This is one of my favourite dishes to make, some chicken, a few veggies and some coconut cream are all that's needed to make this dish. I always make a big batch to give leftovers for a few days – and another lunch option to take into work. This curry is great served with a side of Paleo cauliflower rice.
I used to make this with coconut milk, but I now use coconut cream as it's exactly the same – just not watered down. There are lots of different brands of coconut cream, but my favourite is Ayam. This brand contains just coconut and not guar gum and the other additives which many brands have.
Since my new supply of himalayan salt arrived with a big warning on the outside “this does not contain iodine”, I've been craving salty foods. I'm sure this is psychosomatic, but it has lead to quite a lot of reading about iodine deficiency in the last week.
It does appear to be quite possible to become deficient in iodine when eliminating regular iodised salt and conventionally raised animal products. Apparently they started adding iodine to salt many years ago – and to animal feed, as many people were deficient in the mineral. Iodine plays a crucial role in thyroid function and is an essential mineral. I had quite extensive blood work a couple of months ago but for some reason, despite my thyroid function being tested, iodine levels were not part of the tests. I will get my levels checked out, but in the meantime, I need to make sure I get enough iodine, be it from my diet, or supplements. Kelp Supplements seem to be quite popular, so perhaps they will be a good choice?
Wild caught fish is a good source of iodine, but I don't incorporate this in my diet regularly – this is probably something I need to change. Seaweed is supposed to be an excellent source of iodine, so to that end, I created “Paleo Iodine Wraps” for dinner this evening, using Nori sheets.
The wraps were going to contain beef, but I actually found some fresh turkey today – and it was on sale, so I had to buy it (I've got no idea why it's so hard to find turkey in Australia – it's got such a fantastic nutritional profile!). As you might have noticed I'm quite keen on putting fruit in with savoury dishes, so thought I'd experiment with some apricot to go with the turkey and seaweed flavours. I'm really enjoying coconut aminos at the moment, so I used it to marinate the turkey and beef in.
I cut the turkey and beef into thin strips and let them marinate in the coconut aminos for a few minutes, whilst I prepared the rest of the ingredients.
I cut the onion, capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms and apricots into strips and then stir fried the meat in the coconut aminos and a spoonful of coconut oil.
Once the meat browned off I set it aside, and stir fried the vegetables and apricots in the same oil. I added the salt and some coriander to this and kept the vegetables on the heat for a few minutes.
Whilst the vegetables finished cooking, I cut the lettuce, tomatoes and avocados into strips, since these did not require cooking.
When the vegetables were ready, I assembled all of the ingredients on one edge of the nori sheets, and rolled them until they resembled (paleo!) sushi rolls.
I was pleased with this impromptu dinner and will add it to my list of good foods to make for on the go! I think these would store fine in the fridge overnight, so would be another good option for work lunches – or even as a grab and go breakfast. I really liked the contrast of the seaweed taste with the sweetness of the apricot. I think next time I'll use fish instead of turkey and beef to full embrace a sea theme for this dish – and to get in a bit more iodine!
I've not checked yet, but hopefully if I incorporate Nori a few times a week, I won't have to worry about iodine deficiency.
I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on Iodine intake and deficiency, is this something you actively address in your diet?
I had a big cooking session at the weekend and thought I’d use the leftover chicken I had to make some Chicken Stock. When I have the time to cook I like to make things like stock or bone broth, as I can freeze large amounts and use them as the basis for many dishes over the next two or three months. Stock forms the basis of so many meals, such as soups, sauces, stews and curries. I always separate the stock into small batches before I freeze so I can just defrost the amount I need.There seem to be a lot of different ways of making stock and bone broth. I like to keep mine as uncomplicated as possible as I’d rather add herbs and spices into the meal I use the stock for – not be limited by how I made the stock.
Out of interest, I had a look at the ingredients in the ready-made supermarket Chicken Stocks.
The shop-bought varieties have so many more ingredients than my home-made version. I can’t understand why sugar and flavours need to be added to stock, never mind “vegetable” fat, soy and colours (dare I ask what colour is it before they add the colouring?) I might be wrong, but I’d be surprised if the manufacturers went to the same lengths I do to get good quality free ranged chicken…
I much prefer making my own as it uses up leftovers that could otherwise be wasted – and as it pretty much looks after itself, it isn’t much effort to make at all.
My housemate bought me the best birthday present – an enameled cast iron casserole dish, which I've been itching to try! I had the idea last night to make a curry with one of my favourite ingredients – avocado. I hoped the avocado would work as a creamy base for the chicken curry, which seemed to work well. I love cashew nuts too, so added in a few, which was a good contrast to the texture of the avocados. I think next time I’ll add some more curry powder – I'm always wary of adding in too much!
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil (I'm using Melrose at the moment)
1 pot Tomato Paste
2 Onions (I used one white, one brown), diced
1 Handful of raw Cashew Nuts, roughly chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
1.5 Teaspoons Grated Ginger
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
Salt (I’m using Pink Himalayan Sea Salt)
Half Teaspoon of each Cumin, Cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika
Instructions
I browned the chicken in the coconut oil in the casserole dish; then put it to one side.
I sautéed the onions until soft on a medium heat, and then added in the garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, coconut milk and tomato paste.
I mashed up the avocados and stirred them in. I then added the chicken, spices, seasoning and cashew nuts and left it to simmer on a medium heat for 20 minutes.
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I though it turned out really well, but could have been a bit spicier. I don’t think dinners like this need anything to go with them, but I’m sure it would go well with some cauliflower rice.
This should serve at least four, which means lots of leftovers!
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