Korean Beef Noodle Bowls

Against All Grain by Danielle Walker, page 184

   Recently, I've started to educate myself a little of the Paleo diet. (Or, lifestyle, as I prefer to call it.)   Basically, the Paleo lifestyle is based on the notion of going back to a "caveman" mentality in regards to food, to achieve optimal health.  Cavemen ate whatever they could hunt or scrounge for. There was no processed food.  So with eating a paleo diet, we go back to eating real, whole, unprocessed food that are far more healthful rather than harmful to our bodies. 

I'm still learning. But while I am, I am starting to cook grain free, gluten free, paleo recipes. My first one was last night and was a huge success! So much so, that I wanted to share the recipe with you! 

First off, I found it in a new recipe book I recently bought. I came across her Facebook page thru my mom. Danielle Walker overcame an autoimmune disease by removing all grains, lactose, and legumes from her diet. You can read her story on her website. 

Against All Grain by Danielle Walker

Without further ado... here's the recipe! 

I did have to tweak a couple ingredients because I couldn't find coconut amines or shitake mushrooms. (I'll be making a trip to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's soon!) 

Korean Beef Noodle Bowls

prep time: 20 min + 6 hours marinating time

cooking time: 20 minutes  yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

MEAT:

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 tablespoons coconut aminos (I used liquid aminos)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 pound flank steak, sliced against the grain into thin strips

NOODLE BOWL:

4 large zucchini

1 teaspoon sea salt, divided

1 & 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 tablespoon coconut crystals or honey

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup coconut aminos (again, I used liquid aminos)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup shitake mushrooms, stems removed and halved (I used white mushrooms) 

3 cups baby spinach

1 cup shredded carrots

sesame seeds

Directions:

1.Prepare the meat. Place all ingredients , except the meat, in a bowl to combine. Place the flank steak in a shallow dish, pour the marinade over it, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Or up to 24 hours.

2.Peel the zucchini and use a spiral slicer or julienne peeler to create long noodles, discarding the seeded portions. (I used a regular peeler because I'm not fancy! Haha!) Lay the noodles on a tray lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Set aside to "sweat" out the excess liquid.

3.Place 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in a deep sauté pan or wok and heat over medium-high heat. Pat the marinated beef dry with paper towels and add to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, until browned. Remove from the pan, drain the liquid, and set aside. 

4. Add the remaining sesame oil to the pan, and heat on medium-high. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 

5.Add the coconut crystals, vinegar, amines, red pepper flakes, and remaining salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, then add the mushrooms, spinach, and carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Toss in the zucchini noodles, and let them cook for 5 minutes, until soft. 

6.Serve garnished with sesame seeds

It was delicious and will be a meal we do again and again!! 

Hope you all enjoy!