I’ve been doing a Whole 30 over the last month. Although, I’m not counting this one in my final count, because for the first time ever, I cheated. Yup. The night we got engaged I had champagne, but otherwise kept the food going. I physically (and mentally) felt that set me back, but being a once in a life time occasion, I didn’t want to pass up on a fun celebration with family and friends. I’ve kept it since and would have added days to it, had I not perfectly timed it to end the day before I left for an extended weekend at the beach for one of my best friend’s weddings. Regardless, I feel better for doing what I did! I’ve been playing around with a few new compliant recipes during my time and this one is one I’m excited to share.
Pad thai is one of my go-to take out orders. I love all the different flavors and I never get tired of eating it. I’ve made several take out fake outs that I’ve shared here before: Pineapple Ginger Chicken, Spring Rolls, and Orange Honey Chicken, but have yet to take on my favorite. This is a completely healthified version of pad thai, so don’t expect it to be the same going in. The biggest difference? There are no noodles! The sauce I used is an almond-butter sauce that would be great to use as a dipping sauce for lettuce wraps or spring rolls or as a dressing on any asian-inspired salad. I used chicken in this one, but it would be delicious with shrimp also, or served on it’s own as a veggie-loaded dish. This super easy, Whole 30 & Paleo compliant recipe for zoodles pad thai is below.
INGREDIENTS:
Chicken
- 3-4 chicken breasts
- Olive oil
Sauce
- 1/2 cup of creamy almond butter
- 2 Tablespoons of avocado oil
- 2 Tablespoons of coconut aminos
- 1 Tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
- 1.5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon of ginger
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (adjust based on spice preference)
- 1 lime, juiced
Salad
- 3 medium zuchinnis, spiralized
- 1 cup of shredded carrots
- 1 cup of shredded/thinly sliced red cabbage
- 1 cup of halved snow peas
- 5 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup of cilantro leaves, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
- Start by cooking your chicken. Add 1.5 Tablespoons of olive oil to a pan on medium-plus heat. Cook on one side for one minute, then turn the heat to just under medium, flip the chicken, add a lid to the pan, and set a time for 10 minutes. You can move on to the rest of the steps while it cooks. When the timer goes off, turn the burner off, then let your chicken continue to cook under the lid for 10 more minutes.
- While your chicken is cooking, add salad ingredients to a large bowl and set aside.
- Add sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together until combined.
- Pour sauce over the salad and mix to combine.
- When your chicken is finished, slice and add to the top. Serve with lime wedges.
*Props to my fiance for coming up with this fool-proof plan for easily cooking chicken that doesn’t get too dry. I always thought cooking chicken was such a pain, but thanks to him and this method, I don’t mind it! And I love that I can do other things while it’s cooking.
