Monday, January 16, 2012

Thai Coconut Shrimp


I have made a discovery in the last week.

Carbs. Are. Good.

Carbs make me happy. Carbs give me energy. Carbs help my brain process what you are saying to me quick enough for me to respond somewhat coherently.


Take away my carbs and life gets pretty bleak. Suddenly TV shows seem a bit sadder. I have a harder time concentrating on my books (gasp!), and I get a bit snappier.

Why do I know this? Because the very last three weeks of this crazy program I'm on has you do what's called "carb cycling." It basically consists of three days of very low carb days and then one high carb day. Essentially it's supposed to trick your metabolism and burn fat quickly. I'm one week in and have definitely noticed a difference, I'm starting to see lines and toning where I never have before, which is exciting, but it's been tough. While things like this might be okay to do short term I also recognize that it's probably not a good way to live consistently, at least not for me. If I've learned anything this last year, it's that balance really is the key, as well as finding happiness in food. Luckily I only have two weeks left and I'll be back to a balanced clean diet.

But, speaking of enjoying your food, you have got to try this shrimp dish. I served this to my friend who after finishing declared that she felt like she just ate at a restaurant. The sauce is my favorite part, it's rich and so flavorful, it's just delicious with the shrimp, veggies and noodles. If you can find them, I think this is best with whole wheat soba noodles, otherwise whole wheat spaghetti is just fine.



Thai Coconut Shrimp
Best of Clean Eating, by Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

8 oz dry brown rice noodles, or pasta of your choice
2 cups broccoli florets
2/3 cup light coconut milk (shaken to combine)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons natural peanut butter with sea salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon of Stevia, Splenda or sugar, or to taste
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 cup bean sprouts
24 medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed under cold running water

Directions

Bring two medium pots of water to a boil over high heat. In one pot, cook pasta according to package directions, then rinse with hot water to ensure pasta doesn't get sticky when left to stand. Fluff pasta with your fingers or a fork to further de-clump noodles, then set aside. In the second pot of boiling water, add broccoli, cover, turn heat down to ow and simmer for five minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, add coconut milk, tomato paste, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and lime juice. Use a fork or whisk to thoroughly combine.

Simmer coconut mixture, bell pepper and bean sprouts in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat for five minutes, stirring often to prevent clumping. Add shrimp and cook for another two minutes, then flip shrimp over and continue to cook for a final minute.

Toss noodles and broccoli with coconut-shrimp mixture and serve piping hot.

1/2 cup pasta, 6 shrimp, 1 cup veggies, 3 tablespoons sauce
338 cal, 9g fat, 48g carb, 6g fiber, 2.5g sugar, 20g prot

25 comments:

Leslie said...

I have come to realize I just can't live without carbs!!! Love this dish!

Erica said...

Yah-i totally couldnt do that! This combo sounds awesome! Im a huge coconut milk fan!

Julie said...

It looks delish, and I agree...carbs are our friends :)

Drifter said...

Very great news! Shrimp and coconut, it couldn't be better and looks so delish. I also heard that real butter is better than margarine and some of the healthy food may not be healthy! Don't know what or who to believe so just let your body do the talking! It's all about moderation after all.

Anonymous said...

I agree - that isn't a lifestyle I could live with for the rest of my life!

And as luck would have it - I have all the ingredients to make this dish!! Woot!

The guy who sent me the Zero Scale that you may have seen around blog land? He said that if I just followed his Paleo diet for 3 weeks my diabetes will be cured.

Um, pretty sure my pancreas doesn't work anymore and by me eating steak and not having whole grains isn't going to kick start it again!

Pam said...

I love carbs too. This dish looks flavorful, healthy, and oh so delicious!

chow and chatter said...

great recipe and man I couldn't give up carbs

beti said...

such a great combination of flavors! the recipe is great

Val said...

HOLY MOLY!!!! You had me at coconut shrimp.

Sophia Lee said...

I 100% approve of your discovery. I always tsk and shake my head when I hear my friends shunning carbs. Do they not want to be happy?

Liz said...

This looks so good, I am so in love with Clean Eating Magazine.

I am happier with carbs too!

The Blonde Duck said...

Could you do it with tilapia? I'll allergic to shrimp!

I used to lift really heavy, but it's just too hard on my joints now. My new goal is to have fun!

Cathy said...

You are amazing, Theresa. I have so much admiration for how disciplined you are. This dish truly looks delicious.

Mary Bergfeld said...

This is a wonderful dish. I eat a diet that is very low in fat and high in carbs and it works for me. I try not to look to closely at my image in the mirror:-). I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Katy ~ said...

LOVE my carbs! This dish looks so good on so many levels. YUM YUM

I am so proud of you for success!

Joanne said...

I could never ever go low carb by any normal person's standards...but I've been eating a lot LOWER carb by my own! It makes those occasional carbs all the more delicious.

With this coconut shrimp recipe, I wouldn't even MISS the carbs! So much flavor.

Taste and Tell said...

I definitely don't do well without carbs. And this dish looks SOOO good!!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

This looks so good! And yes I am a carb lover (and needed) myself.

Victor said...

I totally agree with carbs, without it I can't do my daily exercise. Using coconut milk in seafood is definitely my favourite combo.

Velva said...

Balance is good. Carbs are good too.

Congrats for all your weight achievements this past.

Thai coconut shrimp dish looks delicious.

Velva

Chris said...

This diet sounds like the macro and micro cycle training programs I used to do for road biking. Coincidentally, I also ate a lot of carbs then:)

Shelby said...

This looks DELISH and I am definitely going to make it...I wonder if the Silk Coconut Milk can be subbed for the light coconut milk...what do you think? Pinning this one!

Barbara said...

I've never heard of carb cycling, Teresa. Sounds like a good plan to me! This looks marvelous!

Drifter said...

Tonight I finally made the Thai Coconut Shrimp! It was really yummy and I will cook it for ladies night dinner!

Lynn said...

This looks delicious!