Shrimp Pad Thai is absolutely delicious and will soon be one of your favourite weekly dishes! This recipe combines shrimp with spaghetti squash noodles, vegetables for texture and flavor, and is coated with the most delicious creamy lime almond butter sauce! It’s gluten & grain free, paleo and low-carb.
Quick fact about me … I had a BIG crush on Pad Thai during my university days–and since I lived in Toronto at that time, I always gravitated towards Thai restaurants when I ate out. To this date, there’s just something about the combo of spices and flavours in Thai cuisine that I find magical!
Unfortunately, when I changed my diet to better serve my body, Pad Thai was one of the dishes I had to give up (teardrop).
Luckily, I eventually realized that I didn’t really need to give up my favourite dishes in order to feel good, I just needed to get creative and modify them. Ergo, I created this flavourful paleo version of Pad Thai that I could easily make whenever a craving hits–and let me tell you, I’ve made this recipe way more times than I can count!
Typical take-out Pad Thai can be loaded with lots of unwanted ingredients – crappy oils, sugar, MSG, and lots of sodium. However, this healthy Shrimp Pad Thai is made with shrimp, eggs, veggies, and uses spaghetti squash noodles instead of rice noodles to keep it lower carb & paleo.
Check out this delicious Shrimp Pad Thai with simple and clean ingredients. It’s one of my favourite recipes to date!
Want more healthy Asian recipes? You’re going to love these …
Shrimp Pad Thai is absolutely delicious and will soon be one of your favourite weekly dishes! This recipe combines shrimp with spaghetti squash noodles, vegetables for texture and flavor, and is coated with the most delicious creamy lime almond butter sauce! It's gluten & grain free, paleo and low-carb.
2tbsp.pine nuts or crushed almonds, lightly toasted
Instructions
Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and remove seeds. Bake at 400 for 30-40 min. Fork should pierce skin easily when squash is cooked. Use a fork to scrape out the strands of squash. Set aside. (I suggest preparing the other ingredients as the squash cooks).
Finely chop carrots and green onion by hand or in a food processor. Set aside.
Using a large pan over medium heat, sauté garlic and ginger in 1 tbsp. avocado oil until fragrant. Add carrots, onion and enoki mushrooms and continue to cook until carrots are tender. Season with salt.
Create a space in the middle of the pan, add eggs and scramble with fork. Mix in with vegetables and let cook for 1-2 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Turn heat to low, add cooked spaghetti squash and sauce into pan and mix all ingredients together until sauce coats everything.
Add in cooked shrimp (see instructions below) and gently combine all ingredients until warm.
Plate the Pad Thai and garnish with nuts and cilantro.
Shrimp: (can be cooked at the same time as Pad Thai)
In a separate pan, cook shrimp in 1 tbsp avocado oil over medium heat. Season with salt and black pepper. Turn shrimp halfway through cooking.
Once shrimp are cooked, set aside until ready to add to the other pan.
Notes
*You can easily replace shrimp with chicken if you'd like. Just cut 1lb of chicken breasts or thighs (boneless, skinless) into bite-sized pieces and cook as you would the shrimp.
This Orange Chicken is made with crispy fried chicken covered in a flavourful orange sauce! It’s free of gluten, soy & sugar making it a healthy alternative to traditional Chinese take-out, yet still comforting and delicious! This recipe is paleo friendly and can also be modified for an AIP diet. Serve over cauliflower “rice” or with steamed veggies.
DID YOU KNOW? Arrowroot powder is a starchy substance that’s extracted from the root of a tropical plant known as Maranta arundinacea – and is frequently used in gluten-free, paleo cooking.
Sometimes arrowroot powder is referred to as arrowroot flour or arrowroot starch, but they’re all the same thing – a white, powdery starch that’s naturally gluten & grain-free, plant-based and paleo-friendly.
Because arrowroot is not a grain, many people (especially those with IBS or digestive issues) find that arrowroot powder is easier to digest and therefore does not cause symptoms like gas, bloating, etc. It also contains more fiber than potatoes and other starches, which helps promote healthy bowel function.
Arrowroot powder works great as a thickener and can easily replace cornstarch. It’s also great for frying, roasting and baking since it can add crisp and crunch to your food.
Unlike cornstarch, arrowroot powder is extracted in simpler, more traditional methods, without the use of high heat or harsh chemicals.
When making Asian dishes (like my Orange Chicken), 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!
This Orange Chicken is made with crispy fried chicken covered in a flavourful orange sauce! It's free of gluten, soy & sugar making it a healthy alternative to traditional Chinese take-out, yet still comforting and delicious! This recipe is paleo friendly and can also be modified for an AIP diet. Serve over cauliflower "rice" or with steamed veggies.
2lbs.boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size chunks
1/4cuparrowroot starch/flour
Avocado oil
Sea salt & pepper, to taste
Orange Sauce:
2/3cuphot water
4medjool dates, pitted
⅓cuporange juice, shop for best quality or use fresh squeezed
3tbspcoconut aminos
2tbspapple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
1/2tspground ginger
1/2tspgarlic powder
1/2tspred pepper flakes, omit for AIP version
1tsparrowroot starch/flour + 1 tbsp water
Zest of 1 orange
Garnish:
1/2orange, chunked
1green onion, finely chopped
Instructions
Chicken:
Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with avocado oil and heat until it begins to sizzle.
While oil is heating, combine arrowroot flour, sea salt and pepper in a shallow bowl and mix. Add chicken chunks and coat. Remove the chicken, shaking off extra flour and add to hot oil. You may need to do this in 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.
Orange Sauce:
Place dates and hot water in a food processor or high speed blender and let soak for 10-15-minutes, then process/blend until a smooth date paste forms.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the orange juice, date paste, vinegar, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Whisk and let come to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer.
In a small bowl, whisk 1 tsp of arrowroot with 1 tbsp of water to form a paste. Add this to the orange sauce and whisk well. Raise the heat back to medium until sauce thickens/reduces. Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest.
Toss the chicken with the orange sauce (reheat if necessary), garnish with green onion & orange chunks & serve with your choice of side.
Paleo General Tso’s Chicken is crispy tender pan-fried chicken coated in a delicious sauce. This gluten & soy free General Tso’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!
I honestly thought my days of general tso’s chicken were long gone until the BF and I attempted this mind-blowing recipe.
Even though this recipe takes about an hour of prep (with two people in the kitchen), we made it twice within the last month because it’s just so damn good. Plus, we’re both big foodies and excited to spend time in the kitchen if it means good food in our bellies.
As a matter of fact, if we had to describe our perfect date night it would probably go something like this …
We’d start with a trip to the grocery store and load up on some healthy ingredients for a dish that we want to create that night. I’d probably take 10-minutes to find the freshest chicken with the latest expiry date while he gives me the “Are you for real?” look.
From there, we’d head back home and decide who’s doing what in the kitchen and set clear boundaries because according to some people (I won’t mention any names), boundaries are very important in a kitchen.
After making a mess and crossing all boundaries that were set, we’d chow down our creation and then discuss whether the dish is blog worthy over a glass of wine or two (OK fine, the entire bottle!). Oh, wait! Before all of that happens, I would spend another 10-minutes taking 50 photos of the same dish in hopes that one of them will turn out good for my blog.
AND that’s how our perfect date night would unfold – and usually does.
So, grab your significant other or friend and plan a date night in the kitchen where you can have some fun creating the most delicious general tso’s chicken you’ll ever taste!
Paleo General Tso's Chicken is crispy tender pan-fried chicken coated in a delicious sauce. This gluten & soy free General Tso'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!
1.5lbschicken breasts or thighs, cut into small chunks
1head cauliflower
1/4cuparrowroot starch/flour
1red/yellow/orange pepper, sliced into small sticks
1/2yellow onion, sliced
Avocado oil
Sea salt & pepper
1green onion, chopped (optional garnish)
General Tso's Sauce
4clovesgarlic
2tbspFrank's RedHot, or Siracha
1tbspground ginger
2dates , or 1 tbsp honey
2tbspsesame oil
1/4cupcoconut aminos
2tbsp.water
Instructions
Chop cauliflower into chunks, put in food processor and process into rice like consistency. Place on baking sheet, add 2 tbsp. avocado oil and sea salt then mix. Bake at 400F for 30-minutes while prepping other ingredients.
Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with avocado oil and heat until it begins to sizzle.
While oil is heating, combine arrowroot flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl and mix. Add chicken chunks and coat. Remove the chicken, shaking off extra flour and add to 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.
Add red pepper and onion to a large pot with 1 tbsp avocado oil and cook for 5-minutes or until tender.
While veggies cook, blend all sauce ingredients until smooth.
Add chicken and sauce to pot with red pepper and onion. Turn to low heat and mix to coat chicken with sauce for 1-2 minutes.
Top cauliflower "rice" with general tso's chicken, garnish with green onion and enjoy!
These Hot & Saucy Thai Wings are finger licking good! They’re the perfect balance of hot, sweet and nutty, making them super addictive (in a healthy way)–and a wing recipe you’ll want to make time and time again.
If you’ve been following me for a while then you’ll know that my BF won me over in our early dating days with his famous “NOatmeal” recipe (I highly recommend giving this recipe a try if you haven’t already).
Well, just when I thought that dating this man couldn’t get any better, BAM–he puts on his butt accentuating track pants (again!) and makes me these mouth-watering wings.
These wings will warm your soul (and mouth!), so don’t wait too long before giving this recipe a try!
These Hot & Saucy Thai Wings are finger licking good! They are the perfect balance of hot, sweet and nutty, making them super addictive (in a healthy way)--and a wing recipe you'll want to make time and time again.
Preheat oven to 375F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place wings on tray and cook for 20-minutes.
While wings are cooking add almond butter, Frank's Red Hot, avocado oil and coconut aminos to a small sauce pan and heat over medium. Mix until everything is smooth and combined (roughly 5-minutes). Add a touch of water if sauce is too thick.
Take wings out of the oven, flip and coat with sauce. Then place back in the oven for 10-minutes.
Repeat step 4 one more time.
Remove wings from the oven for the last time, flip and coat one more time.
“Spaghetti” with Ricotta & Cherry Tomatoes is fresh and flavourful! This simple whole food dish is easy to prepare and only requires 6 simple ingredients. It’s the perfect dish during the summer months when fresh basil and cherry tomatoes are abundant. Gluten & grain free + low-carb.
After my recent trip to Italy, I’ve been feeling even more inspired to create healthier gluten free versions of some great Italian spaghetti dishes. This time around, I decided to experiment with one of my favourite cheeses growing up, ricotta!
I don’t consume dairy on a regular basis, but when I come across fresh, high-quality cheeses (like the ricotta cheese from Quality Cheese in Woodbridge) it’s an absolute MUST have!
There are a few ricotta inspired recipes I’ve been itching to try, but I wanted to start with this one since you can still find fresh tomatoes and basil in stores.
So, if your body can digest dairy well and you’re looking for a flavourful whole food “spaghetti” dish to try, I definitely recommend this one. It’s low carb, gluten & grain free!
What you need for “Spaghetti” with Ricotta & Cherry Tomatoes:
"Spaghetti" with Ricotta & Cherry Tomatoes is fresh and flavourful! This simple whole food dish is easy to prepare and only requires 6 simple ingredients. It's the perfect dish during the summer months when fresh basil and cherry tomatoes are abundant.
Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and remove seeds with spoon. Bake at 400F for 30-40 min (first 10 min bake with flesh down, then turn so skin is down for remaining time). Fork should pierce skin easily when squash is cooked. Use a fork to scrape out the strands of squash when done.
When spaghetti squash is almost done, heat olive oil in saucepan (medium heat) and add garlic, tomatoes and salt.
Cook for a few minutes until tomatoes soften and garlic begins to brown and then remove garlic cloves.
Add ricotta cheese and 1 cup of hot water to tomato sauce and stir. Let reduce for a few minutes.
Add spaghetti squash to saucepan. Toss and cook for 2 more minutes.
Remove from heat, toss in basil and serve.
Notes
Note on spaghetti squash: Cooking time varies depending on the size of the squash. Check regularly to avoid overcooking the squash. You want the noodles to be ‘al dente’.
Salt & Vinegar Chicken Wings are not only irresistibly good, but they’re healthy too! The flavours are right on–not too salty and not overpowered by vinegar–and will leave you salivating for the next wing. This simple wing recipe is gluten free, low-carb, keto & paleo.
Look for pastured chicken that has been ethically raised in open pastures with NO antibiotics, drugs or GMOs. Wild Meadows Farm is a great place to find high-quality meat that you can get delivered to your door!
I also recommend using heat stable avocado oil, which has a smoke point of 500F. You can safely bake your wings in the oven at a high temperature without worrying about creating toxic fumes or harmful free radicals.
What are you waiting for? Give this awesome wing recipe a try!
Salt & Vinegar Chicken Wings are not only irresistibly good, but they're healthy too! The flavours are right on--not too salty and not overpowered by vinegar--and will leave you salivating for the next wing. This simple wing recipe is gluten free, low-carb, keto & paleo.
Preheat oven to 400F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pat dry wings with paper towel, add to a large bowl and coat with avocado oil.
Add pepper and 1 tsp. salt to bowl and toss wings so they are evenly coated.
Place wings on baking sheet in a single layer (try to leave some room between wings) and bake for 45 minutes.
While wings are cooking mix vinegar, paprika/cayenne, garlic powder and 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl.
Remove wings from oven and turn oven to 'broil'. Add wings to the large bowl with vinegar and toss until the wings are evenly coated.
Place wings back on the baking tray, put the tray on the top rack of the oven and broil until the wings get crispy again (3-5-minutes depending on how hot your broiler gets).
Remove from oven, place on platter and spoon the remaining vinegar sauce from the bowl over the wings. Garnish with parsley.
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.
