homemade asian goodness

I tweeted about this scrumptious dinner the other night and had lots of requests for the recipe from some of my Facebook friends, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it on my blog! 

The recipe actually is modified from the one in the Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. I add a lot of veggies to it and cook it completely differently than they do. So it's a modification of their recipe which I think seems to be more like something you'd get at a Thai restaurant! Add to it's deliciousness is the fact that it's totally gluten, dairy and egg free. 

The dressing is Creamy Ginger from the same cook book, but I added just a wee bit more agave nectar. It tastes almost exactly like the dressing you get at a Japanese steakhouse. In fact right now I am eating some chopped up collard greens drowned in it. I think a good motivator for me to eat more raw greens is a darn good dressing... I can't lie. 

So here you go - those two recipes... Let me know if you try them and like them, cause I adore them both! I've made the thai curry many times but this is my first time for the dressing. 

Thai Chicken Curry w/ Vegetables

(adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre, MS, CN)

1lb chicken breast
handful of mushrooms, sliced
1 small red pepper
basil leaves (handful or so)
sweet potato, peeled, diced, and boiled
carrots, sliced thin

Sauce:
1 can coconut milk
4 small shallots, peeled
1 stalk lemongrass, ends trimmed then chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 TBSP chopped fresh ginger
2 TBSP Thai fish sauce (smells like feet, but critical)
1 TBSP wheat-free tamari
3 TBSP organic unsalted cashew butter
2 TBSP cane sugar or agave nectar
1 TBSP curry powder
1 tsp crushed red chili flakes
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp white pepper

Dice and saute chicken until cooked through in oil, salt and pepper, or braise in a little chicken broth until reduced. Add vegetables (EXCEPT for the BASIL) and saute a little but do not overcook.

Add all sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, about one minute.

Pour sauce over chicken and vegetables and add basil. Simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes.

Serve with cooked quinoa or brown rice.

Creamy Ginger Salad Dressing
(adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre, MS, CN)

1/2 cup chopped celery
3 TBSP chopped ginger
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil
3 TBSP brown rice vinegar
3 TBSP tamari
2 TBSP water
1 TBSP maple syrup or agave nectar (I added more than this - maybe an add'l TBSP)
1 tsp organic ketchup
1/8 tsp celery seed

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Serve with a nice salad! :)

So there ya go friends. Asian heaven from your kitchen. Gluten free, dairy free, and egg free!