Reinventing the wheel is fun, I really enjoy creating new versions of an old classic in my kitchen laboratory. Has it been done before? Maybe. But for me, it’s new, it came out of my imagination and this is how all great things were born!
Oh my, I’m getting a little carried away. Most new creations occur for me because of this- I hate when food goes to waste, it gets under my skin and I feel horribly guilty and terrible every single time I have to throw food in the compost (hey, at least its going back to the earth). This repugnance to wastefulness all started when I travelled to India and saw just how little people live off, and oh how those living in poverty cherish even the smallest morsel. Arriving back to Canada, broke ass and needing a job asap I worked in a high end restaurant as a server (though my heart is in the kitchen). The amount of food left on plates destined for a fate in the trash can (of course, no compost) it was really gut wrenching. Though probably illegal, I would have my own little doggy back which I would take home,ahem, for my dog. I didn’t last very long and after this embraced cooking over serving, with my trusty compost bucket always at my side.
The moral of the story.
The kale in the fridge was getting past its prime and my brain wanted to make curry for dinner. Don’t get me wrong I love kale…sometimes…but I didn’t want any leafyness in the curry, I wanted smooth and creamy luxuriousness sans leaf. Palak Paneer is one of my favourite indian dishes, if you aren’t familiar, paneer is a type of indian cottage cheese and its cooked with curried creamed spinach, the texture and satisfaction this dish brings makes it a beloved classic. This creamy kale and chicken curry basically emulates the texture of palak paneer but instead of paneer chunks I’ve used chicken. If you’re fully paleo you can omit the heavy cream and cream cheese and opt for coconut cream, the result isn’t quite as rich but deliciousness nonetheless.
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Tbs bacon fat or coconut oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 bunch of kale, roughly chopped (remove the stems for a smoother sauce)
¼ C cream cheese
¼ C heavy cream OR omit dairy for ½ C coconut cream
½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
In a large skillet melt fat and add onion, ginger and garlic to simmer, when onions are translucent add cumin seeds and garam masala, let this cook together for a few minutes on med.
Add the chicken to the skillet and cover for a few minutes.
Put a pot of water on with a steamer preferably for the kale. Steam until just tender but still bright green, about 3 minutes.
Puree the steamed kale in a blender or food processor with the cream or coconut cream.
Add to the skillet and stir in cream cheese until melted if your using it.
Salt and enjoy alone or with basmati rice, coriander and plain yogurt.
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And remember kids, don’t let your eyes be bigger than your belly, tee hee.
I don’t know, am I alone in this? Does wasting food grate your nerves like it does mine? I know those of us with kiddos are probably frustrated about this. What do yo think?
This is the best pho I have ever had and that is pho sho.
Now that we have that out of the way, eat this pho on days where nothing is going right. Where you have to bite your tongue to keep from cussing and deliberately breathe so that you don’t melt into a puddle on the floor. Ok well it wasn’t that bad but still, everybody has those days.
Pajama days, where if you have the luxury to stay in bed all day, you do so. Then when the gumption finally hits to DO something with your life, you get up, and make pho. No? Just me? Okay then…
The moral of the story is the same phrase as you see on the notebook in this picture- The Grass Is Always Greener
Whatever that means…
Can we be satisfied with what we have in this very moment? Instead of longing for an invisible future and pretending like we know whats best for ourselves? By now I’ve found that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, it only appears to be so. But finding peace with this one moment, because it’s really all we have, that is where the green side lies. So I sat by the window, and shared a savoury bowl with J, of the most umami thing to have ever touched my lips, and in that moment none of the madness mattered. Why would it when all that we have is this very moment?
Heat a large skillet or frying pan, melt coconut oil and add onion, garlic and jalapeño, when they're slightly browned add the ground pork.
Keep the heat high and cover the pork, when it starts to release some fat uncover and add hoisin, chili paste and fish sauce. Stirring, keep the heat high, add the sugar or honey and allow the pork to slightly caramelize.
In a large pot, add chicken stock, kaffir lime and sea salt. Bring to a simmer. Add vermicelli and cook for about 3 minutes
When the pork is fully cooked, add half a cup of broth to deglaze the pan and get all the brown bits where all the flavour is.
Scrape the pork mixture into the broth,mix and serve with fresh sprouts and cilantro
Oh those days, when you are like a bottomless pit. Do you know those days?
They’ve been striking me often, I don’t know if it’s because it’s the dead of winter, some sort of subconscious knowledge that the end of the world is approaching, or the fact that a growing munchkin is stealing 600 calories from me daily. Nooo he’s not stealing it, I’m happy to donate those calories to my growing bean, but it makes a momma damn hungry to say the least.
Protein is the best hunger quencher, so I find myself noshing lots nuts, seeds, eggs and delicious pastured meats. I got a great deal on some free-range chicken recently and have been searching for creative ways to use it. Queue, sticky sweet chile lime chicken, oh my yum, this is so easy to prepare and just loaded with spicy, sweet and sour punch. We had this for lunch with rice noodles and sunshine sauce with added turmeric and some greens. It was just pure nourishment and subdued my momma bear hunger for a good while.
1 Tbs sambal olek chile hot sauce OR Lee kum kee chili garlic sauce
1 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs honey
2 tsp fish sauce
pinch of salt
Instructions
To get your chicken breasts to cook evenly, I suggest putting them in a plastic bag (one at a time) and smashing them with a mallet or anything hard really, this simply evens the thickness and makes for a tender piece of chicken.
Heat a cast iron skillet or frying pan and melt a bit of fat or oil.
Place the chicken down and cook for 5 minutes on med-high heat. Flip and pour half the sauce onto the seared side. Allow the other side to cook for 5 minutes and top with the rest of the sauce.
Cover and allow to cook for another 2 minutes so that everything gets nice and sticky.
This recipe is for medium sized chicken breasts, for larger chicken breasts the total cooking time will increase by a few minutes.
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I’ve been writing a lot you guys and just wanted to share with you what I’ve been doing. So check it out…
I had NO idea making coconut butter was so darn easy. Really, seriously, easy. I feel silly for having bought it all these years, the same way I feel about buying broth or sauerkraut. If I can make it from scratch with minimal effort IMMA MAKE IT. Okay off my soapbox, this creamy, luscious coconut butter was made in my handy dandy vitamix but you can also make it using a food processor.
Coconut butter, if you aren’t familiar with it, is quite different from the oil. It’s made by “creaming” the flesh of the coconut to make a smooth butter. When you refrigerate it, the fats from the coconut solidify and your butter gets quite hard. A fine example of the healthy saturated fat present in coconut. If you’re curious about the benefits of coconut, check this out, they are many.
In a high powered blender or food processor add coconut flakes and blend on medium until they start to get creamy, turn to high setting until you have a smooth butter. For an extra smooth coconut butter, process through a fine mesh sieve. Store in the fridge, lasts a very long time.
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What to do with coconut butter? Here’s a list of ideas…
I’m stoked, finally after many attempts I have made successful crackers! These little crunch bombs are bloody addictive and reminiscent of the long forgotten vegetable thin- only way better. These are totally adaptable you guys, so if your not into toasted cumin you prefer rosemary or sesame or onion, you could definitely subtract the cumin and add those in, respectively. I adore the brilliant yellow turmeric imparts, not too mention the various health benefits. Toasted cumin gives these bright yellow crackers an Indian flare and reminds me of my beloved pappadam. Paleo and vegan cheese and crackers shazzam everyone is pleased!
The green goddess cashew cream cheese is the perfect accompaniment to these crackers and it’s a cinch to whip up. Did you know raw cashews are great for alleviating depression and anxiety? Cashew cheese makes me happy! This green goddess version is spiked with green onion and cilantro, and of course garlic, it didn’t last very long in our house. The cashew cheese is also really nice smothered on sourdough toast or as a sandwich base.
Being the spaz that I am, I often forget key kitchen tools like, all the time, case in point, parchment paper. This is why my other cracker attempts flopped into a sea of crumbs. You need parchment to roll the crackers out, the dough is just way too sticky to not have a protective parchment barrier below and above. Aside from that, anyone can whip up the toasted cumin and turmeric crackers. The good news, like most health freaks, I do not own a dehydrator (not that I don’t want one) SO these crackers won’t take 800 hours, they bake up just perfect in under 15 minutes, presto.
For cashew cheese 1 C RAW cashews, soaked for minimum 2 hours, drained
1 Tbs lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbs olive oil
½ tsp salt
handful chopped green onion
handful chopped cilantro
Instructions
Heat oven to 350F
For the crackers, combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, almond meal, tapioca flour, salt and turmeric.
When the flax is egg like and viscous in texture (about 30 mins of soaking) combine it with olive oil and toasted cumin.
Mix into the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Separate into two equal parts.
Roll out one section of dough between 2 pieces of parchment until its about ⅛ inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to gently trace squares or diamond shaped crackers. Transfer bottom parchment to a baking sheet and repeat this process with the other half of dough.
Bake @350F for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let crackers cool before serving.
For the cashew cheese, combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth
This is my most favourite soup in the whole world. If ever you go out for Thai food and you don’t know what to get, tom kha gai is a safe choice that everyone loves. The creamy rich sweet and tangy coconut broth, infused with lemongrass and kaffir lime and humming with a hint of red chili is simply good enough to eat on its own. Add in tender chicken and plump mushrooms which soak up all the yummy flavours and you will be just as addicted to this soup as I am.
My sister, our friend and I went to one of my favourite restaurants while we were in Edmonton. Syphay specializes in Thai and Laos cuisine and I am endlessly striving to emulate their amazing Tom Kha Gai. Since we returned I’ve made this soup 2 times, learning along the way the perfect balance of sweet, sour, spicy and creamy which this soup is so famous for. Often I become obsessed with certain dishes until I get them just right, part of this blog is that it forces me to create a document of recipes which I won’t ever be able to lose. Cause yeah, I’m kinda disorganized like that. I love this soup alongside a thai curry and jasmine rice, or just as a simple lunch. It’s perfect served with a wedge of lime, chopped cilantro, sprouts, and maybe a heaped spoonful of chile sauce, or maybe not. I may or may not have made this before on the blog, but it’s slightly different, I know I’m obsessed,I’ll get over it once I make Tom Kha 10 more times this cold month of January.
Hey I'm Chantelle, my alter ego would be a mermaid if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer. I love writing authentically and cooking in my pyjamas. My favourite pastimes include eating avocados, travelling the world and hanging out with a toddler.
