Paleo Stir Fry

I'm a big fan of one-pot meals. I also love throwing veggies, meat and a sauce together. As I've said before, casseroles are one of my favorite types of dish. It's that Midwestern girl in me.

The recipe was dictated by what I had in my fridge at the time. It has most of the colors of the rainbow, so it's full of nutrients. The sauce was inspired by a peanut sauce. Obviously, we don't eat peanuts, so I had to adapt it a little. I researched different sauces and came up with my own unique creation. If the sauce is too thin from cooking the vegetables, then follow the directions below to add arrowroot as a thickener.

This dish is very flexible. You can change the veggies, depending on what you have and/or prefer. I've made this without broccoli before and it's still fantastic. I definitely suggest adding the roasted cashews on top. It adds a bit of additional crunch and flavor. Someone else has already made this dish, but added canned coconut milk and basil.

Paleo Stir Fry

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients:

• 2-3 T. fat of choice (I use coconut oil)
• 4-5 carrots, sliced
• 4-5 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 yellow squash, diced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken or 1 ¼ pounds cooked ground turkey
• 1 12 oz. package kelp noodles*
• Chopped roasted cashews (optional, for garnish)

Sauce:

• ½ cup almond butter
• A few dashes of fish sauce
• ¼ cup coconut aminos
• 1 T. coconut vinegar
• 1/8-1/4 t. red pepper flakes (depending on taste)
• 1 T. arrowroot + 1 T. water (optional)

Directions:

1. Melt fat of choice in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
2. Add all veggies to pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes, or until veggies are tender. You can cover the pan to steam the vegetables. If so, just stir occasionally instead.
3. Add in shredded chicken or ground turkey and distribute meat evenly thoroughly the stir fry.
4. Follow the instructions on the kelp noodles (rinse and cut). Add them to the meat and veggies. Toss to combine.
5. Add sauce ingredients into a small mixing bowl. Whisk everything together until smooth. Add to the stir fry. Mix until everything is coated. If the sauce is thin due to the water from the vegetables, mix 1 T. arrowroot with 1 T. cold water and then stir into the stir fry. It will thicken the sauce within a minute or two.
6. Garnish individual servings with 2 T. roasted cashews.

I absolutely love this dish, because it's easy and delicious. If you chop your vegetables in advance, then the cooking will be a breeze. So many textures, flavors and colors in this dish. It's a beautiful mess on a plate.

Let me know what you add to your stir fry. Feel free to post pictures on my Facebook page. Please share this recipe with your friends and family and on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. I appreciate your help in helping build The Paleo Network. 

Paleo Chicken Noodle Soup

I could probably count the number of times I've eaten chicken noodle soup in my entire life on my two hands. It wasn't a staple dish in our house growing up. My mom occasionally made chicken broth or chicken soup when one of us kids were sick. Other than that, I honestly can't remember eating it much. 

This recipe was a spontaneous creation. I was walking through Vitamin Cottage (which I often do during my lunch hour). I was just wandering the aisles, looking at every product on the shelf. You never know what you may discover. I ended up in the refrigerated section and noticed the Kelp Noodles. I've seen other recipes using them, but have been hesitant to try them. As I put a couple packages into my hand cart, I immediately thought of the homemade chicken broth and chicken in my fridge. I could make chicken noodle soup! Yum! It's a basic recipe. I didn't add much seasoning to the soup, since I had cooked the chicken in the crockpot with plenty of seasoning and made the chicken broth from the leftover cooking liquids, bones and veggies). You could definitely add more seasoning, if you have plain cooked chicken. I also think minced garlic and/or ginger would also taste great. After making this soup, I plan on creating some other recipes around kelp noodles. They're actually quite tasty and add a really great dimension to the soup. 

Easy Paleo Chicken Noodle Soup 

Serves: 4

Rating: 9.5 clubs

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade

4 carrots, peeled and diced

4 celery stalks, diced

1 onion, diced

2-3 cups diced/shredded chicken (I made a whole chicken in the crock pot)

1 12 oz. package of kelp noodles (see note below)

1 t. poultry seasoning

1 t. garlic powder

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat the chicken broth to a boil over medium high heat in a large sauce pan. Add in veggies. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are soft/tender. Add in the cooked chicken and seasonings. After following the directions on the kelp noodle package, add them to your soup. Stir everything together and allow noodles to heat through (about a minute). Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

Note: Kelp noodles can be found in the refrigerated sections at Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage and many other specialty/health food stores around the country. I buy Sea Tangle brand. 

This is a pretty light soup, but great for a cold winter's day. It could be served with a side salad, Paleo crackers, or Paleo biscuits (I make them with coconut oil instead of butter). 

Questions: What are your favorite soups? Do you prefer broth-based or creamy soups? I grew up loving creamy soups. I still like creamy soups, because they're comforting and hearty. I really like my Chicken minestrone soup (yet to be written) and Creamy Tomato Soup with Spinach and Grass-fed Ground Beef.