Recipe: Mushroom and Snap Peas Stir-Fry with Glass Noodles

Hey, bloggy friends!! I'm sorry I've been MIA lately... It's been one of those low energy weeks.  But I'm back with a DELICIOUS stir-fry recipe inspired by The Parsley Thief's version from a couple years back. I made a few tweaks (as I always do) to match my tastes and the ingredients I had on hand. I also want to share an awesome noodle that has become my saving grace on the Paleo Diet so far:

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Korean Glass Noodles, or Japchae, are made from sweet potato starch, making them a great way to satisfy a persistant noodle craving such as mine.  It's definitely not an every day thing - they are very high in carbohydrates - but it's an awesome treat! These noodles about the same thickness as spaghetti, but are much longer and are traditionally cut up a bit before serving. Also, they have a very slippery, springy texture, making them lots of fun to slurp! Finally, you must cook your glass noodles thoroughly. Al Dente will mean very chewy pasta. You can find these noodles at any Asian market, or at an extremely well stocked (and perhaps high-end) supermarket.

Mushroom and Snap Peas Stir Fry with Glass Noodles

Ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil, separated

1 tsp of sesame oil

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb chicken livers (optional, I just like to sneak them in wherever I can)

Sesame seeds

1 onion, diced

1 16oz pkg of mushrooms, quartered

1 12oz pkg of snap peas, sliced

1 bunch of green onions, sliced and separated

2 tbsp of tamari sauce

1 tbsp of Sriracha sauce

1 tsp honey

1 tsp rice vinegar

1/2 lb of korean glass noodles

Water for boiling noodles

Directions

1. Fill pot with water and a couple tablespoons of salt and set on stove to boil.
2. Add one tablespoon of coconut oil to a deep skillet or wok on medium high heat. When oil is hot, drop in ground beef and livers and cook until browned. Make sure livers are chopped up well and mixed in with beef if you have any leery eaters. Remove meat from pan and set aside.
3. When water is boiling, add noodles. Will cook for about 10 minutes, but taste noodles often to check texture and doneness.
4. Add 2nd tablespoon of coconut oil in your hot pan, along with the sesame oil, and add your onions and mushrooms. Cook until onions are translucent and mushrooms have shrunken. Next add in your snap peas and 1/2 of your green onions. Cook for a couple minutes more.
5. When noodles are done, drain and set colander over empty pot. With kitchen shears, cut noodles roughly until they are easier to manage.
6. Add meat back in your pan, along with the remaining ingredients. Cook for a couple more minutes, until all seasonings are mixed well.
7. To serve, place noodles down first, then stir-fry. Top stir fry with green onions, sesame seeds, and more sriracha, if preferred.

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Chili

(This recipe is a contribution to Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Thursday Link-Up. Please click the link to find more great inexpensive whole food recipes and other homesteading tips)

This Butternut Squash Chili recipe is probably one of the easiest and most satisfying recipes I came up with while on the Whole30 program. There are many variations on this dish you can find on the Internet, but this combo best suited my budget and time restrictions. I can prepare this chili before I go to work in the morning, and its ready to eat by the time I get home. I recently added chicken livers to this recipe because it stretches the meal a bit, and it also adds nutritional value. Feel free to adjust this recipe to your own palate by changing spices, meats, or vegetables.

Ingredients:
1 lbs ground beef (I prefer 80/20)
1/2 lbs chicken livers
1 16oz bag of frozen butternut squash
1 10oz bag of frozen onion and pepper blend
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chili sauce
2 tbsp hot sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cheese, Avocados, Chopped Onions, or whatever else you like to dress your chili with

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef and livers with salt and pepper in slow cooker (if you have a "brown" setting), or in a skillet over medium-high heat
2. If browned in a skillet, return meat to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low setting.
3. Taste chili and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve with preferred toppings and eat up!

Whole30 Update: Delicious Day #22 + Whole30 Approved Shepherd's Pie

(This post signifies my very first link up! I will be linking up with The Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Thursdays from now on. Check her out! She's amazing!)

One of the greatest perks from my Whole30 experience is the new arsenal of scrumptious, healthy recipes! I'm very proud of myself because most of the recipes I have cooked are original (thank you, thank you!)  According to my Hubby, they have all been delicious...but he's a pretty partial judge :)

One of those recipes is what I made us for dinner tonight: Paleo Shepherd's Pie!

Since I have gone through this entire experience and haven't posted a single recipe, I will use the last few days of the program to do so, starting with this awesome make-ahead supper! I literally made this yesterday while watching the premiere of The Taste on Hulu. My new work schedule has me at the office on the same days that my Hubby and I get to have dinner together at home (which is only 3 times a week). That means I get home after Hubby and he's usually starving while I'm just starting dinner. So this week I've cooked meals that are either prepared in the Crock Pot or are make-ahead dinners. Tuesday night was Butternut Squash Chili (I'll DEFINITELY be sharing that recipe soon, it was so easy and delicious!). Tonight we're having the Shepherd's Pie I assembled yesterday on my day off. When I get home, I'll just pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes, and we'll be good to go!

Whole30 Approved Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground beef (the best you can get your hands on)
1 head of cauliflower (trimmed and cut into small florets)
4 cups of broth or water (I used turkey, cause that's what I had. I personally wouldn't use seafood)
1 1/2 cups of carrots, diced (or baby carrots cut into rounds)
1 1/2 cups of green beans, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of roasted garlic
1 tsp coconut flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring broth or water to boil with a good amount of salt in a stock pot and add cauliflower florets. Cook for about 10 minutes or until very tender. Drain cauliflower and, if necessary, let cool.

2. Put roasted garlic in blender with cooked cauliflower and blend until its thick and smooth. Set aside.

3. Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Remove cooked meat with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Add onion, carrots, and green beans into the remaining fat and saute until the onions are translucent and the carrots and green beans are tender.  Add ground beef back to the pan along with the poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and coconut flour. Cook for about 3 more minutes, then take the pan off the burner and allow the filling to cool.

4. After the filling as cooled, pour it into your favorite casserole dish (my 8x8 glass dish seemed to be the right fit for this one. Then spread the cauliflower puree over top and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula or spoon.

5. From here you can either put in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes until the top of the casserole is caramelized, or you can put it in the friidge/freezer and cook when ready. If you are choosing the make-ahead preparation, let the casserole sit on your counter for a couple hours to thaw/take the chill off, then put in a 350 oven for 30-45 minutes until the casserole is heated through and the top is caramelized.

Happy eating!