Avocado Salmon Salad with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower "Rice" (SCD/Gluten Free/Paleo)

So as most nights go last night I was hungry and looking at what I had in the fridge. I've been trying to keep cauliflower and zucchinis on hand since those are my "rice" and "pasta". I also had a lot of cilantro and an avocado that was hours away from expiring. So after googling some recipes for inspiration I came across a chicken salad that used avocado instead of mayonaise! I've done this with tuna salad before and it was awesome, so I decided to go that route. I only had some frozen salmon steaks so that is why it's salmon and not chicken, also I just like fish more than chicken. But you could do this recipe with salmon, chicken, or tuna...even the stuff from the can if you're in a hurry. You can serve it on a sandwich or in a salad or do what I did and serve it with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower "Rice" and some greens! muy delicioso!

best way to eat it is to mix it all together!

Avocado Salmon Salad with Lime Cilantro Cauliflower "Rice" (serves 2 people, feel free to add more if you need to)
For the rice
1/2 head of cauliflower
1/2 lime, juice
cilantro
salt
I put the cauliflower in my food processor with the shredder attachment and it looks like shredded mozzarella cheese.

Put it in a microwavable glass or ceramic container and microwave for 8 minutes. I've tried this on the stove a few times and I think the microwave does a better job. You do not need to add any water to it.
Once it is steamed add the lime juice and as much cilantro as you want and salt just enough to bring out the flavors of the lime and cilantro, a pinch or two!

For the Avocado Salmon Salad
Salmon, 2 Salmon Steaks
Avocado, 1/2
Garlic Cloves 2-3
Cilantro
Lime, 1/2 juice
Coconut oil
Olive Oil
I cooked the salmon in a 1/4 cup of boiling water and a tbs. of coconut oil to help it stay moist, with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook each side about 5 mins on med to high heat. Take the bones and skin off and flake it. As I mentioned above, you can also use canned salmon, tuna or chicken(canned or fresh) if you prefer.
While the salmon is cooking you can add the avocado, garlic, cilantro and lime to the food processor or blender. Blend while slowly adding olive oil until you get a creamy texture. Add salt and pepper until you get the flavor you want. I added some garlic powder as well, bc I'm a garli-holic!

you can see in this picture that I used a whole lime slice with the pith, the white parts, I would not recommend doing this, I saw that someone made a smoothie using the whole lime slice like that, so I wanted to try it out. But it was too tart and sour and it didn't blend smoothly, there were some tart and sour pieces that weren't pleasant, so stick with the juice. Unless you're like me and need to try things at least once, then by all means...try it out. Who knows, you might like it!

So after your avocado sauce is creamy and flavored deliciously you can add your protein of choice. Just stir it in, No blending, unless you want a fish flavored mush.

I then served this with the Cauliflower "rice" on the bottom of some greens, I used Super Greens and then topped it with the Avocado Salmon Salad. I ate it with a carrot based hot sauce I made for another meal. AND IT WAS DELICIOUS!

Sweet Carrot Hot Sauce
2 small Carrots
1 large Jalapeno
3 dried peppers
2 Garlic cloves
2 tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbs. honey
1/4 cup Orange Juice
Water
Salt
Boil carrots, jalapeno, dried peppers, garlic, apple cider vinegar, salt and water (enough to cover the veg and peppers, adding more as it evaporates until carrots are soft) Once carrots are soft, put everything in a food processor or blender adding honey and Orange Juice. Blend. Add water until you reach the desired consistency, think hot sauce, but not too runny. Add a pinch or two of salt to enhance flavor!
This sauce is good with Mexican and Asian cuisine. It's probably good with other things, but those are the only two I have tried it with!

enjoy.

what are your favorite substitutes? like avocado for mayo or cauliflower for rice! do you have any interesting ideas for SCD substitutes or just healthier ones?

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles with SCD Substitutions

Do you ever watch something that makes you crave certain things? When I was a kid I would watch The Flintstone Kids, there was a certain episode that I could not stand to watch without eating a cookie dough ice cream cone. There's a particular scene where the kids eat ice cream and have a food fight. I guess it just looked so cartoony and delicious, I felt I couldn't go on with out eating some myself. I haven't watched that show in a very long time, I can't even find it online to watch. But that's probably a good thing. Seeing how making cookie dough ice cream while being grain-free and allergic to dairy seems almost impossible. Though I'm sure there will come a day when the urge hits me and I will become inspired, but that day has not come.
I have had a similar experience recently-ish (last Sept). I watched this British comedy series, Red Dwarf, one of the characters, Dave Lister, loves curry and papadums. While we were watching this series I ate more curry than I've ever had in my entire life. I'd never even heard of papadums before I watched the show, and boy are they good! though not SCD :( they are generally made from flour or paste derived from lentils or chickpeas, so possibly there is another kind of SCD legal bean I can use to somehow make my own one day) This recipe that I'm going to share with you was from before I learned I was allergic to corn and before I decided to do SCD, so I'm going to tell you of some substitutions that you can use to make it meet those dietary guidelines. Isn't it crazy how much your diet can change in just a few months...

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles

Broccoli, florets; I use the stem and leaves as well

Red Bell Pepper, sliced

Sprouts

Cilantro

Lime

Thai Coconut Curry Broth, College Inn

Flour, I used Millet

Rice Wine Vinegar

Soy Sauce

Rice Noodles

I usually don't use exact measurements, just whatever I have on hand. 

I started out by making sautéing the red bell pepper and then pushing them aside to make a roux with oil and millet flour (1 part oil to 1 part flour) I think I used 2-3 tbs each.

And then I slowly added the broth until it was the desired thickness. Saucy.

The rice noodles I had just needed to soak in hot water for 8 mins, read your package for cooking instructions.

Add the broccoli to the sauce to cook 5-7 mins, add more broth if the sauce gets too thick. 

You can also add rice wine vinegar and soy sauce, to taste. If you want it spicy you can add  some thai chili sauce or I added some fresh salsa made with tomatos, jalapenos, cilantro, and salt.

Add the noodles to the sauce and combine. Toss in the sprouts, sprinkle with lime and cilantro.

To make this recipe SCD legal I would replace the rice noodles with black bean noodles or zucchini or other squash noodles. The Thai Coconut Curry Broth and Millet Flour with Coconut Milk seasoned with curry powder, garlic, and coriander, you can reduce the coconut milk to make it thick with out adding anything to it, just cook for about 15 mins, or until desired thickness . And I wouldn't use the rice wine vinegar or soy sauce, just salt.

I hope you enjoy that recipe and it's not too confusing! Do you have a silly thing that makes you crave a certain food or dish? I would love to hear about it, if you want to share!