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Vietnamese Turmeric Fish (Chả Cá)

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  Chả Cá is a fish dish originating from north Vietnam.  Tumeric marinated fish is grilled table-side, which was always fun for me as a kid.  The fish is served with rice noodles, peanuts, and plenty of dill!  All these great flavors combine to make a delicious, yet light, bowl of savory, crunchy, satisfying goodness!  For our last visit to Houston, I had my mom teach me how to make this dish.  Here's her version: Ingredients: 4 monk fish or catfish fillets, cut in 1" pieces 1 tbs. rice flour 2 tbs Greek yogurt 1-2 tsp ground tumeric 1 inch galangal, ground in a mortar and pestel (or mustard powder) 1 tbs vegetable oil 1/2 tsp. shrimp paste (mam tom) 3 green onions, white parts smashed (save greens parts as below) Marinated for at least 4 hrs.  Bake at 400 for 5-8 minutes or until browned.  Fry in oil with  1 cup fresh dill 1 cup green onion, cut in 1" long slices until fish is crisp, about 2-3 minutes.  Serve with: Black sesame chips (banh trang) Vermicelli noodles Roast

Whole30 Thai-style Green Curry

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I’d gotten some amazing produce and meat from my Farm to Table produce box. Summer squash, purple and yellow small potatoes, ground beef from 44Farms, amongst tons of other things. And farm boxes and Whole30 always turns up my cooking creativity.  There are so many hashes on Whole30 but hashes start to bore me. So I made this Thai style green curry instead.  Ingredients 1 yellow onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 summer squash, any color, thinly sliced 1 lb ground beef 1/2 can coconut milk 3 tbs compliant green curry  Avocado oil Salt and pepper Directions Sauté yellow onions in a large, tall sided pan or wok over medium-high heat in avocado oil for 3-5 minutes or until softened  Add minced garlic and cook for additional 1 minute. Add summer squash and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until softened, stirring every few minutes, for 5-8 minutes.  Add coconut milk and green curry. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.  Serve over cauliflower rice or white rice if not Whole30

Labor Day BBQ on Whole30

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St. Louis style Whole30 spare ribs Dry rubbed a rack of pork ribs with: 1/4 c. Smoked paprika 1 tbs Onion powder 1 tbs Garlic powder 1/2 tsp Cayenne powder 1 tbs Salt 1 tbs Pepper Lemon rind Grilled in aluminum pan covered in foil with 3/4 c water +1/4c ACV for 2 hrs at 300F,  Then removed and grilled on grill with homemade no sugar BBQ sauce.  The literally fell apart on me when I tried to flip. Served with shredded Costco bag mix and Tessamae AvoRanch dressing 🤤😋 Homemade No Sugar BBQ sauce  https://40aprons.com/whole30-bbq-sauce-2/ 1 Tbs Ghee 1 c chopped onion 4 cloves minced garlic 1/2 c. Chopped dates coated in coconut flour ( Bard Valley Natural Delights Premium Chopped Medjool Dates) 4 Oz tomato paste 1 tbs Paprika 1 tsp mustard powder 1/4 c Coconut aminos Water  4 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar *I also had 2 very ripe figs I chopped and added Heat ghee in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes Add rest of ingredients. Stir and simm

Whole30 Quick Breakfasts

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Whole 30 quick b-fast:  Hard boiled egg plus Everything but the Bagel seasoning, fresh fig, Applegate bacon, water and/or tea/black coffee

Visit to Boggy Creek Farmstand

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My husband and son picked out pretty flowers for me and I picked out some groceries, then son played in some dirt next to chickens, then we (probably broke a rule 😬) and played pretend on some small Kubota farm equipment. It was a nice morning to visit  https://www.boggycreekfarm.com/  .  I also got 2 beautiful handmade ceramic cups (along with local ground beef, green eggplant, honeycomb, red jalapeño, coffee, pastries and sparkling water)

Whole30 compliant gỏi tôm thịt (Vietnamese summer salad with shrimp and chicken)

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Shredded cucumbers, carrots, cantaloupe, red onion, cooked shrimp(also did half of the shrimp ceviche-style and marinated in lime and lemon juice) and shredded rotisserie chicken, pistachios with a dressing of nước chấm (fish sauce, minced jalepeños, minced garlic, salt and pepper). Some cilantro for garnish and ate with Trader Joe’s grainless cassava & coconut chia chips which were a pretty good substitute for the more traditional rice crackers  Inspired by frommaggiesfarm   http://frommaggiesfarm.blogspot.com  melon shrimp ceviche IG post and Andrea Nguyen’s VFAD smashed cucumber salad recipe  https://www.amazon.com/Vietnamese-Food-Any-Day-Recipes/dp/0399580352