There are three types of food that I could eat every day, all day, for the rest of my life. Sushi, Indian and Thai (not in any order of preference). I absolutely love ethnic food, and by ethnic I don't mean your local Americanized Chinese Delivery - ewe gross. I think LIFE is all about experiences. From my perspective, we are here for such a short period of time in our physical bodies; so why not taste, smell, see, hear and feel everything you possibly can that the universe has to offer?
What's next on my to-do-list of LIFE is to visit Thailand even if I must go this journey alone. I really want to spend some time there learning their cuisine, culture, and spiritual practices. I also want to embark on a silent retreat while there. Yes, that means absolutely no iPhone, iPad, iPods, laptops or even verbal communication of any sorts at all. A true experience to connect with yourself and your inner voice. At one point in my life I would never imagine actually wanting to or even better yet, craving this experience. I'm just crawling out of my skin to begin that journey.
After a few glasses of wine one girls night and on the night of my first introduction to zucchini noodles, I made an online purchase. A few days later my Paderno World Cuisine Spiral Slicer showed up at my doorstep. At first I thought oh great more things to clutter my house when all I want to do is simplify it. Little did I know, that this contraption would be one of my most favorite creative kitchen tools. I've since been putting it to hard to work on zucchini and now the wondrous sweet potato/aka the yam in all it's glory. When I came home from two back to back week long business trips, I really didn't have much fresh produce in my house and had yet to venture to the grocery store, but wanted to eat lunch. All I had was a sweet potato/yam, an onion and a few eggs. I was hungry as heck and thought to myself, "man this sweet potato will take forever to bake". Then I got the idea, "if I spiralize it, it will cook quickly." So I did just that. Lunch became a quick cooked sweet potato noodle, onion and scrambled egg master piece that instantly brought my creativity to Thai food! I usually stay away from the noodle dishes at Thai restaurants since I'm mostly a clean eater and get the steamed brown rice options instead.... Suddenly my new favorite recipe spawned from my brain and I was anxious to try it out with one of my closest friends during her visit last weekend. It was everything I envisioned.
Here it is and this will be making a regular appearance in my house when I get the itch for a Thai experience.
Paleo Sweet Potato Thai Noodle Stir Fry
Thai Chili Sauce
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 shallots finely chopped (can use an onion)4 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 tablespoons cayenne pepper (more or less based on your heat preference, but the sweet potato really offsets the heat.
3 tablespoons fish sauce (basically anchovy water)
3 tablespoons raw honey
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (could use tamarind paste, but it's hard to find)
Juice squeezed from 1/2 a lemon or lime
2 tablespoons water
Sauté onions and garlic in coconut oil till brown, but be careful not to burn the garlic (I always get the onions going first and then add garlic in about halfway through). Then let cool a bit. Blend sautéed onion and garlic w/ remaining ingredients in a food processor. Return the mixture to the sauté pan and heat through till a little bubbly. Store this in glass jar in the fridge until you're ready to use. (can make ahead and store for a few days).
Sweet Potato Thai Noodle Stir fry
1 sweet potato/yam spiralized into noodles 2 organic chicken breast cubed
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 yellow onion chopped
2 cups broccoli florets chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews
Prepared Thai chili sauce (from above)
In a separate sauté pan, sauté chicken in coconut oil, then add onions and sauté till
soft and translucent, then add in the broccoli and the remaining prepared Thai chili sauce and sauté broccoli till it turns a bright green.
Add cashews, mix well and top this mixture on the sweet potato noodles. Enjoy with fancy chopsticks for a true mindful eating experience.
(note, I intended to use some diced red bell pepper in here, but actually forgot about them. Truthfully the dish was so delicious w/out them, they were not missed at all).
Disclaimer: I'm not a professional photographer, nor is my day job editing. Combine that, my selective ADD, and my impatience. The end result may just mean there are grammatical mistakes. Don't judge. Just enjoy.
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