Recipe Review: Ali and Tom’s Thai Coconut Fish Sticks and Peanut Dipping Sauce

I’m sure most of you are familiar with Ali and Tom from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. They always have the greatest recipes for those with food allergies and I love reading their posts. I’d been dying to make these since the day I saw the recipe here and finally did. They were so good! Of course, these aren’t made exactly the same (but pretty close) as I used what I had on hand (ie. the frugally rich way, of course! :))



Thai Coconut Fish Sticks à la Ari :)

1.5-2 lbs skin-less fish (I used cod)

1/4 c. cornstarch/tapioca flour/arrowroot starch

1 t. sea salt

2 eggs

2 T. milk (or dairy-free alternative)

2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes

Organic Spectrum Palm Shortening Oil (used since I was out of coconut oil) or Coconut Oil (prefer)

If your fish is frozen, defrost them first carefully in the microwave. Next, cut up the fish into sticks. In a small bowl, mix the starch and salt together. Roll each stick in the starch and then into an egg wash (I used 2 eggs and 2 T. milk). After that, roll the stick in shredded coconut. Place each stick in a warm frying pan (medium heat) with plenty of melted oil (you can start with a few tablespoons). Cook thoroughly on both sides. If your fish falls apart easy, you know it’s done! :)  ***FOR MORE BREADING IDEAS, SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST :) ********



Peanut Sauce à la Ari

1/4 c. natural peanut butter or other nut butter or sunbutter

2 T. lime juice

water (the original recipe calls for 1/2 c.)

garlic and salt as desired (I omitted the garlic as I’m intolerant)



First off, I am going to recommend doing this a little different then the original recipe suggests because of what happened when I followed the directions (really liquid/watery  sauce.) So, I suggest that you make this with the 1/4 c. peanut butter as stated in the original recipe, BUT then add the water and lime juice one tablespoon at a time until you get your desired consistency. Also, you might want to add the lime juice in teaspoonful amounts as I found the lime flavor a little overbearing, but maybe that’s just me. Add garlic and salt to taste. Dip your fish sticks in and enjoy every little bite!

Looking for more breading ideas??? Look no further......:)



I also experimented with using crushed corn flakes (first picture) and oat flour* with curry powder.

To do so yourself, follow the same directions as above, except omit coconut and roll in crushed corn flakes (or oat flour* with your desired ratio of curry powder.) Tada. Easy. :) And more variety for you to boot! :) I do have to admit though, my favorites were the coconut ones! But I also shared these with a neighbor (who follows SAD-standard american diet ;)) and she loved all of them, but especially the curry ones. :) So I'm sure it is just your personal preference! :)

*Use GF oat flour if needed.

PS. I tried some of these with flounder but thought that cod was much tastier! :) (again, probably personal preference...)

Simple Homemade Tomato Soup

One day, I was really craving tomato soup. I wanted grilled cheese and tomato soup, just like my mom used to make. Only, I knew I couldn’t just open a can of tomato soup like Mom. Too much stuff in there I didn’t want to eat. So, I had an idea…what about tomato paste? And this is my  results…..it isn’t really even a recipe…but it tastes great and is just as quick/ quicker as the original idea….and frugal too! ;)

 

So, how do you do it? Simply take some tomato paste and add water or milk (or non-dairy milk) to thin it out to your desired consistency.Add spices and serve with your favorite meal! :) 

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (in the Crockpot!)

This is very frugal and very good! :)

This is my mom’s chicken soup recipes except I made it in the Crockpot. :)  First, I cooked the chicken in the Crockpot by placing it and water in the pot for several hours on low. Then when it was cooked, I drained the broth and saved it for the soup. I used the chicken for the soup its self. Then I cut up carrots (and celery-you can tell I was almost out at the time…:) ) and placed the carrots, celery, chicken, and broth back into the Crockpot. I let that cook on high for about 3-4 hours….or how ever long it took. After that was done, right before I wanted to serve it, I added the noodles (or/and I’ve done rice in the past). I let it cook for about 10 more minutes and voila! Dinner is served! :) This is especially great this time of year when it seems like everyone is getting sick (myself :( included). For an even more nutrient dense broth and frugal too, you can also add the chicken bones to the pot. The only reason I didn’t was because I didn’t have bone-in chicken this time…although I plan to in the future because it is cheaper and I also can use the bones to make nutrient-dense broth! :)

Here are mom’s ingredients……and then just follow what I mentioned above

2 medium carrots, sliced (1 c.)

2 medium stalks celery, sliced (1 c.)

1 c. uncooked noodles (GF/whole wheat) OR 1/2 c. brown rice OR 1/2 c. noodles and 1/4 c. brown rice

1 sm. onion, chopped (1/4. c.) (optional-I didn’t include it since unfortunately my body detests onions)

Chicken amount depends on how much you want. I used about a cup or so of shredded (it does that itself when cooked in water for a long time) chicken. For me that was approximately 1-2 chicken breasts (depending on the size.)

Enjoy! Serve with muffins, such as these! :) Mmmm, my favorite……soup and muffins for dinner! :)

Yummy, Homemade Use-what-you-have Pizza

My room mates went out for pizza and I decided since I was staying home, I’d make my own…healthier version with what I had on hand. (yeah-for double frugality! No money spent on going out, no money spent on more food supplies!)

I topped this with some frozen chicken pieces, bits of pineapple, frozen shredded cheddar cheese, and parmesan. Feel free to top it with whatever you have on hand (and can eat :)).

It was really yummy…soft, bread like, dough. It was very thick. I think next time I might split it into two pizzas.
 

No Rise Pizza and Crust – adapted from this recipe

 

Ingredients:

1 T yeast
1 C warm water

1 tsp. honey/agave
1 tsp. salt
2 T olive oil
2.5 C whole wheat flour or some other (GF flour) combo

Prepare the crust by mixing warm water, honey,and yeast in a small bowl. Allow yeast mix to sit for about 5 minutes.  Then add the oil and stir. After that add the flour and salt. 

Next knead the dough for a few minutes with your hands (or alternatively a kitchen aid/bread maker), then let it sit for 5 mins while you grease your pizza pan and gather the ingredients for the toppings.

Take the dough and put it on the center of the pan…stretch it out slowly until it covers the entire pan. Top it with your favorite sauce (I used straight tomato paste) and toppings.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is done and the toppings (such as cheese) are done.

 

Frugal, Filling, and Hearty Carrot Soup

The other week I noticed I had some carrots that were in dire need of use! I didn’t want to waste them so I decided to make something with them. I found a recipe for carrot soup and then modified it to fit my needs and what I had on hand. The original recipe doesn’t advise to use “older carrots” but I found it worked just fine.  It was delicious and so filling. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a soup this filling before! :)  I would definitely make this again, even with fresh carrots. :)  I like how frugal this recipe is too.

Carrot Soup

Modified by Ari, from this recipe

About +/- 10 carrots (use what you have)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups+ water
1.5 T lemon juice (half a lemon’s worth)
fine grain sea salt (as much as you need)

cinnamon (as much as you want)

and or garlic (again, that’s subjective to you)

Peel, cut, and cook carrots in 3 c. boiling water. After they are soft, add lemon juice, salt, and cinnamon and or garlic. (I used a both- A little garlic gave it more flavor- and the cinnamon heightened the sweetness of the carrots.) Then use a potato masher to mash up the mixture.  If you want a smoother soup, use an immersion blender or if you don’t have that, do as I did and use a regular hand mixer. :) You could also  use a food processor or a blender to do the same thing. After mixing, serve! :)

The original recipe says it serves about four, I would say that is about right. :)

Sloppy Joe Boats

After finishing up my hamburger buns and still having meat left I decided to make a healthy, GF, low carb variation of my sloppy joes!

Viola! Take a leaf of lettuce (like Romaine), add meat, and sprinkle with cheese. Enjoy! :)

Still prefer the bun? Try these.

Mom’s Homemade Sloppy Joes

Mmm…sloppy joes! A classic American favorite. I just recently made my mom’s recipe and I will quote it here with some minor add-ins:

Sloppy Joes

Brown 1 pound hamburger with one diced medium onion.

Add one 6 oz. can of tomato paste,  1 1/4 cup water, and shake in a few shakes of dry diced garlic.

Mix well and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve on hamburger buns.

That's it.  Easy, huh?  Yup, real easy. Real tasty!

This makes enough for our entire family.  (There are 7 of us) Her suggestion (if you are the only one eating it or have less people) is that  you may want to half it and then freeze it in baggies in 1/3 cup portions that you can pull out to eat quickly.  Or you could add it to spaghetti sauce to use it up.

Need a recipe for the buns? Try this one! It works great for hamburgers, sloppy joes, or sandwiches. :)

Mini Chicken Meatloaves!

MINI CHICKEN MEATLOAVES

I was flipping through some recipes I had saved and saw one that sounded really good! Of course, I couldn't just leave it like it was, soooo I Ariana'itzed it! :)

First off, I didn't have any ground turkey or chicken (if you want lean ground turkey or chicken, you have to pay an arm and a leg for it, so I never buy it. ) Instead I make my own.

How to make ground chicken or turkey in three easy steps:

First off, I used chicken breast that I half-defrosted and then cut into chunks.

2. Then I pureed it into

ground turkey in my food processor.

3. Put it all together. In the end, I ended up with about two cups of ground turkey. (I tried to

weigh it but my scale wasn't working.) Use it for this recipe or freeze for later use :).

Sorry if those pics are kind of unappetizing but it is so worth it in the end :)

The finished product, well, before cooking :)

Mini Chicken Meatloaves!

Yield: 1 Dozen Mini "Muffin" Size Meatloaves :)

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts (pureed into ground turkey)

1/2 c. chopped carrot (sneak some good veggies in there- your kids won't even notice)

1/2 c. breadcrumbs (I used GF ones I saved from my bread every time crumbs fall off and then put it in the freezer for future use)

1/2 c. sugar-free ketchup + (see my sugar-free recipe on that link :))

1 egg

1 t. marjoram

1 t. salt

sprinkle pepper

Preheat oven for 350. Mix all the ingredients. Distribute evenly into 12 muffin cups (about 3/4 full). Squirt ketchup on the top and place in the oven for 35 minutes. Enjoy!

See this and other entries here at the Simply Indulgent Carnival. Give it a shot! This weeks giveaway is perfect for the coming holidays! A $25 Amazon gift card!

Easy Beansy Black Bean Soup

I almost called this post easy peasy but I thought, hey easy beansy is more appropriate right? :)

Anyway, with my corn bread, I made a simple nourishing (and inexpensive) soup my aunt taught me to make. It is so delicious! I had two bowls of it today :). It goes great with the my corn on the cob bread.

Here's the simple recipe. It can be made in a snap especially if you used canned beans or you already have some beans prepared.

Take your cooked beans and place the desired amount in your blender or food processor. Add a little water (about 1/4 c. to one cup of beans) and puree. Add more water if necessary, until you reach your desired consistency. Scoop out puree into a pan, warm, and then serve in bowls. Serve with corn on the cob bread! :) Enjoy!

Pulled Barbeque... Chicken

Just the other night, my family had pulled pork. Like I've mentioned, pork is not one of those foods I can eat. So, spare of the moment, I created this healthier and quite tasty recipe. Feel free to multiply and double this recipe as many times as needed.

Ingredients:

• One large cooked chicken breast


• 2 T. tomato paste


• 2 T. organic refined-sugar free ketchup or make your own


• 2 T. dark agave

Pull chicken into small string-like piece. Combine tomato paste, ketchup, and agave. Toss chicken in the sauce until covered. Warm. Serve over rice or on a gluten-free bun! :)

Simple Chicken Parm Twist

Wow! Mmmm.. Yum. That was all I could think of when I created this recipe. And even better, it tastes very little time to make.

The inspiration? Mom was making some chicken cordon bleu. And you know what? Provolone and ham are both "off" my list of what I can eat but I was definitely in the mood for stuffed chicken of some sort.

......So what did I do? I improvised! I decided to make my own stuffed chicken. Looking around the fridge I saw, "Rice Shreds Mozzarella" and fresh from the garden tomatoes! Perfect! I took a large chicken breast after it was defrosted and pounded out and covered it in corn meal first on one side. Then I took the uncovered side and stuffed it with juicy tomato slices and a handfuls of "cheese". I held it together with toothpicks and sprinkled a little more "cheese" on top. I put into the oven for 30 minutes at 400. Delicious!

For those of you who can tolerate dairy, go ahead and use the real thing! :) And for those of you who can't, leave a comment and let me know your favorite dairy free "cheese".

Oh, and the name? When I was thinking about what I should call this, I thought it was sorta similar to the classic chicken parm I used to love. :)

I posted this recipe for Slightly Indulgent Mondays here.

Homemade Healthy Fish Sticks/Fingers ! :)

Traditional Fish Sticks

Breaded Fish Sticks

What’s in your fish sticks? Are they full of gluten and preservatives? Here’s a recipe I love that’s gluten-less, preservative free, sugar-free, milk-free and simple. It is so much healthier and cheaper too! Plus, the kids will love it! Freeze a bunch in advance for a healthy, quick dinner!

Recipe:

2 skinless fish fillets

1/2 c. corn meal OR 1/2 c.GF bread crumbs

sprinkling of salt, garlic, and pepper (plus any other spices you desire) over the corn meal or bread crumbs

1 egg OR 2 egg whites OR 1/4 c. oil

If frozen, defrost fish fillets. Cut into fish sticks or patties/fillets if you like. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400. Pour 1/2 c. corn meal on a plate with spices. Mix spices and cornmeal together and spread out evenly on a plate. Prepare eggs or oil in a bowl. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Dip the fish into the oil or eggs, and then place in the cornmeal mixture, flipping so it gets on bottom of the fish too. Place completed fish sticks on the cookie sheet. After the tray is full, cook for about 10-15 mins or until done. Breaded fish fillets take slightly longer.

Double or triple this recipe and experiment with the exact measurements. This is a rough estimate and it really depends on how big your fillets are etc. Based off my chicken nugget recipe.

Looking for a healthier tarter sauce recipe? See mine here.

Healthy, Delicious, and Simple Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Ever crave those McNuggets? Ever think to yourself, $1 or more for 4 gluten-laden, 56% corn, 38 ingredient,petroleum antioxidant sprayed chicken nuggets isn’t worth it? (Want to read more about what is really in those “nuggets”? Read this. ) Anyway, rather than buy these guys or even those prepared and frozen at the grocery store, try this recipe. It is so much healthier and cheaper too! Plus, the kids will love it! Freeze a bunch in advance for a healthy, quick dinner!

Recipe:

2 skinless chicken breasts

1/2 c. corn meal

sprinkling of salt, garlic, and pepper (plus any other spices you desire) over the corn meal

1 egg OR 2 egg whites OR 1/4 c. oil

If frozen, defrost chicken breasts. Cut into bite-size pieces or strips if you like. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400. Pour 1/2 c. corn meal on a plate with spices. Mix spices and cornmeal together and spread out evenly on a plate. Prepare eggs or oil in a bowl. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Dip the chicken into the oil or eggs, and then place in the cornmeal mixture, flipping so it gets on bottom of the chicken too. Place completed nuggets on the cookie sheet. After the tray is full, cook for about 20 mins. Chicken strips take slightly longer. Nuggets/Strips are done when you can pierce them with a fork and there are no juices or the juices are clear.

Double or triple this recipe and experiment with the exact measurements. This is a rough estimate and it really depends on how big your chicken is etc. Based off this recipe.

My verison of Healthy Indulgences Low Carb GF Fluffy Pancakes

The first time I tried these pancakes I found I wasn’t able to get them to be puffy, taste right, or the right consistency. I learned the hard way, that you definitely need the coconut milk and for me some other alterations. Anyway, after some experimentation, this is what worked for me. I’ve made a few slight changes from Lauren’s recipe here.

Healthy, Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Pancakes

Serves 1, makes about 2 pancakes

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut milk
1 large egg
4-5 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sifted oat flour (made from GF oats)
2 tablespoons sifted coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon stevia powder

Directions:
Heat a nonstick pan. If you don’t have one, grease a pan well. Whisk together the egg, coconut milk, and water. Measure out the amount of flours you need and and sift them. If you don’t have a sifter, you can get one pretty cheap at your local Wal-mart, or just use a whisk and get all the lumps out. Add the rest of the dry ingredients. Whisk together until there are no lumps. The batter should be almost like regular pancake batter, thick but pourable. Add the extra tablespoon of water if it’s still too think. Whisk batter again until there are no longer lumps. Pour about half the batter on top the pan at a time, and cook until bubbles appear on surface of pancake. This may take a few minutes longer than normal. Flip and cook other side for about 30-60 seconds. Serve with Earth Balance, peanut butter, almond butter, or whatever you desire!

Note: I am experimenting with making a chocolate verision of this pancake (hense the darker pancake on the bottom of this pile) but didn’t get it quite right when I made it, it only had a hint of cocoa flavor. I’ll let you know if I figure out how to make a healthy chocolate pancake .

Spagetti avec des oeufs (with eggs)

Want a simple but delicious and filling dinner? I came up with this simple recipe and make this a lot at college. Boil some rice pasta (I used leftover spaghetti and shells). Cook an egg. Place spaghetti over egg. Take prepared pasta sauce and pour it over the top. Add Italian seasoning. Yum!

My Delicious Gluten Free/Lactose Free (optional milk free)/Soy Free/Sugar Free/ (optional egg free) Pizza

Oh boy, what a mouthful! But hey it comes down to this! Allergy-free but yummy Pizza! That has got to be high up there on one of the foods I thought I wouldn’t be able to eat like ever again….or if I did, it would be pretty gross! Not true! I played with a recipe I saw online, and then experimented with the rest of my recipe. One of the great things about this recipe is that it is so easy to change to meet your allergy needs. Only gluten free? Great. Use some “real cheese” and savor it for the rest of us, OK? And you know what!? No matter how you make it, (even with all the ___-free options), it tastes pretty great too!

For the crust:

1/2 c. cornstarch

1/2 c. tapioca flour

1 t. honey

1 t. xanthan gum

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. potato flour

1 t. aluminum-free baking powder

1 to 1-1/2 t. Italian seasoning***

2 T. Earth Balance (or dairy free margarine, butter, etc)

1 egg or 2 egg whites (for egg free see note* below)

1/4 c. rice milk/almond milk/etc (if you’re lucky enough to eat the real stuff, go ahead)

Extra flour and cornmeal**

Start by preheating your oven to 400°. Take a 12 inch round pizza pan and spray it with your choice of cooking oil or grease it with some extra Earth Balance. Sprinkle it with extra flour (I used some brown rice flour) and cornmeal. Set aside. Next, grab a medium-small bowl. Add everything except for the extra flour (I used rice flour), “milk”, and cornmeal. Use a pie pastry cutter if you have one, or a fork if you don’t, to combine the mixture. Combine until you have many tiny balls of dough. Add the egg and “milk” to the mixture, and use your clean hands and a spoon to knead it in and form a ball. Flatten you ball somewhat so that it is now a still thick but flat circle. Take your prepared pan, stick the dough in the center, and carefully use your fingers to stretch the dough, covering the pan. Dough will be pretty thin, about 1/4 inch thick. If you are having trouble, wet your hands to lessen the stickiness of the dough getting on your fingers and to smooth out the dough. Repeat as many times as necessary. Place in the oven for 10-15 mins, depending on your oven. It should look slightly cooked when the time is up.

While that is cooking, take out a can of tomato paste and either thin it out with one can of water mixed with the contents in a blender or for a very strong flavor and thick sauce, leave as is. After that, take your cheese, whether it be dairy free, lactose free, or the real stuff (I used the lactose free cheese with the tiny amount of caisin in it that is reviewed on my site.) and start shredding it or just slicing it or breaking it apart. Check on your pizza. If it looks like it’s starting to cook, use potholders and take it out of the oven. Add your sauce, and cheese, and any other toppings you woud like, and bake it for another 10-15 mins. Pizza is done when the cheese is melted and the crust is slightly brown on the edges. Bonne Appétit!

* For egg-free use egg re placer or ground flax seeds. (1 T. ground flax seeds and 3 T. water stirred together=per egg). I particularly think ground flax seeds would work great in this recipe.

**For those of you who can’t consume corn, or don’t have any cornmeal- leave it out. It’s traditional and adds a tiny bit of texture/flavor, but you won’t be missing out on too much if you leave it out.

***I used all Italian seasoning because I often have problems with onions (1/2 t. was called for in the original recipe), and I didn’t have any dried rosemary leaves on me. (1/2 t. was called for in the original recipe) Go ahead and try it with those original spices plus the 1/2 t. Italian seasoning if you like. And although I love spices, the red pepper in 1-1/2 t. of Italian seasoning was a tiny bit too hot for my tastes, but hey I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to “hot”. So if you try it with just Italian seasoning, feel free to use the whole amount or more. Also, the sauce is plain because the crust has so many spices in it!

Let us know how your version turns out and what your favorite toppings are! And if you know a good dairy free cheese, let us all know! Any questions or comments are welcome also! Have fun! I’m thinking pizza and a movie night, aren’t you?