Zucchini Hummus

Our neighbor and cruise planner extraordinaire Anne, recently brought some Zucchini Hummus to a neighbor’s gathering and I was beyond delighted as it not only fit in perfectly with my diet but it was crazy delicious!  I couldn’t stop eating the hummus and those who tasted it side-by-side with traditional hummus made with chickpeas, preferred the Zucchini Hummus.  This Zucchini Hummus is wheat, egg, dairy & legume free so healthy, delicious and safe for all in the Cook Lisa Cook house.  We changed Ann’s recipe a bit, increasing the amount of zucchini and garlic in relation to the tahini & olive oil, really just to cut the calories somewhat.  Ann’s recipe was a bit more rich but this version has all the wonderful flavor of hummus but extra oil and tahini can be added if you choose.

Zucchini Hummus

• 1 3/4 lbs. zucchini
• 3/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice of 2 lemons
• 4 lg. cloves of garlic
• 1 TBS. ground cumin
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• Himalayan salt, to taste
• extra olive oil for serving
• paprika 

Peel and slice the zucchini into half rounds.  Place into a colander and salt well coating all pieces.  Allow the zucchini to sweat for 20-30 minutes.  Discard the accumulated liquid and rinse the zucchini well then quickly pat dry and add to the bowl of a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Add the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and cumin and puree until creamy smooth.  Season to taste with fresh ground pepper and salt.  Place in serving dish and sprinkle with paprika and drizzle with olive oil.

Serve with sliced veggies for dipping.

Enjoy!!

Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu

I swear that just a week ago here in Georgia, we were still sporting long pants and sweatshirts.  I don’t like being cold so I'm thankful that the warmth of summer has finally arrived. It was one of those cold days though when it came time to cook for this month's Secret Recipe Club so we were looking at recipes which were healthy, easy, warm and hearty. That's how we decided on Beth's Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu, it fit all our criteria. Beth's blog, It's Good to be the Cook is my assigned blog this month.  Beth has lots of wonderfully delicious looking and sounding recipes on her blog and had the weather been warmer we probably would have made her Emily’s Chicken Marinade and Thai Slaw with Spicy Peanut Butter, both of which will probably now be made as the weather is thankfully warmer.  We have been following Beth’s blog for quite a while as she cooked from this blog last September when she made two of our recipes, Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala and Strawberry Soup so it was fun to now cook from hers.    

Getting back to the ragu, we stayed pretty true to Beth’s original recipe, just doubling the amount of poblano and cumin we used as we tend to like dishes more on the spicy hot side.  In the end though, the sauce wasn’t spicy at all, just well balanced, flavorful and delicious.  We also changed around the preparation method a bit just to make it easier for us and the way we cook but either method would work just as well.  We enjoyed the ragu over zucchini pasta, totally delicious!  This is a great make-ahead recipe as we enjoyed the ragu the first night but totally loved it as leftovers once the flavors really melded.

Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu  (adapted from here)

• 1.5 pints grape tomatoes
• 15  garlic cloves, peeled 
• 1 poblano pepper
• coconut oil, or oil of your choice 
• 8 oz. ground beef 
• 4 red sweet baby peppers, large dice 
• 1 medium onion, large dice
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley (or 1T fresh)
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• additional fresh basil leaves for garnish 

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle with a little coconut oil or oil of your choice.  Put the tomatoes and garlic cloves on the prepared pan and stir everything around so that all is covered with a light coating of the oil.  Dust with salt & pepper.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the tomatoes are a bit browned and the garlic is tender.  While the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, char the poblano on either the grill or on the burner of a gas stove.  Char the skin on all sides and then place the poblano in a plastic bag so that it can sweat. 

In a skillet, add a small amount of coconut oil and then add the diced sweet peppers and onion.  sauté until the onions and peppers begin to caramelize.  Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the ground beef.  Season the beef with salt and pepper as it browns then stir in the cooked peppers and onions into the browned beef.

Once the roasting vegetables are finished, scrape all of the tomatoes, garlic and accumulated juices into a blender or food processor.  Remove the skin and seeds from the poblano and add that to the tomatoes and garlic, along with the can of diced tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin & parsley.  Pulse until blended but still a bit chunky.  Season to taste with salt & pepper. 

Pour the contents of the blender into the pan with the beef, peppers & onions and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.  Season as needed with additional salt & pepper.

Serve the ragu over pasta of your choice.

Enjoy!!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

An InLinkz Link-up

Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries

This month choosing a recipe for Secret Recipe Club was beyond difficult because we wanted to eat, drink and taste every.single.recipe on Leslie’s blog, La Cocina de Leslie, my assigned blog this month…well maybe not the Criadillas a la Mexicana because we just might not be that adventurous, but seriously, everything else we would loved to have tried.  Leslie lives in Mexico and her blog is filled with the delicious Mexican recipes she grew up eating and traditional Mexican recipes, which she learned from her Mother-in-law, which are the tastes her husband grew up enjoying.  How we would delight in enjoying all of Leslie’s recipes but because of my diet of no wheat, grains, sugar, sweetener, legumes, rice, dairy, soy or corn, we had to limit ourselves to recipes which we could adapt easily.  Trust me though, even with our limitations there were plenty of wonderful recipes to choose from and the choice was difficult so in the end we made three, four, five…depending on how you count recipes, well multiple recipes were made! Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole, Homemade Red Pepper Flakes (for the Chile Arbol Guacamole) and Baked Poblano Fries.  Thank you Leslie for our delicious Mexican feast!!  Check out Leslie’s blog La Cocina de Leslie and delight in some wonderful flavors of Mexico. 

We began by toasting Chile Arbol until they just began to darken in color.

Then we removed the stems and whizzed them in the blender for a quick chop.

  We got the soup going by sautéing some onion and then we added dried ancho and guajillo chilies along with some garlic, chicken broth, cumin and in place of the Mexican crema or sour cream, we added totally non-traditional Mexican, coconut milk for the added creaminess. 

Once the onions and chilies had a nice little simmer in the pot, the stems and seeds were removed and everything went for a nice little ride in the blender.

The onion pepper puree was then strained back into the original pot, more chicken broth was added and then the coconut milk was stirred in.

‘The soup was ladled into bowls and topped with even more peppers, Baked Poblano Fries.

  Oh-my-word the Baked Poblano Fries were the BOMB!!  Leslie coated hers with bread crumbs but as we’re not eating wheat or grains, we opted instead to coat the poblanos with crushed pork rinds seasoned with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt.  Stop everything you’re doing and go make these fries right now…trust me, you’ll thank me…or maybe not, because once you start eating these fries you just can’t stop as they’re that delicious. 

Cream of Ancho Chile Soup (Adapted from here)

• 2 TBS. coconut oil
• 1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 4 dried ancho chilies
• 2 dried guajillo chilies
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 cups chicken broth 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
• Himalayan salt to taste
• 1/4 cup coconut milk

Heat the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Sauté the chopped onion for about 1 to 2 minutes, until it turns translucent.  Add the dried chilies and minced garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.  Add 3 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes; let cool slightly.

Remove stems and seeds from the chilies.  In a blender or food processor, puree the slightly cooled contents of the pot.  Strain the chile puree into the same saucepan the chilies were cooked in and add the remaining cup of chicken broth.  Season with the ground cumin and a little salt.  Bring to a boil over medium-low heat.  Reduce the heat to low and stir in the coconut milk.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Ladle soup into bowls.  Garnish with Baked Poblano Fries.

Enjoy!

Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole (Adapted from here) 

• 1 large red onion
• 3 limes
• 6 poblano peppers
• 1 TBS olive oil  
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork 
• 1/3 cup crushed pork rinds 
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper  
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 4 avocados 
• Dried arbol chilies 

Thinly slice 3/4 of the red onion into half rounds. (Reserve the remaining quarter of onion for the hamburger meat mixture.) In a medium bowl, toss together the red onion rings and the juice from 3 limes.  Season lightly with salt; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  

Roast the poblano peppers on a grill or over the fire of a gas stove, turning occasionally, until the flesh is completely charred.  Transfer the roasted poblano peppers to a plastic or paper bag and let sit for 15 minutes as this allows the peppers to sweat, making them easier to peel.  Remove the charred skin, stems and seeds from the peppers.  Slice the peppers into thin strips.  Heat one tablespoon of oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the pepper strips and sauté for about 5 minutes; season lightly with salt.  

Combine the ground pork and beef in a large mixing bowl.  Grate the remaining 1/4 red onion directly over the meat.  Stir in the crushed pork rinds, egg, minced garlic, salt, and ground black pepper.  Mix until well combined. Divide the meat mixture into 8 to 12 equal parts and shape into balls; refrigerate until ready to use.

In a small skillet, toast a handful of arbol chilies for about 30 seconds to 60 seconds just until the chilies begin to darken in color; remove from heat and discard stems.  In a blender grind the chiles until very fine.  Mash the avocados in a bowl and season with salt.  Stir in 1 teaspoon of the ground arbol chile flakes, adding more until the guacamole has reached the right amount of heat. Cover the guacamole with plastic wrap (to prevent browning) and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Shape each ball of meat into a patty.  Grill or pan fry until desired doneness.   Top each burger with roasted poblano strips, pickled red onion and guacamole.

Enjoy! 

Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries (Adapted from here)

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups crushed pork rinds
• 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
• 5 poblano peppers

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease lightly with coconut oil or olive oil.

Beat the eggs in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper; set aside.  Place the crushed pork rinds on a medium plate, season with salt, chili powder, cumin & garlic powder; set aside.
Slice the tops off the tops of the poblano peppers. Using your knife or a spoon, scoop out the seeds and veins.  Slice the chilies in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices.

Dip the poblano strips in egg and then coat each strip with the crushed pork rinds.  Arrange the coated poblano strips on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

An InLinkz Link-up

Zesty Zucchini Skillet

Yep, here we are again for another month of the Secret Recipe Club!  Let me tell you, it’s been a rough month.  Atlanta experienced a second ice storm and the kids lost yet another week of school.  Then Maisie had sinus surgery (#4) and didn’t react well to the anesthesia so we added an ER visit post surgery and a longer than expected recovery period.  Follow that up with her getting a stomach virus and the poor little girl ended up missing three full week of school and time in the gym and even one of her gymnastics meets.  On top of that Mama was sick too so nothing much of anything good was happening here at the Cook Lisa Cook home. 

One good and delicious thing though was this Zesty Zucchini Skillet.  This month for my SRC assignment I received Anna’s bcmom’s kitchen.  Anna’s blog is filled with recipes which are good and easy and most can prepared ahead of time so to help make dinner preparation time less hectic.  I found a number of interesting recipes including her Israeli cucumber & tomato salad, an angel hair with broccoli & bacon, which I thought would be fun to do with zucchini pasta, and her butternut & potato bake which I would have done with sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes to better fit in with our diets.  In the end though it was Anna’s zesty zucchini skillet which called our name.  I did make a change to Anna’s recipe in that I used fire roasted tomatoes in place of her chopped tomato and salsa, mainly because that’s what we had available but I’m sure that the original recipe is just as delicious as my version.  Even without the salsa, the cumin gave a bit of zesty-ness and the entire dish had a great balance of flavor.  This dish will be made again and I hope that when you’re looking for an easy and good dish that you’ll make this or check out some of the other recipes Anna has on bcmom’s kitchen.

 

Zesty Zucchini Skillet  (adapted from here)

• 4 cups chopped zucchini
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 TBS. olive oil 
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano  
• 1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt 
• 7 oz. diced fire roasted tomatoes 

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and heat until hot.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onions begins to caramelize.  Add the zucchini and the spices and sauté, stirring often for 5-7 minutes or until zucchini are crisp tender.  Add the tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated. 

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

An InLinkz Link-up

Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk

After a very.long.break, it’s once again, finally, Secret Recipe Club posting time!  It feels like forever since we were last here, between people being sick, Thanksgiving, more sickness, being with family, more sickness, the holidays, snow storms, more sickness, day-to-day life and each SRC group taking a little break…well, it’s been a long time since my last post so it’s good to be back. 

For my inaugural assignment of 2014 I was given Elizabeth’s blog, Food Ramblings.  Elizabeth’s blog is filled with wonderful healthy or healthier-than-the-original recipes, so perfect for the way we’ve been eating here in the Cook Lisa Cook home and an ideal way to begin a new year.  As soon as I received my assignment I searched through Elizabeth’s blog, reading dozens and dozens of tempting recipes and I narrowed my list down to four; garlic roasted green beans with pecans, chicken coconut curry soup, basil polenta with roasted spinach and tomatoes, which I was going to modify and do with cauli-rice in place of the polenta and, of course the chosen recipe of garlic seafood in coconut milk. 

Now before I continue with the recipe, let me tell you a little small world story.  Many times our (fabulous, talented, kind, beautiful, smart, A-Maisie-ing, yes we’re bragging, proud parents) daughter Maisie, has appeared on this blog and many of our regular readers also read her blog, Moments with Maisie and know that just over seven years ago we adopted Maisie from China.  Through the years we have met, both in real life and online, many friends through the China adoption community and that’s where the choosing of this recipe comes into play. 

You may have seen the news this past Tuesday about Atlanta being brought to a stand-still because of two inches of snow fall.  Well it wasn’t the snow amounts that caused all the problems but rather the almost instant icing that turned all the roads into a skating rink along with schools, business and government all being closed at the exact same time, but I digress…  One of our local friends, Roger, whom we originally met through the China adoption community, got stuck in all the traffic, gridlock and accidents, with most of his time being spent on Johnson Ferry Rd, the main road we live off of.  At close to 11PM, after 9+ hours and 8 miles remaining to travel to his home and family, he landed safely at our home.  After a hot dinner and a beer for him, we all thankfully slept safe and warm.  By late Wednesday afternoon he was able to safely make the trek home even though it did involve dodging wrecks & abandoned cars, detours because of road closures and avoiding re-freezing roads and black ice.  Roger was still at our home for lunch and on an icy cold day nothing is better than a steaming bowl of soup.  After checking the pantry and realizing that I had the fixings for both of Elizabeth’s soups I let Roger pick which he’d enjoy and he was the one who chose.  Now this is where the story gets a bit small-world-ish.  Elizabeth posted her garlic seafood in coconut milk recipe as a guest writer on another blog called Diana Rambles.  Now I have “known” Diana through the China adoption community for over eight years.  So how small world is that, my cooking community through Elizabeth’s Food Rambles writes a guest post on Diana’s Diana Rambles, whom I know through the China adoption community and our stranded snowmageddon house guest, whom we also know through the China adoption community happens to pick that recipe. 

Okay, enough of my ramblings…  Roger made a wonderful choice and after he returned home I heard from his wife just how much he enjoyed the soup, but oddly nothing about how much he enjoyed sleeping in Maisie’s princess palace  ;)  I think that this soup will not only be made again in our home, but become a regular in his home too.  We did made a few small changes to Elizabeth’s original recipe as we left out the rice, my blend of seafood was slightly different, I substituted lime juice for the lemon juice and fish sauce for her salt and instead of mixed frozen veggies I used what I had, sugar snap peas and then added some straw mushrooms just because I had them and knew they would work well.  I know that it sounds like a lot of substitutions but it was acid for acid, salt for salt, veg for veg and fish for fish and just goes to show, in recipes like this, you can still have the same base dish working with what you have on hand.  Check out Elizabeth’s original recipe or make our version, either one will prove to be a delicious choice.

Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk (adapted from here)

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 4 cloves  fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 14 oz can coconut milk 
• 8 oz. sugar snap peas
• 15 oz. can straw mushrooms, drained
• 1 lb seafood blend with shrimp, clams, scallops, mussels and calamari
• 1 TBS. lime juice
• 1 TBS. fish sauce, or more to taste

In a large pot, heat oil on medium. Add the onion and cook slowly until they starts to turn golden.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and softened. Add the cilantro and red pepper flakes and cook for another couple minutes. 

Add the diced tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir to combine and then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sugar snap peas & mushrooms and simmer until the snap peas are tender.  Bring to a boil and then add the seafood.  Cover and remove from the heat immediately.  Allow the seafood to poach for about 10 minutes until cooked through.  Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce to taste. 

Enjoy! 

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Zucchini Noodles Aglio et Olio

Who knew that zucchini noodles could be so amazingly delicious!!  We now make these noodles in large batches so they’re always on hand to eat, hot or cold.  What a fabu way to get in your veggies!  We’ve enjoyed the noodles topped with some Bolognese or other sauces but our favorite way to eat the noodles is as a side dish…or late night straight from the fridge…shhhhhhh…  To get the best possible noodles, make sure to take the time to salt, drain and dry the zucchini otherwise you’ll end up with watery noodles.

  Zucchini Noodles Aglio et Olio  (adapted from here)

• 4 lbs. zucchini
• 1/2 tsp. coconut oil 
• 1 TBS. almond flour or almond meal
• 2 TBS.  extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced
• Himalayan salt & black pepper to taste

Spiralize or julienne the zucchini and place in a colander or wire strainer and toss generously with salt until all the strands are lightly crusted.  Allow the zucchini to sit for at least 30 minutes…or a few hours, to help remove the excess water.  Rinse the noodles under running water and then drain well.  Top a dishtowel with paper towels and then spread out the noodles.  Roll the towel up into a cylinder and twist, pushing out as much of the excess water as possible.  Unroll the towel and then place the noodles onto a baking sheet lined with fresh paper towels and spread the noodles out.  Place the tray in the refrigerator for an hour or so and allow the noodles to dry further. 

When ready to prepare the noodles, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, for about 2 minutes.  Add the coconut oil and when it’s melted, add the almond flour and a pinch of salt.  Sauté, stirring often, until toasty brown.  Remove the almond crumbs to a plate and reserve for garnishing. 

Return the pan to the heat and add the dried zucchini noodles and sauté until just tender, about 2 minutes.  Push the noodles to one side of the pan and reduce the heat to low.  Add the olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the empty side of the pan and stir with a wooden spoon until the garlic is fragrant.  Push the zucchini noodles into the oil and stir gently to coat evenly.  Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley, salt & pepper.  Sprinkle the noodles with the almond crumbs and either stir to combine or leave as a topping.

Enjoy!

Coconut Crusted Tilapia in a Coconut Garlic Lemon Sauce

A fast but fancy, perfect for family or company, delicious way to enjoy tilapia or other white flaky fish.  The fish cooks quickly in a pan making a crunchy delicious crust while keeping the fish moist and tender.  The coconut milk adds a creaminess to the strong lemon garlic sauce without adding dairy so perfect for everyone in our home with diets and allergies.  Interestingly we all love this fish freshly made but I think we like it even better the second day.  Got to love easy leftovers! 

Coconut Crusted Tilapia in a Coconut Garlic Lemon Sauce

• 1 lb. tilapia filets, or white flaky fish of your choice
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt 
• fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 c. arrowroot powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut 
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
• 2-3 TBS. coconut oil

Sauce

• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 14 oz. can coconut milk 
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
• Himalayan salt
• fresh ground pepper

Rinse and with paper towels, pat dry the filets and then season with 1/2 tsp. salt and fresh cracked pepper. Set aside.  Prepare 3 shallow bowls.  In the first mix the arrowroot, garlic and onion powders. In the second bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and water together. In the third bowl, mix the shredded coconut, paprika, thyme, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

In a large skillet, melt 1-2 TBS. of coconut oil over medium-high heat. Lightly dredge the fish in the arrowroot mixture, shaking off any excess. Then dip the fish in the egg mixture and finally dredge it in the coconut mixture, again shaking off any excess.  Lay the filet carefully in the hot pan. Repeat with the remaining pieces.

Cook until you see the edges of the filets turn opaque and the bottom crust is golden brown and crispy, then carefully turn the filets allowing the second side to crisp and brown.  Do not over-cook as you want to keep the fish moist.  Add additional coconut oil if necessary. Once cooked, remove the fish to a plate.

In the hot pan add the minced garlic and sauté quickly until fragrant but not browned.  Add the lemon juice and stir in any remaining crunchy bits in the pan.  Add the coconut milk and stir well.  Simmer the sauce until reduced and it thickly coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt & pepper.  Plate the fish and top with the sauce.

This was served with a delicious and perfect accompaniment, Coconut Carrot Soufflé, click on the link for the recipe.

Enjoy!

Coconut Carrot Soufflé

A delicious personal-sized side dish or grab-and-go snack.  These petite soufflés have all the flavor of carrot cake with the texture of a light baked custard.  With no added sugar it’s decadence with none of the guilt!

Coconut Carrot Soufflé (adapted from here)

• 1 lb. carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 cups 100% carrot juice
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. ground vanilla
• pinch of Himalayan salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line six muffin cups or custard cups (placed on a baking sheet) with foil cupcake liners.  Place the carrots and carrot juice in a pot and bring to a simmer.  Cover partially and cook until the carrots are very tender.  Remove the lid and bring to a boil.  Cook until all of the carrot juice has been absorbed and evaporated.  Add the carrots and all the other ingredients except for the shredded coconut to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.  Divide the batter equally between the six cups.  Sprinkle the shredded coconut on the tops of the carrot batter.  Bake for 30 minutes, until slightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool slightly and then remove the foil liner.  Enjoy hot or cold.  Reheats easily in the microwave.

Enjoy!