Hey friends and happy Wednesday!
So sorry for the mix up on Monday’s post: the audio on the YouTube video was all over the place — to the point of being unwatchable. So I took both the blog post and the video down and re-edited. But it’s up now, and ready to be watched!
And it’s a great segway, becauuuuuse, on that What I Eat in a Day video, TONIGHT’S AMAZING RECIPE is in the video!!
This Keto Shrimp Pad Thai is truly one of my FAVORITE things to eat recently. It’s one of my pregnancy cravings. And we’ve had this three times in the past two weeks!
First of all, THE SAUCE is literally good enough to bathe in. Seriously, I’m trying to find ways to put this sauce on anything and everything. It’s nutty, it’s sweet and has wonderful umami, and has a tiny bit of heat. It’s perfection.
BUT THE NOODLES! So traditionally pad thai is made with rice noodles, but since I am on the Specific Carb Diet (SCD), rice is strictly prohibited. It’s literally enemy of the state #1.
WELL. I recently discovered these SCD friendly noodles that TRULY are indistinguishable from rice noodles. And that’s according to my Filipino husband. So take that as a credible source!!
They’re made out of hearts of palm. Which…please don’t run the other way at that thought. You see, 99.99% of the ways the people have ever experienced hearts of palm is pickled from a can in this very…rather unpleasant brine of sorts. BUT the way THESE noodles are made is from pure hearts of palm the vegetable. Not pickled, not flavored. Not anything. Just pure, unadulterated hearts of palm.
They are carb-free, and are incredibly slurpy and twirly and they hold up amazingly. Steven truly says they are just as good, if not better than rice noodles. Not only in taste, but because you can eat two helpings of pad thai and not feel that heavy, bloated feeling that often comes with rice noodles.
So this is the brand that I used. They also have hearts of palm lasagna noodles and hearts of palm rice. So you better believe that I’m going to be whipping up some interesting recipes with those too!!
And actually I just ordered their variety pack off of Amazon…which has the linguini, lasagna noodles, angel hair, and rice. So there you go.
OK! Let’s get onto the recipe!
This Shrimp Pad Thai is Specific Carb Diet friendly, Paleo, Gluten Free and Dairy Free!
Here’s What You Need (Serves 2)
1 lb shrimp – tails removed, deveined, shelled
2 packages Palmini linguini noodles
1 Red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 large carrots, sliced into thin strips
3 green onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup frozen green peas
3 eggs, beaten
Garnish:
Chopped cashews or peanuts
Fresh cilantro
Tops of green onion, sliced
Sauce:
4 Tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce or tamari for non-SCD)
5 Tbsp coconut sugar (or raw honey – we’ve used both, and slightly prefer the coconut sugar)
2 Tbsp Tamarind paste (or rice vinegar for non-SCD)
1/8 tsp thai chili powder (or 1 Tbsp Sriracha for non-SCD)
2 heaping Tbsp creamy peanut butter
Tools:
Wok or largest nonstick skillet you have
Good chef’s knife
Strainer/colander
Measuring cups/spoons
Directions:
Prep all your ingredients ahead of time, as well as mix your sauce ingredients together, because the cooking process is fast, it helps to have everything ready to go when you need it!
*Be sure to rinse and drain your Palmini noodles thoroughly under cold water.
In a large wok or skillet, heat about 2 Tbsp EVOO. Cook your shrimp for 3 minutes per side over medium-high heat, until fully cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
In that same pan, add another Tbsp or two of EVOO. Add your carrots, bell pepper, and green onions and saute for about 3 minutes. Then add your garlic, and let that cook for another 2 minutes. Finally, add your peas, and stir to mix them all together for about 30 seconds.
Push everything to one side of the skillet, and on the open side, add your beaten eggs to the pan. With a silicone spatula, scramble the eggs until cooked through. Once scrambled, mix to incorporate all the other veggies in with the egg.
Add your cooked shrimp back into the pan. Mix to incorporate.
Add your noodles to the pan. Top with the sauce, and carefully stir it all together to ger your beautiful pad thai!
(I like to let it sit for 2 minutes so the flavors really get into the noodles and they marry properly.)
To serve, plate your pad thai in a heaping mound, making sure to also include some extra sauce at the end. Garnish with cilantro, green onions and chopped cashews.
OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS! This meal is absolutely out of this world!
Typing this, I’m seriously considering cancelling our dinner reservation and making this instead…it is SO GOOD.
The noodles are super slurpy and have a beautiful chew to them. Truly — they aren’t soggy to mushy like most gluten free noodles. They have a terrific al dante quality to them, and twirl around your fork like a dream!
The shrimp are so perfect with this dish too — they’re the perfect buttery canvas for that nutty, sweet and sour sauce. I am excited to try this with chicken though too.
Although I will admit: cooking with raw chicken scares this new-meat-eater a bit! So far I’ve only ever bought the paleo chicken breasts that are already cooked from behind the Whole Foods hot counter. But for this dish, I may just have to face my uncooked poultry fears!
And the veggies are perfect with this. The sweetness from the red peppers and the carrots, and that pop from the peas — it’s so enjoyable! And the crunchy cashews and fresh cilantro…it’s truly a symphony of flavors! (Also – if you want to be fancy like my husband, you can throw a fried egg on top ? )
A party in your mouth, if you will!
And to think that this is all carb free! (Well, except for the coconut sugar in the sauce LOL!!)
Do yourself a favor and TRY THIS DISH! I have linked all the “non-pantry staples” you may need throughout the post!
Happy cooking, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow!!