking at lower temperature.
Add remaining basil leaves on pizza and drizzle with olive oil.
Notes
*Find Otto's cassava flour here.*Make this recipe dairy free & paleo by omitting the mozzarella and adding some garlic and/or oregano to the tomatoes to make it marinara style instead.
Egg Roll in a Bowl in the perfect weekday or weekend dinner. It’s easy to prepare, full of delicious Asian flavour and healthy, of course! Give this paleo, low-carb, keto & soy free dish a try!
DID YOU KNOW? Coconut aminos is a salty, savory seasoning sauce made from the fermented sap of coconut palm and sea salt, making it a popular substitute for soy sauce.
Coconut aminos is milder and sweeter in flavour, but similar in color and consistency to light soy sauce–and even though it’s made from coconut sap, it doesn’t taste like coconut.
It’s free of soy, wheat and gluten, therefore a healthier alternative to soy sauce for those with certain food allergies or sensitivities. It also contains 65% less sodium than regular soy sauce.
So, if you’re adjusting your diet to reduce salt, avoid gluten or eliminate soy, coconut aminos is a great alternative.
You can find coconut aminos in health-food stores, the health aisles of most grocery stores & online. Be sure to store your coconut aminos in the fridge after opening.
Egg Roll in a Bowl is the perfect weekday or weekend dinner. It’s easy to prepare, full of delicious Asian flavour and packed with healthy, wholesome ingredients.This delicious dish is paleo, low-carb, gluten & soy free. You'll be sure to put this recipe on repeat!
In a large skillet or pot, heat avocado oil over medium heat.
Add onions, carrots and cabbage. Season with salt and cook until tender, stirring often for about 15 minutes.
Add ginger, garlic, coconut aminos and vinegar. Continue stirring and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add ground chicken and season with salt and black pepper. Break up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring until the meat has cooked through - about 10 minutes. (Note: Chicken can also be cooked in a separate pan then added to the pot. I prefer this method since you can brown the ground chicken and get more flavour).
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl using a fork. If sauce is too thick add a tablespoon of water in at a time to thin it out.
Once meat is cooked, turn off heat and mix in 3/4 of the sauce. Coat cabbage mixture in sauce.
Plate and drizzle remaining sauce over top. Garnish with sliced green onion.
My mission is to help women heal their gut, lose weight and feel great through simple and delicious smoothies, whole food nutrition & healthy lifestyle habits.
