GF, Vegan & Body Ecology PAD THAI & CHOCOLATE!!!

If you’ve never experienced a Northwoods thunderstorm blowing in over the lake, you’re truly missing an awe-inspiring experience.

ominous

Today, after we got back from a gorgeous, church in the pines, a BIG storm blew in over the water. It was breathtaking — the dark clouds ominously rolled in and blanketed the sky until you couldn’t see the other side of the lake! And then, the wind started whipping through the pines, followed by just sheets of rain. House-shaking, rumbling thunder humbles you as you watch the waves crash against the dock and the shore. Powerful and mighty Nature at its finest.

It’s days like today that make you want to curl up, watch a chick flick the golf tournament with your dad, and drink hot chocolate! Well — hot chocolate was a definite no thanks to the Body Ecology Diet. However — I did do a little experiment…that turned out quite nicely! I made BODY ECOLOGY CHOCOLATE!!

GF, Vegan, Body Ecology CHOCOLATE! ((sugar-free!))

It’s not that photogenic. But it is amazing! The taste is like a SUPER dark bar — not milk chocolate AT all. But, it satisfied my chocolate craving.

I melted down 2 squares of an organic,unsweetened chocolate baking bar. I did this by microwaving it in 30 second increments and stirring in between. I then added a dropper full of pure stevia extract. I “smooshed” this mixture between 2 pieces of parchment paper, sprinkled with powdered stevia, and set it in the fridge for about 10 minutes. I only ate a tiny piece, just to see how my body reacted, and it was fine. So then, I took a plain millet cracker, and made an almond butter/chocolate sandwich — it was magnificent:)

You know what else was magnificent?

Dinner tonight.

fantastic asparagus, broccoli and red peppers!

Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Friendly, Sugar Free & Peanut-Free PAD THAI!!!

what a plate!!!

Let me first preface this by addressingmy new food allergies. If you remember, I had an Igg food panel done, and it found that I was allergic to: Wheat, Egg Yolks, Tomatoes, Almonds, Cashews, Yeast, Green Peas, Coconut, Ginger, Black Walnuts, Pineapple, Green Beans, and Pinto Beans. I have been taking allergy drops for 5 weeks now, so I have started to slowly introduce these foods back into my diet. So far… I’ve done almonds and cashews. A-OK. I also recently tried egg yolks…and they gave me issues. My allergy was more severe to the yolks than to the other foods (minus black walnuts), so it doesn’t surprise me I still had a reaction. So tonight, in the Pad Thai, I added in GINGER! (I’ll still be taking the drops for months, but can slowly add foods in).

bright, fresh, and nutty sauce!

Now, back to the phenomenal PAD THAI!! Here’s what you need:

buckwheat noodles
red pepper, diced
6 stalks of asparagus, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups of broccoli florets, steamed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 green onions, chopped, divided dark and white/light green
cilantro, chopped
almonds and cashews, chopped

Sauce:
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp veg stock — soy sauce/tamari is traditional, but not on the BED
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp EVOO
1/4 C + 1 Tbsp brazil nut / hazelnut butter (homemade) — can sub any nut butter — peanut butter is traditional
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp curry powder (usually thai curry paste — but it’s the Northwoods)
7-8 drops pure liquid stevia

1/4 -1/2 cup reserved pasta water

Prepare all your veggies and sauce. (This meal has intensive prep, but comes together quickly at the end). First, steam your broccoli, when it is tender, shock it in ice water, drain, and then set aside. Then, in a big frying pan, saute your onion in 1 tsp EVOO, salt and pepper. Once its softened, (about 5 minutes), add in your asparagus. Let it cook for about 3 minutes, and then add in your bell pepper, garlic and ginger. Allow them to cook for about 3 minutes, and then add in your broccoli. Stir until it’s warmed through, about a minute. Then add in your cooked pasta, sauce, whites/light greens of the green onions, and reserved pasta water. Stir to coat all the noodles and veggies. Garnish with cilantro, green onion tops, and chopped almonds & cashews! DIG IN & LOVE YOUR LIFE!!

want a bite?? :)

This Pasta. I was literally jumping around the kitchen at how DOGGONE FANTASTIC it was! The flavor of this dish absolutely explodes in your mouth. There was salty, sweet, spicy and sour all dancing around on your palate! The salty nut butter, the sweet stevia, spicy curry & ginger, and sour lime & apple cider vinegar! Those flavor profiles, paired stupendously with the bright, fresh cilantro and the slight bite from the green onions. And the garlic flavor provided a magnificent backdrop.

GF, Vegan, BED-Friendly & Peanut-Free PAD THAI!!!

And then the textures!! The buckwheat noodles were chewy, while the red peppers were sweet and crunchy! The broccoli was tender, while the almonds and cashews gave a serious crunch factor! All the elements were blanketed in a luxuriously rich and creamy sauce that got in all the nooks and crannies of the noodles and broccoli “tree tops.” A truly fabulous dish!

a mound of healthy, organic veggies!

And my parents?? They absolutely LOVED it — licked their plates — andraved that this was my best BED meal yet.

This just goes to show that even if your diet has CRAZY INSANE restrictions, you still can make CRAZY INSANE delicious dishes. It just takes a little creativity, a little experimentation, and a little courage:)

I made my nut butter using my amazing food processor. It's my best friend:) hah!