Pad Thai

My version is adapted from a recipe posted at Health-Bent. I toned down the heat for the children by doubling the "noodles" and meat, while keeping the sauce the same. The recipe serves four people as a main dish, accompanied tonight by shredded savory sweet potatoes and an impromptu vegetable soup.

Ingredients
4 zucchinis
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
4-5 boneless chicken thighs (~2-3 lbs)
1/4 c. coconut oil (or other traditional fat)
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. almond butter
1 Tbsp. chili-pepper water (or chili garlic sauce)
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 lime, juiced
Sliced green onions (optional garnish)
Garlic salt and black pepper

Directions

• Prepare zucchini "noodles" in advance by slicing with a spiral slicer, mandoline, or use a knife to slice the zucchini as thinly as you can (lengthwise). Then slice them into thin strips, similar to fettuccine and set aside. Chop the onion, mince garlic, and peel/grate ginger; combine and set aside. Measure out the following wet ingredients, combine, and set aside: vinegar, almond butter, chili-pepper water, fish sauce, and lime juice.
• Melt fat in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with garlic salt and black pepper. Add to pan and sear skin side down (if skin is present) until you get a nice, crispy crust, about 8 minutes. Flip it over and sear on the other side, about another 7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, let it rest and drain the rendered fat from the pan, until you have about 1/2 c. left in the pan. 
• In the reserved fat, saute the onion, garlic and ginger, until soft. Add the wet ingredient mixture and stir to combine. Add the zucchini noodles to the saute pan and toss to coat with the sauce. Cook for about 10 minutes, until zucchini has an "al dente" texture.
• While zucchini is cooking, slice chicken thinly. Serve zucchini, topped with slices of chicken and garnished with sliced green onions if desired.

Parsley-Lime Salmon

This dish was a perfect summer treat ... a light and bright flavor without being too spicy for the kids!

Ingredients
6 (8oz) wild salmon steaks
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
6 Tbsp. lime juice
1/3 onion, diced
3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
(or 1.5 Tbsp. dried)
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place salmon in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Combine parsley, garlic salt and lemon-pepper; rub mixture onto salmon. Whisk melted butter and lime juice together; gently pour over the salmon. Sprinkle the minced onions on top. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Balsamic Walnuts

We stumbled onto this idea when making 8 Ball Zucchini Pockets. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a cake pan. Toss in enough nuts (I used walnut halves) to lay in a single layer on the bottom. Shake the pan to coat the nuts. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with desired amount of salt. Cook at 350 until sweet and crispy. YUM!

8-Ball Zucchini Pockets

When two wholefoodigans get together, creative food events are going to happen. Melanie and myself (Holly), got to spend two days together this week with our children happily entertaining one another. I discovered 8-Ball zucchini at the local farmers market and decided I had to try the new vegetable but it was even more exciting knowing I'd get to share the experience with another whole foodie. I bought all the zucchini she had left with only the knowledge they taste like regular zucchini and people tend to stuff and bake them.

Melanie and I started brainstorming and together we came up with the recipe below. I cooked, she took pics and we had a great time except that my 40 lb daughter was feeling sick and I had to stop and wrap her sweet self on my back while we finished.

2.5 cups walnuts halves
6-8 8-ball zucchini
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 fuji apple, coarsely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil (plus some for the pan)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup of rice flour
balsamic vinegar

Chop nuts finely. (I used the vita-mix). Reserve 1/2 cup for topping.

Slice the tops off the zucchini, and hollow out. Add scooped zucchini, celery, apple, onion, garlic, and all but the reserved nuts to the vita-mix or food processor. Add the seasonings and the rice flour and fill zucchini with mixture. Grease pan with olive oil and arrange the 8 balls inside. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes. I think a little longer might have been better.

Some notes after dinner: I think blending the mixture up too finely in the vitamix was a mistake. I think something more the texture of salsa would improve the texture of the dish. The stuffing was a little thin, I'm thinking adding eggs, chia seeds, and/or more rice flour would do the trick. The flavor was divine.

The best part was my new favorite snack (balsamic glazed nuts) that we inadvertently created while making this meal.

Gluten Free Mozzarella Sticks

They may not be pretty, but they're delicious!

If you can have dairy, you must make these. RIGHT NOW. Go ahead and get the ingredients, I'll wait. Back? ok, here you go.

The original recipe came from here, but, as the Whole Foodigans are wont to do, I tweaked it a bit, but I'm still not calling myself a "tweaker". ;)

Mozzarella cheese, cut into sticks or chunks or whatever strikes your fancy
bread crumbs mixed with Italian seasoning and salt (I made my own bread crumbs by toasting pieces of my bread)
eggs
fine flour like rice or sorghum (I used sorghum)
coconut oil (what else?)
Marinara

While making cheese sticks, heat marinara or your cheese sticks will get cold. Ask me how I know.

Heat coconut oil to cover bottom of pan about 1/4".
Dip cheese in flour, egg, bread crumbs and then if you want, back in the egg and breadcrumbs.
Put in oil.
PAY attention! Don't forget to turn them, they cook very quickly.

Eat. Die of deliciousness.
You're welcome.

Mary

Elk Sausage Spring Pasta

It's spring!

Our local Food Co-op (Seward Market) makes their own sausages with locally sourced meat and other ingredients. They're pricey, but so delicious you'll go back for more. This month, the special was Elk Sausage with Mushrooms and Cranberries.

We decided to mix it up with other spring offerings that we were so glad to see after our extra long Minnesota winter.

In a large pan, cook sausages until almost done (any fine sausage will do).

To the pan, add:

1 bunch of chard, one bunch of ramps (yay spring!), a head of cauliflower, some minced garlic, and any other green vegetable you might be so inclined to add, in the large pan with a little added butter and olive oil.

We had planned to have slices of sausage in this, but the casings fell apart, so it looks more like ground meat, but the sausage juices added all the extra flavoring we needed.

Once the vegetables are soft, de-glaze the pan with a little white wine to make a nice sauce.

Serve over the pasta of your choice and top with Parmesan cheese.

Broiled Cod Steaks

This sauce is so good I was literally licking the pan. Adapted from a James Beard recipe. Makes me hungry just reading the recipe!

4 cod steaks (or other firm white fish), about 1 inch thick

Basting mixture:

1/2 c melted butter

2 T grated onion

2 T lemon juice

1/4 chili sauce (homemade ketchup)

1 t tarragon

1 t paprika

2 T chopped parsley

Rub the steaks well with salt. Combine remaining ingredients and brush the mixture on one side of each steak. Place the steaks on a well-oiled broiler rack and broil about 4 inches away from the broiler for 5 minutes. Turn, brush well with the butter mixture, and broil another five minutes, basting once more during the cooking period. Transfer to a hot platter. Serve with tiny boiled new potatoes and chopped buttered spinach, and if you like, drink a pleasant Pinot Blanc.