

Here is Victoria's AWESOME guest post:
I was so excited to hear about Paleo PenPals I couldn't wait to sign up. This was my first month, and how lucky was I that I got paired up with Brittanie!
I was a little nervous when I received her package… inside was a sweet note and a bag of what I thought… actually, I don't know what I thought. Inside was a bean/pod I had never seen before. I was told in my letter that they were Tamarind pods. In their raw form they look like a brown snow pea. They have a flakey exterior and a hardish bean inside.
I was told the pulp around the exterior of the plant is Paleo so I got to Google'n and found how to prepare this dish. After some research I found an amazing tutorial video of exactly how to prepare it! Most recipes I came across were Pad-thai related, more traditional Non-paleo recipes also included Tamarind. So I figured what the heck! I think a lot of people leave it out because they don’t' know where to find it! I was excited to create a more traditional dish that I've missed since going paleo.
First, I removed the pulb from the pods… to do this you soak the entire pod inside a small bowl of warm water (get ready to get messy!) mush it around until you feel the insides getting soft.. Then press it through a metal strainer to get out the "pulp". The taste is a bit tangy but this is what adds to your dish! (this is also used in a lot of curry dishes).
• 2 Cups Spaghetti Squash (you can also used Zucchini noodles!)
• Protein of choice (I used diced leftover chicken)
• 1 T fat of choice (for sauté)
• 1 cup scallions, chopped
• 3 eggs beaten
• 4 Cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 T tamarind pulp
• 1-2 T fresh ginger, grated
• 4 T almond butter (or sunbutter)
• 1 T chili flakes
• 1 T fish sauce
• Juice of one lime (for garnish)
• Cilantro (for garnish)
• Optional – bean sprouts (I had some on hand and gave it a nice crunch!)
1.Cook your spaghetti squash – I like the cut in half, face down method, bake until tender. String and set aside.
2.In a pan heat your butter or oil. Add beaten eggs, scallions and garlic. Scramble up.
3.Add everything else! (aside from garnish – Cilantro, lime juice or anything else you want on top!)
I'd really like to experiment more with this recipe – there are SO many out there so find what you like! :) I definitely see a lot of praises for the tamarind pulp and agree, it really makes the dish! If you're not one for experimenting I see they also sell the pre-packaged pulp in the grocery store! Enjoy!
WHAT?! You've been sent tamarind already by a previous Paleo Pen Pal? *dies of disappointment*
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