I hope you all had a very nice Labor Day Weekend. Hopefully you had time to spend with your family and friends celebrating summer and harvest.
Today we are going to look at easy to prepare Asian flare. We'll look at vegetable wrap ideas and other simple meals.
MOO SHU CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS
This recipe calls for butter lettuce, but you could use Savoy cabbage or bibb lettuce.
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons coconut aminos
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
¼ green cabbage, thinly sliced
¼ red cabbage, thinly sliced
¼ cup green onions, sliced
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Carrots, shredded for garnishing
Sprouts, for garnishing
Sesame seeds for topping
Butter lettuce for wraps
In a medium-sized bowl, add sesame oil, balsamic, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and chicken. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Chop the vegetables accordingly.
In a large pan over medium heat, combine avocado oil, onions and mushrooms. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Add chicken to brown, about 8 minutes.
Add cabbage and reduce to low. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until cabbage is soft. Stir occasionally.
Serve with lettuce wraps and top with carrots, sprouts and sesame seeds.
https://draxe.com/recipe/moo-shu-chicken/
HEALTHY LETTUCE WRAPS
There is no need to get take out. Make your own.
Meat:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion diced
1 cup baby bella mushrooms minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 pound ground pork or ground chicken
1/2 cup shredded carrots
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup coconut aminos
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon almond butter
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon Whole30 compliant hot sauce sriracha or sambal oelek if not on Whole30 (or make the homemade sriracha recipe in the notes)
8- ounce can water chestnuts diced
3 green onions thinly sliced, 1 tablespoon reserved
1 head Bibb lettuce leaves gently removed from stem
Sauce:
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Compliant hot sauce to taste
1 tablespoon green onions from above ingredients
Salt
Garnishes
sesame seeds
thinly sliced green onions
In a large skillet set over medium heat, heat olive oil. When the oil is hot, add onion and cook for about 3 minutes or until beginning to soften, then add mushrooms and cook 3 more minutes, or until onion is translucent and mushrooms are softening. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Add ground pork and cook until browned, crumbling with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add carrots and stir until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup coconut aminos, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, almond butter, ginger, and hot sauce. Whisk until smooth then pour over meat mixture. Stir until combined, then add the chestnuts and green onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes then remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Make sauce: whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
When ready to serve, spoon 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf and serve with sauce. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
https://40aprons.com/whole30-lettuce-wraps-pf-changs-recipe/
ZUCCHINI ASIAN NOODLE SALAD
This is a beautiful salad. Eat your rainbow for lunch tomorrow.
Salad:
3 to 4 zucchinis (1 1/2 pounds total)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced and roughly chopped red cabbage
1 large carrot, grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced then cut into 1-inch segments
2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped, leaves and tender stems (about 1/2 cup)
Dressing:
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar*
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons dark roasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Using a spiralizer or other spiral vegetable slicing tool to make the zucchini noodles following manufacturer's directions. You should have 5 to 6 cups of "zoodles". Place in a colander set over a bowl and toss with salt. Let the noodles drain a bit of their excess moisture while you prep the other vegetables.
Many of the noodles are quite long, so you'll want to cut them up a bit with scissors to make them easier to toss with the other vegetables.
Place the zucchini noodles in a large bowl. Add the cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, onions, and cilantro.
Whisk together in a medium bowl the seasoned rice vinegar, olive oil, dark sesame oil, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes.
Pour the dressing over the zucchini noodles and vegetables and gently toss to combine.
Serve immediately.
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/asian_zucchini_noodle_salad/
CHICKEN PHO
Bone broth and vegetables make up this delicious soup. It could get any easier.
2 large chicken breasts, bone in (I buy mine from The Healthy Butcher)
10 cups of chicken stock
1 large onion
3 inch knob of ginger
2 star anise
4 whole cloves
2 T fish sauce
1 T coconut sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
optional: 1/2 hot pepper, sliced
2 heads of bok choy
4 handfuls of bean sprouts
3 large zucchinis, spiralized on the smallest blade.
fresh basil
1 lime, cut into wedges
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Peel onion and chop in half.
Peel ginger and slice into 3 small chunks.
Place on a baking sheet and bake on top rack for 25 minutes.
Flip onion and ginger halfway through.
Add in star anise and whole cloves in last 5 minutes of baking to toast slightly.
Place stock in a large pot and bring to a boil.
Once boiling add in chicken breasts and cook for 5 minutes.
Skim off the “scum” that floats to the top and discard.
Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool slightly.
When oven is done, chop up ginger and onions and add to stock.
Chop chicken off the bone and add to stock.
I like to add the chicken bones back into the stock to give it more depth of flavor but this is optional.
Add toasted star anise and cloves, fish sauce, coconut sugar, salt, black pepper and hot pepper if using to stock.
Bring stock a boil and then lower heat and let simmer for 1 hour.
Remove chicken bones if using.
Add in bok choy and allow to wilt.
Divide bean sprouts and zucchini noodles into 4 bowls and stop with soup.
Place basil and lime wedge on top and serve.
If storing for several days, keep stock separate from bean sprouts and zucchini noodles so they don’t get mushy.
https://www.thehealthymaven.com/2015/03/healthy-chicken-pho-with-zucchini-noodles.html#_a5y_p=3496876
ASIAN MEATBALLS
Prepare these meatballs for a meal or a snack.
8 medium fresh shiitake mushrooms, minced (or 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated)
1 medium shallot, minced
¾ cup minced sweet potato
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
2 pounds ground beef
1½ tablespoons Paleo-friendly fish sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Magic Mushroom Powder or Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons melted fat of choice (unnecessary if using parchment paper)
Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or foil, and preheat the oven to 375°F. In the meantime, finely mince the mushrooms, shallot, sweet potato, and cilantro.
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, fish sauce, tomato paste, and the minced veggies and herbs. Sprinkle on Magic Mushroom Powder (or kosher salt) and pepper. If you’re unsure of how much seasoning to use, start with ½ teaspoon Magic Mushroom Powder (or kosher salt) and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Thoroughly combine the ingredients but don’t overwork the meat.
To check if your seasoning is correct, form and fry a mini patty. Chow it down and adjust the meatball mixture for additional salt and pepper if needed.
Scoop out uniform balls with a medium disher (1½ tablespoons) and roll out three dozen meatballs. Each meatball should be about 1½ inches in diameter. (If you’re not using parchment paper, brush the foil or baking sheet with the melted fat before you place the meatballs on top.)
Divide the meatballs onto the two lined baking sheets. Bake each tray of meatballs for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the tray at the midpoint to ensure even cooking.
Plate and serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. You can also freeze the cooked meatballs for up to 6 months. Simply freeze them in a single layer and then place the solid orbs in a freezer bag or sealed container.
https://nomnompaleo.com/post/39832097367/whole30-day-6-asian-meatballs
ASIAN ALMOND CHICKEN SALAD
Don't make your regular chicken salad. Get out your almond butter and make this recipe. Place over your favorite greens.
For the sauce:
3 tablespoons creamy almond butter
2 tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon of coconut vinegar
2 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce
½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper
For the salad:
3 cups of shredded cooked chicken
3 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
8 small kohlrabi roots, peeled and sliced (you can sub in jicama or sliced apples) Handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
Handful of basil, cut in chiffonade
Large head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
I combined all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and whisked to combine.
I sliced the kohlrabi and shredded the carrots with a julienne peeler and tossed them in a bowl.
I added the dressing, the chicken, and the herbs and stir well. Then, I served it up on a bed of romaine lettuce.
If you’ve got leftover meat and veggies, just toss on the dressing and you’ll have a tasty meal in minutes!
https://nomnompaleo.com/post/5728050931/asian-almond-chicken-salad
These simple recipes are full of flavor. Try them out this week. It's good to change up your routine from time to time. Keep your taste buds guessing!
Here's to your health! Happy Cooking!
Lori
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