Thai Tacos with Chili Peanut Sauce

I think I've probably made a variation of this recipe before, but this one is super simple and doesn't require many crazy ingredients. You can change it up depending on what macros you need (i.e, add chopped peanuts if you get lots of fats, serve over rice instead of in lettuce wraps, etc.).

Makes about 4 servings

Per 4 oz of turkey, veggies, and 1/4 of the sauce: 

241 calories*10g net carbs*9g fat*29g protein

Turkey Filling:
16 oz 93% lean ground turkey
1 TBS minced ginger
1TBS lime juice
1 TBS coconut aminos
1 TBS fish sauce
1 TBS chili garlic sauce
Peanut sauce:
50g of PB2, mixed with a little water
1/2 TBS minced ginger
1TBS coconut aminos
1TBS rice vinegar
a couple of drops of liquid Stevia
chili garlic sauce to your liking

lettuce leaves
julienned cucumber, peppers, daikon radish, shredded cabbage, etc.

Brown turkey, add seasonings. Mix peanut sauce ingredients. Serve with veggies.

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.

Thai Turkey Croquettes

I was inspired by the paleOMG recipe for "cilantro chicken nuggets", but tweaked it a bit.  Best meal I've had in ages, hands down.  Just the right amount of spice and I served it with a crunchy red cabbage slaw and zucchini "fries".  So, so good.

Thai Turkey Croquettes

1 egg, beaten
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (or about 1/4 tsp ground)
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup coconut flour
Coconut oil for cooking

Mix first 9 ingredients (everything except turkey and flour) in a bowl until well mixed.  Add turkey and mix well.  Form into small patties and dredge lightly in coconut flour.  In a large nonstick pan, heat coconut oil (maybe a TBS?) over medium head.  Once heated, add patties (make sure to give them enough room--you might have to do a few batches) and cook about 5 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through.

Red Slaw
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
a bit of Sriracha sauce (depending on your heat tolerance)
sea salt and pepper

Mix and marinate a bit.

Zucchini "Fries"
5 or so small zucchini
olive oil
S&P
Seasonings of your choice (I used some garlic powder)

Preheat oven to 450.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.  Cut tops and bottoms off of zucchini and cut into quarters (lengthwise).  Toss well with oil and seasonings.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then turn over and bake for another 10.

Cleaned Up Crockpot Thai Chicken

So, this is one of my favorite Crockpot recipes ever, and I wanted to try to "clean" it up a little.  Since I'm not eating any peanuts at the moment, Sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds) was a great substitute for peanut butter.  Just try to find one that doesn't have any added sugar (same for the salsa).

2 1/2 lbs chicken (I used boneless, skinless thighs, but breasts work well too, just cut them in half)
1 tsp fresh grated ginger (I keep a nugget of it in the freezer and just peel and grate as needed)
Juice of 2 limes (about 4 TBS)
16 oz jar chunky salsa (no added sugar, corn or beans)
1/2 cup Sunbutter (I think you could probably also use almond butter)


Spray crockpot with Pam and place chicken in it.  Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken and stir well.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and chopped almonds if desired.  I served it with cauliflower "rice" and stir-fried garlic green beans.

Thai "Satay" Sauce

I used this to bake a mahi mahi fillet in (sorry I don't have a better photo!), but I think that there are probably a plethora of things that this could be used for--chicken, beef, shrimp, even a dipping sauce for vegetables.

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp fresh grated ginger (I like to keep a nugget in my freezer and use a micrograter to grate as needed)

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 shallot

2 TBS almond butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup coconut milk

cumin and curry powder (maybe 1/2 to 1 tsp of each, depending on your taste)

S&P

Combine in an emersion blender (or any blender) until smooth.