W30: Lemon-Ginger Salmon and Asparagus

Good salmon is sometimes hard to find. I’ve been looking for some good fresh salmon, emphasis on good, for a couple of weeks now. I could get it easily if I go 15 minutes to a different grocery store but I don’t get over that way very often. I got tired of waiting to make this recipe so I just bought some frozen salmon. I had to make it quickly because my asparagus was not going to last much longer. So Here it is.

The fresh asparagus is tossed in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, etc. It’s supposed to have coconut amino in it but I completely forgot. That might’ve made a big difference in the flavor.

Asparagus is then roasted a little before. The salmon is placed on top with lemon slices and the rest of the olive oil mixture. Roasted for about 15 minutes and it’s done.

I thought that overall the dish was a little bland. I keep forgetting that most recipes, as Kayte has mentioned, are made for everyone, but not everyone’s taste is the same. So I need to remember to add more seasoning to mine, because, being from Louisiana, I like things a little more spicy. I would definitely make this again. I would just add more seasoning.

You can find the recipe on page 129 of Whole 30 Fast and Easy

Kayte made this back in March. I was still looking for tender asparagus.

 

W30: Chinese Chicken and Bok Choy Soup

OF all the flavors of world cuisine Asian flavors are one of my favorites. (Along with Indian and Mediterranean.) There is just something about Asian style foods and flavors that draw me in. This soup is nicely flavored with sesame and fish sauce. There is Bok choy, chicken (thus the title) mushrooms and carrots. It is a nice light soup. And quite easy to put together. It took about 25 minutes total because I had to cook some chicken. The actual cook time is only 15 minutes.

Kayte and I are cooking through Melissa Hartwig’s Fast and Easy Cookbook and The Whole 30 Cookbook through the end of March.

Kayte https://grandmaskitchentable.typepad.com/grandmas_kitchen_table/2024/02/whole30-chinese-chicken-and-bok-choy-soup.htmlalso made this soup and liked it a lot.

The recipe is on page 122 of The Whole 30 Cookbook and is from Nom Nom Paleo author – Michelle Tam. You can find the recipe HERE.

I heartily recommend both cookbooks if you are Whole 30. And Michelle Tam’s, too.

 

Wednesdays with Donna Hay

If it’s Wednesday then there is a Donna Hay cookbook on my counter. Because on Wednesdays several of us use Donna’s cookbooks for some delicious, healthy food.

This week I chose to make her stir-fried pork and shiitake mushrooms. Glad I did. It was simple and delicious.

I usually have ingredients in my pantry to cook us something with an Asian flair. Mirin, sesame oil, shredded ginger, soy sauce coconut aminos, and dried ‘shrooms are always there.

This dish was simple, even though it has 10 ingredients. Bok choy, pork slices, and garlic were added to the above Asian ingredients. And it was delicious. The shiitake mushrooms added a touch of sweetness as did the mirin.

Since I subbed in coconut aminos for the soy sauce making this dish more KETO friendly but the mirin (14 gm carb and 13 gram sugar/2 tbl) sorta cancelled that out.

Recipe is on page 103 of Donna’s new food fast.

See what the other members made this week.

Kayte

Peggy

Gaye

If you want to join us just cook any recipe from Donna Hay’s books, post it and let us know. We will add you to the list.

 

EWE: Chinese Greens

If you have never been here before, EWE is Eating with /Ellie. Several of us starting cooking from Ellie Krieger’s books several years ago. And then, because of lots of things going on, it died down and we just quite. Now, we are back.

Every Thursday we chose a recipe from one of her cookbooks or from online and try it out. While we all used to cook the same recipe now we are a little looser and just find a recipe we like and make it.

This week I chose Sesame Stir-Fried Chinese Greens using joi choy. I have a big pot of choy growing on the back porch and I love using it in different dishes. This particular recipe is from her The Food You Crave. On page 258. And it didn’t take much to convert it to KETO. She uses fresh ingredients and no processed foods in her recipes so in most cases it would just be a matter of substituting one or two ingredients.

I like bok choy but not this dish. I used coconut aminos rather than soy sauce and it was very VERY salty. It just wasn’t very good. Ah, well. On the the next recipe. (You can find the recipe HERE.)

Kayte made Smokey Black Bean and Pork Stew, Peggy has Oven Fried Chicken,

EWE is open to anyone who likes to cook from Ellie’s books. Join us!

If you want to see what we’ve made in the past Visit Tea and Scones, Pantry Revisited, Grandma’s Kitchen Table and Laws of the kitchen

 

WWDH: chicken in basil and coconut broth

IT has been quite a while since I have cooked/baked with Donna Hay. Kayte and I started cooking from her books in 2015 (she started before I did) and the last time we posted a recipe was 2017. I had not heard of Donna Hay until Kayte came along. Thanks, Kayte.

So here we are again. Kayte, Peggy, Gaye, and me….for now.

I have had lots of recipes marked to make from Donna’s flavors and then we stopped. Now I an go back and cook them – with one difference – I’m trying to do only the ones I can convert it to KETO. Since here recipes use fresh ingredients it shouldn’t be too hard.

Like this soup.

Ingredients: My changes are below

3 cups coconut cream milk

3 cups chicken broth

2 Tbl shredded ginger

2 Tbl red pepper flakes red chillies seeded and chopped

1 Tbl fish sauce Red Boat Fish Sauce

3 fresh coriander roots bruised

3 chicken breasts sliced thin

2 Tbl basil leaves, dried 1 cup shredded basil

3.5 ounces bean sprouts (NOT KETO friendly)

In a deep sauce pan mix the coconut milk, broth, ginger, chilli flakes, fish sauce, and coriander (if using).

Bring to a slow boil over medium heat.

Simmer about 5 minutes then add the chicken until done. Add in the basil.

If you used the bean sprouts place them in a bowl and pour the broth over the top.

This is so good and comforting on a chilly day. I love the mix of the coconut and ginger. It was super easy to make. I do wish I had had some fresh basil but my plant passed away. 😦 I made 2/3 of the recipe it was plenty for 3 servings.

_{The recipe is adapted from Donna Hay flavors page 152}

Check out Kayte’s recipe, Gaye’s and Peggy’s. Both of which look delicious!!

 

GFGF: Cauliflower

I will admit I was a weird kid when it came to food. Especially veggies. While other kids were loving corn and green beans I was crazy about broccoli and cauliflower. I loved these two veggies. And ONLY these two.

Things have changed little. They are still my fave veggies but I have added others to my likes as well: okra, squash, asparagus (NOT the canned), cabbage.

Is it a surprise there fore that my pick for this week’s Good Friends Good Food was CAULIFLOWER. And since I am on KETO it was perfect to pick Caulirice. With other veggies. And shrimp.

This is not my photo. I lost mine.

3 cups cauliflower florets

3 Tbl unsalted butter or coconut oil

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

2 Tbl coconut aminos

2 Tbl sesame oil

1 large egg

4 oz cooked, peeled shrimp

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup cashews

Place cauliflower florets in a good processor. process until cauliflower resembles rice. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. When the skillet is hot add the butter or oil. Add yellow onion, carrot and cook, stirring occasionally until onion and carrot have softened.
Add cauliflower rice and ginger, and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
Make an opening in the center of the skillet. Pour sesame oil into the
sesame oil into opening, and then immediately add egg. Stir egg continuously until scrambled.
Add aminos shrimp, green onions, and cashews and stir to combine. Cook for until shrimp are warmed through, about 1 minute
.Serve immediately.

I really enjoyed this recipe I adapted from Deliciously Keto Cookbook.

It is so easy to make.

(This recipe makes 2 servings of 2 cups each. (534 calories, 12 net carbs)

For more Good Food from Good Friends visit

Kayte

Peggy

Nancy

Donna

Ulrike

 

{CC#15} stir-fry chicken

For the last few days I have been reading It Starts with Food which has been very helpful in understanding the Whole 30 program.  It’s one thing to follow a program.  It’s another thing to understand how and why it works.  I wish I had found this program many years ago for many reasons.

But, anyhoo… I am still cooking from The Whole 30 guide etc. and still eating really well on really good food.  This is Day 18 and for dinner I fixed a good healthy Whole30 meal.

This chicken stir-fry included broccoli, mushrooms, green beans, carrots, and green onions.  For the cooking fat I used a mix of coconut oil and sesame oil which gave it  great flavor. On the plate I added a little Coconut Aminos (since I cannot have soy sauce) and that added more to the flavor.

The dish was clean, light, and filling.   The chicken is browned and right before it is finished you throw some garlic and ginger into the saucepan.  Remove the chicken and wipe out the pan.  I think this would have been better if the garlic and ginger would have been left and just added more oil and then the veggies.  But I always follow the recipe the first time.  No matter how you fix it – it’s good.

The recipe is from  The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom  page 340.

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown 15 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

{EwE} Visit to the Orient

This week we are visiting the Orient.  At least their cuisine.  The Orient includes many different countries with many different cuisines.  We had our choice of The Middle East, India, China,Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam just to name a few.  So our choices were wide open. I went with a Thai dish.

Shrimp with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

Lots of flavor in this dish. Red/yellow/orange bell peppers,  Onions,  Green Thai Curry paste, coconut milk all coming together for a delicious spicy dish.

I just started cooking with  coconut oil and I love it  It has kind of a nutty fragrance with a clean fresh taste in your dishes.  I may never go back to canola oil again.

Since this is from Ellie’s You Have it Made this is a dish where the sauce can be made ahead of time and either freeze the sauce or chill it for up to two days.  That’s a good thing because I am the only one who will eat it and didn’t want it to go to waste.  I made the whole recipe but only used about a fourth of the sauce for lunch. The rest I will p0rtion out and freeze.  Nice to have a meal almost made in the freezer.

Ellie suggests serving over jasmine rice but since I started Whole 30 I cannot do that.  I just used a little of the sauce with some shrimp. And if you don’t want the rice use a spoon to eat this because you won’t want to waste a drop of the sauce!

What dishes did the other EwE members make -> Travel to the Orient with us.

And if you would like to cook along with us just visit Eating with Ellie and join in the fun.  Themes are on the right. We don’t include the recipes because we want you to enjoy lots of Ellie Krieger by purchasing her cookbooks.

 

{SRC}It’s Natural to love this food!

I have sad news. This is the LAST SRC  post – ever!!  After five and 1/2 years our fun and discovery is coming to an end.  It was a great run!  I discovered so many great food blogs, food,  and people.  I have cooked outside my comfort zone.  Learned new techniques and flavors.  I am sad to see it all come to an end.  Thanks to Amanda, Sarah, Amy, Jane, Susan, Camilla, and April for leading us through 5 1/2 years of food exploration!  I have cooked with all most of them and they have some awesome recipes to share.

As you know, I usually do three recipes from my ‘assignment’.  How can you possible go with JUST ONE??  Sometimes I share the recipe on the blog and sometimes I just leave a link.  We wanted you to visit their blogs after all.  I decided to go out with a bang and NOSH more than three.It was only NATURAL since there were so many good recipes on my ‘assigned’ blog.  When I first got it I thought. “I will never find much here!” because it was a Healthy, Gluten-Free, practically Sugar-Free blog.  Really!  But as I went through the Noshings/Recipes I found much more than I expected.  Thanks to Nora of Natural Noshings  I have more great recipes to work through.

So….

Breakfast:  

 Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

If I were on a liquid diet this would come close to the real thing.  Lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in this one.  Oh, and pumpkin.  I could eat this a lot!

Lunch:

Kung Pao Chicken

My son and I love Asian (and Indian) cuisine.  Nora has so many Asian style dishes it was hard to pick just one.  We started with this one.  I didn’t change a thing.  It was perfect just as it was.

I also tried a pizza for lunch. Not pretty, but pretty tasty.  And with a completely different crust.  The crust is made with WILD RICE!!!  It was chewy, slightly crunchy.  I used Nora’s crust for a simple mushroom/Mozzarella Pizza.  So completely different.

Wild Rice Pizza Crust

The only drawback is that the wild rice takes so long to cook.  I would suggest, if you want to make this pizza, is the cook the rice the day before.  Other than that…

Dinner:

We got back late from an unexpected trip and I needed something quick for dinner.  One of the MANY recipes I Pinned was the Pizza Quinoa Casserole.  It was ready in a short time.  The time it takes to cook the quinoa.

 

Pizza in a bow? Maybe.  At least the flavors.  A spicy sauce.  Lots of cheese.  All mixed with quinoa.  Healthy Pizza!!

Okay.  I would have loved to make more from Nora’s blog but I just plain ran out of time.  I can still go back and do the ones I missed.

Thanks, Nora, for some lovely and delicious food!

Again – thanks to all of our ‘leaders’ past and present.  I have really enjoyed meeting new foodies and cooking from their recipes.  I enjoyed all those times I didn’t think I would find anything on them to cook.  I enjoyed all the ‘out of the box’ adventures with some.  I will miss The Secret Recipe Club!

 

{CC#11}Siamese Chicken Curry

The Frog Commissary Cookbook describes this dish as a “quixotic blend of French, Asian, and American cuisines.”  Great description!  Thai Green Curry Powder.  French Béchamel.  American salted peanuts. “…intriguing in it’s mysterious tangle of flavors…” is a good description as well.

As I was making this I was thinking, “Really? A Béchamel to make curry?  This is going to be awful!” So. if I thought it was going to be awful why did I make it?  Because usually when I say something like that I am totally wrong and because I am always open to new idea.

And boy was I wrong!  This was so good!!

Other than having to thin the sauce a little it was absolutely delicious.  The Béchamel made the curry rather luxurious because it was so thick and smooth.

Instead of measuring out the green Thai curry paste (1/2 ounce) I used 2 tsp of it.  It could actually have used a little more.

Definitely a repeat.

This recipe:  The Frog Commissary Cookbook page 129  Also, HERE!  And HERE if you want to print it out.

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown 11 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).