This meal started out with a large spaghetti squash that sat on my kitchen table for weeks. My intention was to create some sort of casserole with it. Then I thought of doing fritters with it. Then I was craving Thai food….. so I decided to make Pad Thai……
It’s not the most authentic Pad Thai dish I have tasted. Didn’t use any fish sauce. Didn’t even use peanuts. What do you expect?? I’m just a Finnish girl living in California. I made up my own recipe. But it tasted great. The whole family loved it. And it’s loaded with nutrient-dense goodness.
I actually love to eat all sorts of ethnic foods, but I can’t say that I ever feel really good after eating out in most restaurants. It’s hard to know exactly what is in the food you are eating. My guess is that some restaurants do not use good quality oils and ingredients. Few use organic produce, and I prefer to avoid GMO’s. And finding gluten and grain-free options can be challenging as well. The truth is that as my body has gotten accustomed to real, unprocessed, organic foods, it doesn’t really like to have anything else. The body is an intelligent organism…….Anyone else have this experience?
And so, I like to create my own meals at home. Today it’s Paleo Pad Thai…… ENJOY!!!!!
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Paleo Pad Thai
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 pound chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used dark meat)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 3 cups chopped veggies (I used carrots, zucchini, and broccoli)
FOR SAUCE:
- 1/2 cup coconut milk, homemade or canned (this one is a BPA-free)
- 1/2 cup homemade broth (chicken, beef, or veggie)
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- juice from one large lime (or 2 small)
- 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 2 TBS coconut aminoes (a healthy substitute for soy sauce) (like this)
- 2 TBS toasted sesame oil
- 1 TBS fresh ginger, grated fine
- 1/4 tsp celtic sea salt (I use THIS one)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, powdered
- PLUS coconut oil, butter, or ghee for cooking
FOR GARNISH
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti squash until tender. I like to cut the squash in half and cook in crockpot on high for 2-2.5 hours with about an inch of water in the bottom. Comes out perfect. OR pierce the outside of squash SEVERAL times with a fork and then roast WHOLE squash in shallow baking dish for one hour in preheated 375’F oven.
- When cool enough to handle, cut lengthwise (if you haven’t already) and scoop the seeds and fibrous strings from the center of the cooked spaghetti squash
- Gently scrape the tines of a kitchen fork around the edge of the spaghetti squash to shred the pulp into strands (this is your noodles) Set aside
TO MAKE SAUCE:
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium pot over low heat. Stir until well combined. Set aside.
- Heat 1 TBS fat of your choice in a skillet on medium heat. Add chicken bits and cook until lightly browned. Add minced garlic in at the last minute and saute a minute or two. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Add a titch of oil to pan and pour in eggs and cook until eggs are thoroughly cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add another titch of oil and sautes veggies until beginning to soften (about 4-5 minutes)
- Add chicken, eggs, and sauce to skillet and mix thoroughly.
- Add spaghetti squash and mix again
- Serve immediately
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges
Cooked in the crock pot….perfect every time.
Your noodles…..
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That looks so good and so simple! Thanks SO much for linking it up with Nomday Monday, Katja! I hope you have a blessed day!
Looks delicious! I agree about our bodies getting used to good food. 🙂
thanks for the comment. You have a really great site. Enjoyed looking at all your recipes. Definitely going to try some….. 🙂
Phew, this looks and sounds amazing. I have a spaghetti squash to use up as well! Awesome! I will be making this soon!
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Thanks for linking back to the Gluten Free Fridays post!
Party starts tomorrow at 7:05 pm eastern time! Hope to see you there!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
I am a big Thai food geek…i love love love coconut sauces. I am always looking for creative ways to cook spaghetti squash, so I am excited to try this recipe, it looks delectable. FYI, your blog is awesome…the layout of this recipe/format is easily accessible and the culinary photography is stellar!
Thanks, Davina….. 🙂
I’m doing the Whole30 and cannot have sesame oil. What would you use to substitute it? Or would you just omit it entirely?
Thanks! 🙂
I would just leave it out! Good luck on your Whole30! 🙂
I made this last night and followed the recipe just about exactly. I did have to use zucchini spirals as my store was out of squash. it was actually good because that part cut down on cooking time and labor. my husband and i thought this was excellent. tons of flavor and packed with veggies. eating the left overs for lunch as i type this. a keeper for sure !
thank you !
Oh, yay! Glad you liked it. 🙂