Three Herb Thai Chicken Salad (Gluten, Dairy, Refined Sugar Free)

If you haven't noticed, we LOVE food and recipes delivered from Asian cultures. We love the colours of the dishes (pretty food is awesome!) We also love the diversity of flavours and nutrients in the ingredients.

There always seems to be a simple elegance in the way the recipes are put together. Whole, fresh ingredients like lime, cilantro, lemongrass, chill peppers and onion - all give depth to the dish and wow guests that we have over (I think).

Asian dishes are simple to put together and very easy to make vegan or vegetarian just by swapping out the meat for a gorgeous organic sprouted tofu or tempeh. There are other great sources of protein from nuts like cashew and seeds such as black sesame.
In my opinion these recipes are well-rounded and cover all the bases in terms of nutritional requirements:

Great sources of fat from coconut and coconut milk, nuts and seeds as well as fibrous veg and complex carbs from root vegetables and brown rice (I often swap brown rice for white rice in recipes).

These dishes are sure to keep you feeling satisfied, full, and happy!

But what if they don't?

What if the garlic, onion, chill peppers and high FODMAP vegetables wreak havoc on your gut? Well, luckily, you're in the right place.

SIBO is a very common health issue these days. SIBO is an acronym for small intestinal bacteria overgrowth and is present in up to 85% of those suffering from IBS.

When you eat a food that causes gastric upset, often times it's due to an inflamed and improperly functioning digestive system, leading to an immune reaction (fatigue, gas, bloat, constipation/loose stool, mood irregularity and skin problems such as acne, eczema etc).

Unless your immune reaction is an IgE immune reaction, which cannot be reversed (think peanuts, shell fish etc.) then we can in most cases reverse the negative effects from eating those foods by rebalancing the microbiome (addressing SIBO using our 12-Week Gut Restore Program), improve digestive function by supporting pancreatic exocrine function, bile production and liver detoxification, repairing the migrating motor complex and vegal nerve tone, and last, improving our response to stress.

Whew! That was a mouth full!

This recipe is great for those who are just starting our Gut Restore Program, and is beautiful for after they've completed the program (reach out to learn more about our diet protocol to support
IBS).

For those of you following a strict low FODMAP diet to manage IBS symptoms, know that there is a way to get your gut to a place where you can tolerate high FODMAP foods again! This is exactly what our program addresses.

I hope you enjoy this beautifully balanced, sweet and sour recipe as much as I did yesterday!

Three Herb Thai Chicken Salad

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2 organic boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped finely (or 2 packs of organic sprouted tofu/tempeh
• 1 cup organic chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red Thai chili, minced (remove seeds for less heat)
• 2 inch knob of peeled and grated ginger
• A pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp raw cane sugar
• 4 carrots, peeled into strips
• 2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 cup of whole, raw cashews
• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• Large handful of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 2T of coconut oil

Instructions: 

1. Add the coconut oil to a medium sized pot on medium heat.
2. Add the chicken, or tofu and allow to brown on all sides (1-2 mins per side)
3. Add the chicken stock and sauté over medium heat.
4. Add the garlic, chili, ginger, salt and sugar. Stir and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Toss the cooked chicken with the remaining ingredients.

This soup-like salad would be amazing paired with organic brown rice, or raw kelp noodles.

From my inspired kitchen to yours,
Cassandra Hope, RHN