Paleo Chop Suey

Nothing makes me more proud than making a whole new original recipe. I'm normally recipe dependent so when I create something from random ingredients that actual tastes good, I'm surprised.  This recipe for Paleo Chop Suey was inspired by a need for a side dish and I just didn't feel like having a salad.  I had chosen to keep the stems from three heads of broccoli and wanted to use them.  I peeled the coarse outer layer from the stems and sliced them into strips to make the basis of this dish.  I think this dish manges to get an "asian" flavor without the use of soy sauce or Coconut aminos.

PALEO CHOP SUEY
Serves 4 prep time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.5lbs chicken breast, sliced thin
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 broccoli stems, peeled and sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup broth
• 3 celery stems, sliced

Directions

1. Heat Olive Oil on med-hi heat.
2. Cook chicken, stirring frequently for about 3-4 minute or until no longer pink
3. Add in garlic and onions, cook for 3 mins
4. Add broccoli stems, carrots, and salt & pepper, cook 3 minutes
5. Add in celery and broth, cook until broth had reduced (about 5-8 minutes)
6. Serve alone or on top of prepared shirataki noodles.  

NOODLES!!!!

Can a packaged product
make you happy? I say YES!

Like my enthusiastic title?  Really that's all I can think right now because I just ate noodles.  Real noodles.  Not spaghetti squash, not strips of vegetables.  REAL NOODLES.  And yes, my Paleo is still intact thanks to House Foods Shirataki noodles.  I grew up eating these in meals like sukiyaki and they were my favorite part of the meal, besides the tofu and cabbage and meat . . . and well sukiyaki has to be one of my favorite all time meals.  But besides with asian flavors and in pho (which I've never had but plan to have someday) what ELSE could I do with these noodles?  There aren't many paleo recipes out there using them.  A lot of people have issues with the fishy smell (which goes away upon rinsing and heating) and the texture.  They're closer to a rice noodle (think chicken long rice) than a wheat noodle.  They've got a gelatin-like texture that may turn people off.  BUT I think the act of twirling tomato sauced noodles around a fork may be enough to get people to try it.  So, I set about to making myself SPAGHETTI using shirataki noodles today.  And I succeeded.  And you all get to benefit from my experimentation.

I found my noodles in the refrigerator section of my SPROUTS market.  Any whole foods should carry it, and if not, asian markets are guaranteed to have them. Just make sure you don't buy the TOFU Shirataki.  Tofu is SOY, which is a legume, which is NOT paleo.  Also, for weight loss purposes, the yam-based shirataki has ZERO calories.  The Tofu ones do.  Shall I repeat that again?  ZERO CALORIES people and I am incredibly full from lunch.

Closest thing to REAL spaghetti 

Shirataki Spaghetti with Roasted Chicken
serves 1 cook time: 15 minutes

waiting for them to "crackle"

Ingredients

• 1 pkg House foods shirataki noodles 
• 2 oz roasted chicken
• 2 tsp bacon grease or olive oil
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper

Directions:

mmmm sauce

1. Open and rinse the shirataki noodles.  You just want to get rid of most of the fishy smell.
2. Using a NONSTICK pan, dry fry (NO OIL) the noodles on medium heat for about 5 minutes.  They're not going to get crispy, but they won't be as clear or slimy.  They'll start to crackle when they're almost done.  Remove noodles to a plate.
3. Heat up oil/grease in your pan on medium heat.  Add onions, garlic and tomatoes and fry for about 5 minutes.  The onions and garlic should be soft.  
4. Add tomato paste and herbs, and fry for about 2 minutes.  
5. Add the chicken stock and heat for about 1 minute.
6. Add the noodles into the pan and mix well.  Plate and serve topped with the roasted chicken.  

Nutritional information:  190 calories, 3.8g fat, 0.9g sat fat, 57.3 mg cholesterol, 900mg sodium, 31.6g carbs, 13.6 g fiber, 18.8g protein

My Favorite Paleo Recipes: Lemon Garlic Herb Pork Chops

Strictly Paleo....ish! is a lacto-paleo blog.  Lacto-Paleos can and DO eat dairy products.  For those of us who are strictly paleo for reasons of lactose sensitivity or because we feel we aren't meant to ingest animal milk, we don't eat dairy.  (As a personal admission, it gives me terrible GI side effects.  Not the best thing for a runner, you know?)  Lucky for us, the blogger at Strictly Paleo....ish! does include the occasional dairy-free recipe offering since his flavor combos are excellent.  Another interesting side note about this blogger: He lives in Sweden.  There seems to be quite a growing community of Groks living in that part of the world.  

I originally found this recipe on Fast Paleo, one of my favorite Paleo recipe sources.  And in case you wondered, I served it with riced cauliflower on the side.  

Lemon Garlic Herb Pork Chops

Prep time: 2 hours  Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients 

• 4 Pork Chops, boneless (about 1-inch thick)
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil.
• Zest from one Lemon.
• Juice from one Lemon.
• 2-3 Cloves of Garlic, minced.
• 1 tbsp dried Thyme.
• 1 tbsp dried Basil.
• 1/2 tbsp crushed Black Pepper.
• 1 tsp Sea Salt, flakes.

Cooking Steps

Make 3-4 cuts through the fat cap of each pork chop, and put them in a large plastic bag.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, and then pour it in the bag with the pork chops.

Try to get the air out of the bag and seal it close to the opening, leaving it with as little air as possible but still space for the pork chops to move around a bit.

Start “massaging” the bag, until the pork chops are evenly rubbed and covered with the marinade.

Place in the fridge for at least a few hours before grilling them over direct heat.

(Take them out of the fridge when you light the grill, so they are room temperatured when you start to grill them.)

Preheat grill to Medium and grill pork chops for 10 minutes on each side.

Nutritional info*: Calories 256.5  Fat 17.6g  Sat Fat 4.3g  Chol 51.1g  Sod 613.2g  Carb 5.1g  Fiber 2.0g  Pro 20.8g

*All nutritional info was not provided in the original recipe.  I use the Recipe Calculator at Sparkpeople.com to calculate nutritional value.