Paleo Larb

Our friends Amy and Greg came over for dinner a few weeks ago and they brought "larb" with them--it's a minced meat salad (don't let that throw you!) that's considered the national dish of Laos.  It was delicious--the herbs and citrus and spice mix is so complex. We gobbled it up and ever since then I've been wanting to recreate it.  Here's my go at it:

1lb ground turkey (I'm sure you could used ground beef, pork, or chicken or a combo)
1 stalk lemongrass--white part only, finely chopped (probably not a deal breaker, but I had some in the fridge and was excited to use it)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 "nub" ginger, finely chopped (probably about 2TBS)
1 red chile, finely chopped (you can take the seeds out or not, depending on your heat preference)
stalks from 1 bunch cilantro
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1-2 limes (we found we wanted a bit more than what I added)
3 TBS Red Boat fish sauce
3 TBS coconut aminos
1 TBS coconut oil
chopped cilantro
chopped mint (don't leave out--it really rounds out the flavor!)
lettuce leaves, julienned red bell pepper, carrots, and cucumber to serve

1) Chop lemongrass, garlic, ginger, chile, cilantro stalks and combine in small bowl.  Add lime zest.
2) Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  A ingredients from step 1 and cook for a minute or two, stirring often and careful not to burn.
3) Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.
4) Add lime juice, fish sauce, coconut aminos and stir to combine.
5) I served ours in lettuce leaves with some julienned veggies and chopped cilantro and mint.

Seared Sesame Crusted Ahi with Ginger Glazed Baby Bok Choy

We're on Day 6 of a W30 and needed something...different.  This dish lived up to that! As my husband said, "this has everything!" (a la Daniel Tosh, which is why we'll probably end up referring to this as "Tosh Tuna").We live on Oahu, so fresh fish is readily available--we will be taking advantage of that much more often now that I know it's so easy!

Seared Sesame Crusted Ahi (2 hearty portions)
2 Ahi steaks, as fresh as possible (I think mine were about 8oz each)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp sea salt
3 TBS toasted sesame seeds
2 TBS coconut oil

Mix fennel seeds, ground mustard, ground pepper, salt, and sesame seeds together in a small bowl and then pour onto a small plate so that it's an even thickness.  Heat coconut oil in a pan (I used non-stick) over medium high heat until pan is nice and hot.  Dredge each side of the tuna steak in the sesame seed mixture and place in pan.  I cooked mine for about 2 minutes per side (maybe a little less), but you can cook it longer if you don't like it rare. Serve with Ginger Glazed Baby Bok Choy and sliced carrots and cucumbers.

Ginger Glazed Baby Bok Choy
About 8 baby bok choy, washed and halved
2 TBS coconut aminos
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS fresh ginger, minced
3 TBS coconut oil

In a small bowl, combine coconut aminos, ACV, and sesame oil. Heat oven to 400.  Place 1TBS coconut oil in a roasting pan and place in oven until oil is melted (it won't take long).  Remove from oven and place bok choy in the pan in a single layer, cut side up.  Roast for about 6 minutes until just wilted.  While it's roasting, add 2 TBS coconut oil, garlic, and ginger in a small pan over medium heat and cook for about 20 seconds being careful not to burn.  Add the coconut amino mixture and continue to cook for a few minutes while the bok choy finishes roasting.  Drizzle the sauce over the bok choy to serve.