Thai Style Larb Salad

This was such a yummy, LOW CARB dinner! I always love Thai food and this is a fun twist on Larb (Minced meat salad from Laos and Thailand). It's healthy, easy and the perfect fresh dinner dish on a summer day. Adapted from this recipe.

Salty Peanuts, creamy avocado and zesty dressing make this salad appetizing and filling.

Salad
1 lb. Ground Turkey
1/4 Red Onion, Finely Chopped
5 Garlic Cloves, Minced
Salt
Pepper
Red Chili Flakes
2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
1/3 C. Fresh Mint, Chopped
1/3 C. Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce, Chopped
1 Avocado, Sliced
1/2 Cucumber, Chopped
1/2 C. Peanuts, Chopped

Dressing
2 Limes, Juiced
3 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
2 Tbsp. Sriracha

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for dressing and set aside. In a bowl, combine the turkey, onions and garlic. Heat coconut oil and add the turkey mixture. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes. Sauté until thoroughly cooked, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add half of the dressing and stir. Once the meat has cooled a bit, stir in the mint and cilantro. Serve on a bed of lettuce with avocado and cucumber, sprinkled with peanuts and more dressing as desired.
Serves 4.

This meal took about 25 minutes to make...from chopping to serving, that's a quick turnaround! Such a light meal, you don't feel guilty for having seconds on dessert later(which I totally did).

Enjoy,
e

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I am not a waffle or pancake person...it's just not my thing. I would choose breakfast burritos or bacon and eggs over syrup covered flapjacks any day; but, when I saw this recipe I was impressed.

#1 It looks SO fun. 

#2 I love cinnamon rolls. 

And those 2 reasons were good enough for me! That and my husband never gets pancakes, so I thought it would be a nice surprise.

My icing was a little lumpy....make sure your cream cheese is room temp!

CINNAMON FILLING:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, just melted
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
(OR just use Bisquick....)

Make the cinnamon filling: In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop into a ziploc bag and set aside.

Prepare the glaze: In a small pan, heat the butter over low heat until melted. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it is almost smooth. Sift the powdered sugar into the pan, stir and add in vanilla extract. Set the pan aside while you make the pancakes.

Prepare the pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk, egg and oil, just until the batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).

Cook the pancakes: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-heat and spray with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or 1/3 cup measuring cup) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or cup to spread the batter into a circle (about 4-inches in diameter). Reduce the heat to medium low. Snip the corner of your baggie of cinnamon filling and squeeze the filling into the open corner. When your pancake begins to form bubbles, add the filling. Starting at the center of the pancake, squeeze the filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a regular cinnamon roll). DO NOT let the filling go to the edge. IT WILL BURN.

Cook the pancake 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it's golden brown on the bottom. Slide a wide spatula underneath the pancake and quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon.

 

Wipe the pan with a paper towel after cooking each set of pancakes because the filling will get a thick layer  on pan and start to get smoky and burn consecutive pancakes. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of glaze.

These were super fun and delicious! Definitely a fun addition to the weekend breakfast repertoire.

Enjoy,
e