Chicken Pancakes with Cucumber Salad

The Reality and the Beauty Shot

Twice in the past few weeks I've tried recipes off the backs of packages. The first was "Authentic" Indian Curry. (Which turned out really well - but I can't top Angie's Indian food so I won't even try.) And the second was "Chicken Pancakes with Cucumber salad" from the back of Ayam's coconut mild powder. It was pretty close to paleo as-is, and looked pretty good.

The reason for the 2 very different pictures? Well, if you've ever tried, you know how tough it is to make anything usually flour based without flour, and food blog pictures are supposed to be pretty... but when your next idea flops in the artistic photographs department, ya still gotta eat~ and this tasted really, really good.... Another egg and some careful flipping saved the day, but I wanted to post the first attempt as a reminder that the whole point of eating this way is be healthier and the reasons we share these recipes is to show that you can eat healthy and have some darn good food in the process...even if it sometimes falls apart!

Cucumber Salad (good for this recipe, or as a side for anything Thai!)

2 Cucumbers

1 Tablespoon fish sauce

1 Tablespoon tamarind puree (recipe called for plum sauce)

1 Tablespoon lime juice

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Slice sideways in thin slices. (you'll end up with half-moons.) Mix with all remaining ingredients...adjusting as needed to taste. Set aside while you make the pancakes.

Chicken Pancakes (or scramble!)

400 grams leftover chicken, or turkey... finely chopped. I used a hand chopper and ended up with around 2 cups of diced meat.

1/3 cup coconut flour

1 cup coconut milk

1 heaping tablespoon chopped red chillis-- from a jar. (Know thy palate ~ adjust to taste.)

2 green onions, sliced uber thin

2 eggs

Mix all ingredients well... grease your fry pan and scoop out mix 1/3 cup at a time to form pancakes. You will be much more successful if you use a medium heat and WAIT at least 3-4 minutes before attempting to flip. Don't be shy with oil in the pan. (I used coconut oil of course, but you don't have to.) If you are in a hurry, lack patience, or have anger management issues--- go for the scramble! Which really means, try making pancakes but don't stress when you go to flip them and they completely fall apart... OR--jump right to my salvage step-- add another egg (or two,) adjust seasonings, take your time, and go for the pretty pancakes. Either way, serve the cucumber salad over or next to the pancakes... Enjoy!