Beef Pad Thai.. but better!

Pad Thai is a friend's favourite meal ever, without exception... I cooked her this healthier version and for a someone who is a self confessed 'grain junkie', she didn't miss the noodles or the peanut butter. I know I keep saying this, but this really is the tastiest dinner I've had lately (til I cook dinner tonight I'm sure...)

For the sauce: 

• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Mix all the ingredients together & set aside. 

For the 'noodles':

• 1 carrot 
• 1/2 courgette

Using a wide vegetable peeler, scrape large noodle-like pieces of each vegetable. 

Place in a heat proof dish, drizzle with melted coconut oil, season with sea salt and place in preheated oven (170d fan) for 15 minutes. 

Next prep your meat: 

• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 150g steak, sliced 
• 50g sliced mushrooms

Start by frying onion, garlic & ginger together in coconut oil over a high heat. 

Once softened & almost cooked, add steak pieces seasoned with salt & pepper along with sliced mushrooms.

Next add in sauce, and cooked vegetable 'noodles'. 

Toss until well coated.

Cook for a further 5 minutes until warmed through. 

This is another super quick meal, that is really simple to put together.... Let me know what you think on the GLBTK Facebook page :) 

Hake with vegetable noodles...

I'm a bit weird when it comes to fish... I don't like the bones, feel or smell of it! Strange that I happen to actually love eating it..

I had never tasted hake before this, and probably never would have if it weren't for the very friendly guy in the fishmongers who decided to give me a piece to try. I can't take credit for this recipe... it was his suggestion (except for the veggie noodles... blame me for those). You can also blame me for the unimaginative naming of the dish... thankfully I don't work in marketing!

For the hake:

• Hake fillet (or white fish of your choice)
• 3 tbsp organic coconut milk
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• sea salt
• dried chilli flakes
• cherry tomatoes

Place fish skin side down on a large piece of tin foil.
In a small bowl, mix coconut milk with garlic, ginger, chilli and lime.
Pour over fish, and season with sea salt and black pepper.

Place tomatoes alongside fish, and wrap tin foil loosely to lock in the steam and juices as it bakes.
Bake in preheated oven (170d) until fish is just opaque. (15 minutes should be enough, depending on the thickness of fish)

Vegetable noodles:

You can choose whatever vegetables you fancy for this, but I used parsnip, carrot, aubergine and courgette.

Using a wide vegetable peeler if you don't have a slicing attachment for your food processor, slice each vegetable into long noodle-like strips.

Add 1/2 tsp of coconut oil, a pinch of salt, and some more chilli flakes to a wok.
Add your veggie noodles, and cook over a high heat until cooked but still holding their shape. This will only take 3/4 minutes.

Serve your fish on a bed of vegetable noodles, and drizzle some of the baking juices & coconut milk over the top. This dish only takes about 30 minutes and is really inexpensive, so yet again... no excuses :)