This seafood lunch is a combination of flavors which meld together seamlessly.
Type of dish: Lunch
Equipment: Small saucepan, large cooking pot
Servings: Makes 3 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and optionally deveined
- 10 to 12 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp or to taste of red chili flakes, optional (omit for autoimmune or to avoid a spicy dish)
- 1 1/2 cups tomato puree from jar (recommended brand Bionaturae) or 2 cups puree of fresh tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- one lb kelp noodles, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup basil cut in chiffonade
- 1 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice
Directions:
- If using fresh tomatoes, puree tomatoes to make 2 cups and cook it slowly down until sauce darkens and thickens up. If using jarred (already cooked) tomatoes, simply warm the tomato puree in a small saucepan.
- Press 3 cloves of garlic through a press (or mince them). In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 TB oil. This oil will be heated, so if you do not want to heat olive oil, melt some coconut oil instead to a liquid state and toss. Set bowl aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat 2 TB oil in a large pan over medium-low to medium heat and add 7 to 9 cloves chopped garlic, the bay leaf, and optional chili flakes (omit for autoimmune). Cook for a few minutes, and before the garlic begins to brown, add the marinated shrimp in one layer on bottom of pan.
- Saute shrimp for 1 minute. Using tongs, flip shrimp over. Add tomato puree and dried oregano, stir well.
- Add the drained noodles to pot and stir well, heating through.
- Remove pot from heat. Remove bay leaf. Salt to taste. Squeeze in 1 TB of lemon, basil, and sprinkle with a bit of olive oil.
Contains:
- Nightshades
- Chilli Powder, Paprika, Cayenne, Curry
- Tomatoes / Tomatillos
- Seafood
- Shellfish
- Not Kosher
Autoimmune Alternative: Asian Noodles
Equipment: 3 cooking pots, one with steamer basket, food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle
Servings: Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients:
- The Sauce:
- 2 red onion, minced small
- 4 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
- one inch piece of ginger, minced
- 3 TB coconut oil
- 2 Thai chilies or jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and minced (omit for autoimmune or to avoid spicy dish)
- 2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- a couple of grinds of pepper
- 2 TB fish sauce
- 1/2 cup cashew nut butter, or 1/2 cup cashews, blended in food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle with a TB or two of water until forming a powder or paste
- 6 kaffir lime leaves, minced (if dried leaves, crumble them well)
- 14 ounces coconut milk
- 2 TB lime juice (juice from one large lime)
- salt to taste
- The Noodles and Vegetables:
- 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 cups carrots, cut into 1/8 inch sliced rounds
- 3 cups zucchini, sliced into 1/8 inch half moons (about 3 small or 2 large zucchini)
- 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, washed just before using, dried, and sliced
- 1 lb. kelp noodles (the brand in my local store is Gold Mine)
- green onions (scallions) for garnish
Directions:
- Make the Sauce:
- Heat 2 TB (or more if desired) of the coconut oil over medium-low heat, and cook the onion for about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and ginger, stir and cook for one minute. Add the optional chili and the spices: coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, and pepper. Cook for one minute more.
- Add the fish sauce, cashew paste or powder, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, and lime juice. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Salt to taste, then reduce heat to the lowest setting and continue letting the flavors meld until ready to use.
- Cook the Vegetables:
- I prefer to steam the broccoli separately to avoid it overcooking (or undercooking). I steam the broccoli for 7 minutes until cooked but not mushy, still crisp and bright green. Take the broccoli off heat and set aside to add at the end.
- Heat 1 TB coconut oil in a large cooking pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, salt if you’d like to, and cook for 7 minutes. Add the zucchini and mushrooms, stir, and cook for another lucky 7 more minutes.
- Check to see if the mushrooms and zucchini have cooked through, and give them a few more minutes if necessary, stirring. Once the vegetables are all cooked, the dish is easy to assemble. Take the noodles out of the bag, rinse them several times, and drain them.
- Add the noodles and all the sauce to the large cooking pot with the vegetables. Stir until the noodles are well coated. Really coat each noodle, because these noodles are somewhat squeaky in consistency unless thoroughly covered.
- Stir in the broccoli last after dish has been well mixed, so that broccoli doesn’t get over stirred and begin to fall apart.
- Serve and garnish each of four portions with 1/2 of a thinly sliced scallion.
Contains:
- Nuts
- Coconut Milk / Dried Coconut
- Seafood