Love the salty umami of soy sauce but not the side effects of ingesting so much sodium – you know, those dreaded added pounds and bloat from water retention? Or maybe you’re following a Paleo, gluten-free or low sodium diet and want or need to eliminate soy. The solution: coconut aminos. For us, it’s the low sodium aspect: only 113 mg per 1 teaspoon in coconut aminos, versus 920 mg of sodium per 1 tablespoon (306 mg per teaspoon) in regular soy sauce and 575 mg per 1 tablespoon (191 mg per teaspoon) of low-sodium soy sauce. The flavor is milder than soy sauce and, contrary to the name, doesn’t taste like coconut at all, coconut aminos are the best non-soy, low-sodium substitute I’ve found for sushi dipping and Asian food cravings.
Today I’m sharing a recipe for a light and healthy grilled shrimp with vegetables and Pad Thai Rice Noodles that I purchased at an Asian market. It is Gluten-Free and can be adapted to a Paleo diet by using shiratake noodles which are made from yams. Both kinds of noodles contain no wheat and have zero sodium and are much lighter than egg or semolina noodles. This isn’t traditional Pad Thai because the sauce I created is a light Lime Sauce made with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce with a bight, fresh lime sauce rather than a peanut sauce. You can certainly add whatever vegetables you have on hand and use tamari or light soy sauce and regular noodles if you prefer. Either way it is a quick, nutritious, family-friendly dinner.
- 1 pound shell on fresh deveined shrimp (15-18 count)
- 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon spicy paprika, Mrs. Dash’s Zesty Limeor your favorite spicy seasoning mix
- 8 ounces Pad Thai Rice Noodles or Shiritake Noodles
- 1 small zucchini, julienned
- 1 Kapia or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 2 ounces oyster or shitake mushrooms
- 2 scallions, french cut
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- Prepare sauce by combining coconut amines, honey, lime zests, lime juice and ginger in a jar and shaking. Heat the mixture in a saucepan or microwave for 10 seconds if necessary to dissolve the honey.
- Rinse and shell the shrimp, leaving the tails on. String six shrimp each on three skewers. Lightly brush with olive oil and spicy seasoning mixture.
- Prepare the vegetables and soak rice noodles according to package directions. Heat a medium skillet or wok pan over high heat with 1 tablespoon sunflower, peanut or sesame oil and stir fry peppers and mushrooms until browned and liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add the garlic and most of the sliced green onions, saving about a teaspoon for garnish. Stir in the noodles and toss.
- Grill the shrimp for 3 to 3-1/2 minutes on each side e until pink. Do not overcook. Our grill rack is very close to the burners so we turned the heat down to medium-low. Cook time and temperature depends on your grill and the size of the shrimp.
- To serve: add the sauce to the vegetable and noodle mixture, serve with a skewer of shrimp and spring lettuce with condiments.
Paleo, Gluten Free, Low Sodium
Benefits of Coconut Aminos:
Even if you don’t need to avoid wheat or have any healthy issues, coconut aminos is a healthier alternative to the ever popular soy sauce because it’s lower in sodium than even low-sodium soy sauce and a good source of amino acids. Guest writer, Virginia Cunningham shares some of the benefits she discovered while researching coconut aminos.
Image courtesy of nourishingmeals.com
Skip the soy sauce
People who have wheat sensitivities or are trying follow a strict Paleo or primal diet need to avoid most soy sauces. Despite the name, modern soy sauce is often made of soy and wheat, cooked together, then fermented. Some formulations call for up to 50 percent wheat.
If you don’t have a gluten tolerance, coconut aminos might be something to consider anyway, since the soy and salt in soy sauce can have less than healthy effects.
Soy contains lecithins, which can diminish leptin (a hormone that controls appetite and metabolism) sensitivity. Soy also interferes with thyroid function. And one of the biggest on-going debates about soy products is just how the plant estrogens affect estrogen and testosterone in people.
Soy sauces also once had the benefits of other fermented products, but modern soy sauces are pasteurized, to make them more shelf-stable, so all the probiotics are killed off.
And finally, even low-sodium soy sauces contain a heaping dose of salt, which is not healthy for people watching their blood pressure. Coconut aminos have 65 percent less sodium than regular soy sauce, and half the sodium of low-sodium versions, which makes it a tasty, healthier substitute.
A grove of coconut trees. By Nikhilb239 / Wikimedia Commons
Health benefits of coconut aminos
Made from the “sap” of a coconut tree that’s aged and mixed with a bit of sea salt, coconut aminos add the great umami kick to savory dishes, while bringing a host of nutrients to the table and cutting out the salt. A source of 17 amino acids, coconut aminos also provide minerals, a phalanx of B vitamins, and vitamin C.
The 17 amino acids are key to anyone following a vegan or vegetarian diet. Protein is necessary in every person’s diet to provide key amino acids that the body is unable to produce on its own. They are necessary for the building and repairing of muscle tissue, and play an important part of regulating energy levels and supporting the immune system. Animal proteins generally are complete proteins, while many vegetarian and vegan sources lack complete sources. The 17 amino acids in coconut aminos go a long way to filling that gap. While it’s unlikely that you’d consume enough coconut aminos as a flavoring agent to get all the amino acids you needed from it, every little bit does help, when following a diet that doesn’t have animal sources of protein.
How to use coconut aminos
Substitute coconut aminos for soy sauce or other seasonings in any recipe in equal parts. Use it to marinate steak, chicken, or pork, or mix it with vinegar, oil, mustard and other spices for a salad dressing. You can even use it to make beef jerky.
Whether you’re following a particular diet or watching certain health markers, coconut aminos are a fantastic, flavorful, and nutritious substitute to soy sauce. Try it in any number of recipes and you won’t miss the soy product at all.
Virginia Cunningham is a freelance writer who focuses on everything from health and wellness, sustainability, beauty, and fitness. As a mother to a son who has restricted dietary needs, she’s always on the lookout for healthy alternatives!
Really informative, Priscilla! I’m gonna have to do the intergalatic search here in my neck o’ the woods for coconut aminos…if all else fails, then Amazon will surely have it…want to try!! Love trying new options!
Your pad thai looks is so delicious. Coconut aminos is new to me.
Just all sorts of YUM going on in this post!!
Now I’m curious about coconut aminos! Wow…your Pad Thai looks amazing! And the skewered shrimps on top made it even more tempting!
Made this last evening and it was very flavorful. First time using Coconut Aminos and Shiritake Noodles and was pleased with the outcome. There is enough shrimp in this recipe that I would double the veggies next time resulting in four servings. Highly recommend.
Hi Al – so glad you enjoyed it and the recipe was a success for you! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
I used to be a chef so I know my conversions but why do you compare a tsp of coconut aminos to a tbls of the others? I never understood this and most people won’t see it when they are reading. It can be misleading to some. Just an FYI for the future.
Hi Steve – Good point. I edited the post to show the teaspoon amounts of each. Its confusing when people read labels as well. For example, baking powder and baking soda sodium amounts can be misleading because they list amounts in 1/8 teaspoon and people don’t notice that!
This looks delicious, but you’ve failed to publish the sodium numbers. For one in five Americans on low sodium diets the numbers must be very accurate. Some patients who eat 500mgs too much sodium in a day can wind up in an emergency room. For those patients with severe heart failure diet mistakes can be fatal.
Hi Mike – you’re absolutely right. My husband has been admitted twice for pulmonary edema due to a salty restaurant meal. When I published this recipe, I did not have a reliable nutrition analysis program that calculated sodium, but I do now, and will run this recipe through it. Thank you for your comment.