Clara's Cooking | Shrimp & Zucchini in Almond Sauce

Shrimp & Zucchini in Almond Sauce

YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ_QXqVtmwM

Ingredients:

3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise then chopped

1/4 onion, sliced

1/2 cup almond butter 

(I use Trader Joe’s brand)

1/3 cup milk (I use coconut milk or skim, depending on how creamy I would like the sauce)

1 TBSP lime juice

1/2-1 TBSP fresh ginger, 

peeled and minced

1 TBSP minced garlic

30-40 medium cooked shrimp, defrosted

Olive oil (1-2 TBSP)

Crushed red pepper (optional)

Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Defrost cooked shrimp if needed.

2. Heat olive oil in pan, cook zucchini and onion.

3. While vegetables are cooking, use a fork to mix almond butter, milk, lime/lemon juice, ginger, and garlic. Use fork to mash the almond butter, and when the consistency is more fine, use a whisk to further mix the sauce.

4. Taste sauce, add salt and pepper as desired. Mix well.

5. Add shrimp and sauce to pan and mix with vegetables. Taste sauce again and add crushed red pepper if desired.

6. Allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes so sauce won't burn. Enjoy alone or with 

Tips:

If you dislike ginger, consider using soy sauce and/or onion powder instead.

If you don't have lime juice, may substitute lemon or calamondin juice.

To make Whole30 compliant, replace the milk with water or a compliant coconut milk or almond milk. Also, make sure your almond butter is compliant and doesn't have any peanut oil!

Consider adding water if sauce seems too thick, in 1/4 cup increments until you achieved your desired consistency.

Enjoy!

love + light,

Clara

Clara's Cooking | Fried Tofu

I admit that it took me a few tries to get this right. I've learned that to be successful, I must have the following:

1. DRY tofu (absorb as much of the water as possible before cooking)
2. FIRM tofu (otherwise it falls apart)
3. PATIENCE 

Wait, why do I need patience? Because in cooking I feel the need to stir food every few minutes. But - NOPE! Don't do that when frying tofu! Just like with pan frying chicken, it'll get the best brown color if you leave it UNDISTURBED for at least 5-7 minutes. Trust me! 

FRIED TOFU RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1lb tofu (extra firm)
2-3 TBSP olive oil
Garlic powder (at least 1 tsp)
Onion powder (at least 1 tsp)
Salt & black pepper

Directions:

1. Drain the tofu and gently squeeze it with paper towels. 
2. With a sharp knife, cut into 1/2 slices. Gently pat again to soak away any remaining water.
3. Season both sides of tofu with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
4. In a pan (I like the ceramic lined pans from Aldi), heat olive oil on medium-high.
5. Place tofu gently in pan, and space at least 1/3 inch apart (each slice needs sufficient airflow to evenly and to prevent from sticking to each other).
6. Let tofu cook, UNTOUCHED, for at least 5-7 minutes. You'll know it's time to flip them when you see a brown crust appear along the bottom edges.
7. Flip the tofu to cook the other side, leave untouched 4-6 minutes. The second side will take about 1-2 minutes less than it took the first side to cook. Enjoy!

Tips:

- Enjoy these in any kind of stir fry, or even in just a quick snack on their own! I sometimes like to eat these with a spicy chili sauce or coconut amigos (like soy sauce).

- Don't be afraid to experiment with spices! You could try curry powder, turmeric, nutmeg, etc.! Just go EASY on the spices at first, as tofu itself typically has a mild taste.


Enjoy!

love + light,
Clara