The 10 cent Diet

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2011-02-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

oven-baked red snapper & shiitake parcels

2011-02-06T10:09:00.002-07:00

This Japanese style recipe is so delicious and easy, yet very very healthy. It takes no time at all and you are rewarded with an amazingly flavorful meal.

Ingredients:
4 red snapper fillets (100g each)
1/2 tsp vegetable oil, for brushing
8 caps fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
8 thinly sliced pieces of broccoli
4 slices of lime, sliced thin
4 Tbsp sake
4 tsp GF soy sauce
1 tsp. ginger juice (squeezed from grated fresh ginger)
tin foil

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F
2. Put each snapper fillet on a piece of foil (about a 12"square), and brush with vegetable oil.
3. Arrange 2 shiitake mushroom caps, 2 or three slices of broccoli and a slice of lime on top of each fish.
4. Pour portions of the the sake, soy sauce and ginger juice over each parcel.
5. Gather together the edges of the foil, seal tightly and bake the parcels on a baking tray in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Plate each parcel individually and allow your guests to open their own parcel.

WE loved this dish. The fish is steamed perfectly in a mere 10 minutes

chocolate mango inside-out roll with dipping sauce

2011-02-05T23:22:00.004-07:00

what?! um yes. so delicious.

Ingredients:

(makes 1 roll of 8 pieces)

For the ISO
1/2 nori sheet
200g raw sushi rice
220 ml water
30 ml rice vinegar
15g sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp hazelnuts, finely chopped
50g mango, cut into strips
50g melon, cut into strips
50g strawberries, sliced into thin strips
100g plain dark chocolate, finely grated

Dipping or drizzling sauce
Ingredients:
220g plain dark chocolate melted

Directions:
to prepare the sushi rice-
1. Rinse your rice well, between 3-5 washes until it runs clear in a fine mesh sieve. Set aside and drain for 1 hour.
2. Put the rice and water into a heavy saucepan with a lid. Heat over medium/high heat and bring to a boil. Don't lift the lid. It should take about 5-7 minutes to come to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Turn off heat. Don't lift lid but let rice stand for another 10 minutes.
3. While the rice is standing. Make your own sushi vinegar in a non reactive bowl with the rice vinegar/sugar and salt, stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved.
4. Transfer the hot cooked rice to a flat based bowl. Use a spatula to gently spread the rice out evenly. Using the back of the spatula sprinkle the sushi vinegar over the rice. Use the spatula to cut through the rice and turn it over in sections to distribute the vinegar. Have someone else fan the rice (with a fan or a magazine) as you turn it to cool the rice quickly and it will absorb the vinegar mixture. Don't stir or mix the rice as it will get mushy. just turn it.

Directions for the inside-out rolls

1. Place the nori sheet on a chopping board and cover it with the prepared sushi rice. Turn it over and spread the honey over using the back of a spoon, then cover it with the hazelnuts, mango, melon and strawberries. Roll it up to make an inside-out roll (use a rolling mat and saran wrap to make this easier), then flip it over and roll it in the grated chocolate until coated.
note: there are hundreds of free online sushi rolling tutorials, just look for inside-out rolls.

2. Cut the roll into 8 pieces , drizzle with melted dark chocolate. Serve extra melted "dipping" chocolate along side for any chocoholics.

Parsnip & Sweet Potato Fries with almond butter coating

2011-02-03T20:01:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

3 parsnips, peeled & cut into uniform fry shape
2 small yellow sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into uniform fry shape
3 Tbsp natural almond butter
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp (I used more) sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, mix your almond butter, olive oil and sea salt together. Add your cut fries to the bowl and stir to coat evenly. Lay your fries out on the parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Note: every recipe I read like this claimed the fries were crispy. They are not crispy using this method. So I don't know what those people are talking about. I tried cooking a few a bit longer and they simply burnt. It's possible that I might try pre-baking the fries at a low temperature to dry them out a bit before coating in nut butter next time. That might work but anyhow, we didn't mind the texture to be honest. So what if they're not crispy! See, the thing is, they taste really great! We had no problem devouring the entire pan. Next time I make them I might add a little fresh ground black pepper to the mix as well to make them a bit more savory. :)

Tom Yum Goong - Hot & Sour Soup

2011-01-30T18:35:00.002-07:00

It's -24°c outside right now. Perfect weather for soup!

Fish or Chicken Stock:

1 pound fish bones (sole cod or other white fish), OR 1 chicken carcass, broken into pieces OR 1 pack of chicken wings (We used a whole chicken but kept aside the breasts and thighs etc. )
1 onion, quartered
1-inch piece fresh ginger, bruised
1 lime leaf
6 cilantro stems, stalks and roots bruised
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Wash your fish or chicken bones in cold water first. Place in a saucepan and cover with 6 cups water.
2. Bring to a boil, skim if necessary.
3. Add the onion, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaf, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Return to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for 20 minutes only (no lid), for the fish stock. For the chicken stock- simmer half covered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Cool, strain into a clean pot and get ready to make the soup.

Hot & Sour Soup

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken (or fish) stock
1 1/2 cups water
1 lemongrass stem
4 red bird's eye chilies, seeded and finely sliced
1-inch piece galangal, peeled and finely sliced
3 lime leaves, torn into pieces
1 ready cleaned squid tube, cut into rings
1/2 pound cooked shrimp (shelled is easier to eat obviously)
4 button mushrooms, sliced
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. sucanat (sugar)
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 red chili, seeded and finely sliced for garnish
cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Place the stock in a large saucepan with the water. Heat gently.
2. Trim the root from the lemongrass and slice the bottom 2 inch section into very fine slices. Bruise the remaining stalk and add all this to the stock with the chilies, galangal, and the torn limes leaves.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the bruised lemongrass, add the shrimp, squid rings, and the mushrooms, then add the lemon juice, sugar, and fish sauce a bit at a time until you have the right balance of flavours.
5. Serve in bowls with red chili slices and cilantro garish.

I chose to start with a chicken stock rather than a fish stock and it was very delicious! This soup is of course HOT and SOUR so be aware of the number of chilies you use. Use less than I have if you can't take the heat. :)

Sunday Penance breakfast

2011-01-30T11:35:00.004-07:00

Last night was fun. I had a girlfriend "date" and we went out for (gluten free/dairy free for me) pizza and plenty of wine. As I am a bit of a newbie wine drinker, it's possible that I overindulged just a bit. (My wonderful fellah Buckarooken picked us up and drove us home at the end of the night. Isn't he a peach!)
My penance- well for starters this is no time for greasy breakfast. The calories from the wine alone last night! Oy. So I began my day with a delicious but low calorie hot breakfast.

Organic Brown Rice flakes cook up in minutes. I added some delicious fresh pineapple pieces, a few nuts and topped it off with a little brown rice milk. Hardly penance at all really.

a simple lunch

2011-01-24T12:35:00.002-07:00

Sardines. Yes I know most of you are thinking ewwww. But honest, sardines are a very quick and flavorful lunch. I simply drain the water, mash them lightly with generous amounts of fresh lemon juice, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and whatever herbs I might have around. Then I spoon the mixture onto my favorite crispy rice crackers .

Sardines are loaded with omega-3 fats. Omega-3s help with mood, thinking, circulation, and glucose and insulin metabolism; they lower blood pressure; and they protect against heart disease. Plus they are loaded with calcium! Sardines also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese, plus B vitamins. And because sardines are real low on the marine food chain, toxins like mercury don't accumulate in them.

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

2011-01-16T16:31:00.005-07:00

Gluten Free Chocolate Whoopie Pies!

After seeing these treats on tv, on the Internets and on my flickr friends photo streams I simply HAD to try them. I used this recipe. I have to say, whoopie pies are delicious! I also have to say I do not recommend anyone make them ever. Sugar, vegetable shortening, marshmallow fluff! These are bad for you. I ate 2.

Whoopie Pie Recipe-
Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour)

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon xantham gum (such as Bob’s Red Mill)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and xantham gum.

3. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening, and both sugars until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.

4. Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk to the batter and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and 1/2 cup milk and beat until thoroughly combined.

5. Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 12 minutes each or until the cakes begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. (makes about 40- 48 2 inch cookies)

Filling recipe-

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Marshmallow Fluff (or other prepared marshmallow cream, which will do in a pinch)

1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the Marshmallow Fluff and the vegetable shortening, starting on low and increasing to medium speed until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes more.

2. Divide and spread on half the cookies, add another cookie and make into little sandwiches.

simple omelette

2011-01-08T14:07:00.002-07:00

an easy & delicious gluten free breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes, chopped and softened in hot water for a few minutes
1 Tbsp fresh chives, cut into small pieces
4 mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in a bit of olive oil.
1 tsp olive oil
sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1 sweet potato, washed and cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions:

1. Boil your sweet potato for 10-20 minutes until cooked.

2. Heat a bit of olive oil in a non-stick pan on med. Pour in your eggs. When the omelet begins to cook, lift an edge to allow the liquid on top to move out to the pan. continue doing this until most of the liquid has been spread to the edges of the pan.

3. Add a bit of sun dried tomato, the sautéed mushrooms, chives and salt and pepper. Fold over the edges of your omelette and serve with the sweet potato.

so satisfying yet high in protein and low in fat.

Tilapia served with peppers, onions and olives

2011-01-02T18:56:00.001-07:00

Ingredients-

2 Tbsp Olive oil
4 6-ounce Tilapia fillets
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 red bell peppers, sliced thin
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat.

2. Season the fish with salt and pepper on each side. Cook until opaque (about 4 minutes per side)

3. Meanwhile, in a second skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium high heat. Cook the onion and the peppers, stirring often, until tender. About 8 minutes.

4. Stir the olives, parsley, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste into the cooked onions and red peppers. Serve the vegetables over top the cooked Tilapia.

Lemongrass Noodle Soup with Edamame lunch

2011-01-02T16:15:00.004-07:00

lemongrass noodle soup-

Ingredients:

5 cups chicken or turkey stock (preferably homemade)
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, broken in half
2 kaffir lime leaves
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 2inch piece of ginger, cut in half
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. hot chili sauce
4 ounces dry rice noodles
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms
2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 lime cut into quarters for squeezing

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over high heat, combine the broth, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Discard the ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger and garlic.

3. Add the fish sauce, chili sauce, mushrooms and noodles, cook until noodles are tender (about 2-5 minutes). Stir in the scallions. Adjust seasonings to taste.

4. Divide the soup among 4 bowls, top with bean sprouts and basil, squeeze lime juice in to taste.

Edamame-

Ingredients-

Frozen organic edamame
salt

Directions-

Follow the package directions. Bring water to a boil, add edamame, cook uncovered for 3-5 minutes, drain and toss liberally with salt. You eat the beans inside, not the pod (just in case someone has never eaten this!)

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(Tiny) Piccolo Potatoes, Sundried Tomatoes, Sautéed Mushrooms, Chives and Poached Egg Stack

2010-11-23T09:23:00.002-07:00

So simple yet very satisfying.

Ingredients:

mini potatoes
olive oil
chives
sundried tomatoes
mushrooms
salt & pepper to taste
red pepper flakes
eggs, for poaching in water

Directions:

1. Boil your baby potatoes until done, set aside. Sauté your sliced mushrooms in a little oil, set aside. While your egg is poaching, arrange your potatoes on a plate (season to taste) , stack your sundried tomatoes on next. then add your sautéed mushrooms and chives. When your egg is ready, carefully stack it on top, season again to taste. Top with more chives and some red pepper flakes. Voila! healthy breakfast stack!

Yellow Lentil Soup with lots of Cilantro

2010-11-22T16:16:00.001-07:00

I made this soup with Toor Dal (Yellow lentils), You could easily make it with brown lentils and save a bit of the cooking time.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
pinch of ground cayenne pepper
1 heaping cup of yellow lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 small onion, halved
1 bay leaf
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup chopped cilantro
(optional- plain yogurt for non vegetarians)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot on medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir together briefly and then add lentils, onion, bay leaf, and 1 1/2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, until the lentils are tender and the broth aromatic. (if using brown lentils your cooking time may be as low as 40 minutes).

2. Salt and pepper to taste. Discard the onion and the bay leaf.

3. Puree half of the soup in small batches in a blender. (be sure to cover the top of the blender with a towel and press firmly on the lid to make sure hot liquid doesn't spill on you). Return to soup pot, stir and heat through.

4. Stir in cilantro just before serving. (if you eat dairy, add a dollop of plain yogurt to the top of each bowl) Will serve 4.

Piña Colada Quinoa

2010-11-22T09:08:00.002-07:00

For breakfast or a nice sweet snack, serve hot or cold

1 cup quinoa
1 14 oz can light coconut milk
1 14 oz can crushed pineapple
1 Tbsp sucanat
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the quinoa and coconut milk to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave standing for 6 more minutes.

2. Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice. Stir 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice into the cooked quinoa. Add the sucanat and vanilla and mix well. Add a bit of salt to taste.
Stir the crushed pineapple into the mix and serve. Keeps for 2 days in a sealed container in the fridge.

Like a tropical holiday in a bowl :)

Catalan Chickpea Stew

2010-11-19T11:27:00.003-07:00

a warm and hearty vegetarian meal for lunch or dinner. Benefits from being made a day or two in advance and refrigerated until it's time to reheat and serve. Add some sliced sausage if you wish to add meat.

Ingredients:

1 pound chickpeas, soaked overnight in 2 quarts water
1 bay leaf
salt, to taste
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Drain the chickpeas and combine with enough water to cover by 2 inches in a large dutch oven. Add the bay leaf and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and skim off foam. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Drain through a sieve over a bowl, reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Discard bay leaf. Set chickpeas aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Stir and cook until onions begin to soften (3 minutes). Add the bell pepper and continue to cook, stirring often for 5-10 minutes (until the bell pepper is tender). Add garlic and stir for a minute or two. Stir in the tomatoes (with the juice), thyme, salt and pepper. Continue to cook on medium for about 10 minutes (or until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly). Add the chickpeas, red pepper flakes, and reserved chickpea liquid. Return to simmer, stir, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for about 1 hour or until the beans are very tender. Season to taste.

Warm Red Cabbage Salad with Cranberries & Almonds

2010-11-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

This is really nice. Super easy and fast too!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion cut into thin half moons
3-4 cloves of garlic sliced very thin
1/2 head of red cabbage, sliced very thin
salt and pepper to taste
a small sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped (just a little bit or it will overwhelm the dish)
1/3 cup of dried cranberries
1/3 cup of roasted almonds (if you opt for salted you will want to use less salt in the dish)
1 1/2 Tbsp good balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium/ to medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until soft.

2. Add the sliced cabbage, salt and pepper taste, stir and toss for a couple of minutes until the cabbage is warmed through and only beginning to wilt slightly. Don't overcook. Cabbage is yucky overcooked.

3. Add the rosemary, almonds, cranberries and balsamic vinegar, stir to combine, remove from heat and transfer to a large serving dish. If you eat cheese you can add some crumbled feta cheese on top.

Zucchini "Pasta" & quick Tomato Sauce

2010-11-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

If you like spaghetti squash, your gonna love zucchini done this way. It's silky and satisfying. Even better, it takes mere minutes to prepare! If you make up a batch of tomato sauce in advance, you can freeze it for convenience.

Zucchini "Pasta"

(4 servings)
Ingredients:

2 pounds of green zucchini (or yellow)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper
1 cup tomato sauce (see recipe below)

Directions:
1. Peel the zucchini with a peeler to remove the skin and then continue using your peeler to cut the zucchini into lengthwise ribbons. Peel off several ribbons from one side, turn the zucchini a 1/4 turn and peel more ribbons. Continue turning and peeling until you reach the seeds in the center and then discard the core. This only takes a minute or two with a good vegetable peeler.

2. Heat 1/2 of the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over med/high heat. Cook the zucchini in 2 batches. When the oil is hot, add 1/2 of your zucchini slices, some salt and cook, tossing and stirring. The zucchini will not take long to reach al dente. Just 2 or three minutes (until the zucchini is softened and just beginning to turn translucent) and the zucchini will be ready. Transfer to a serving dish and repeat with second batch. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with tomato sauce.

Quick Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
(Tomato Sauce)

6 large tomatoes, processed in a blender quickly
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 shallots, chopped fine
1/2 tsp. chili pepper flakes
1/2 handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 handful of fresh oregano leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp. red wine
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Heat a med sized pot (or sauté pan) over med/high heat and heat oil. Add garlic, shallots and chili flakes, cook for 2 minutes. Add blended tomatoes, cook for 4 minutes and add basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute, add red wine and cook for another 5 minutes to reduce a bit.

Fried egg, avocado, hash browns & hot sauce

2010-10-24T11:05:00.000-06:00

My flickr friend Shutterbean posted this recipe and well, I had to make it myself! You should too! She has given step by step instructions. Here is the link to her blog

Malaysian Red Curry of Beef

2010-10-17T19:51:00.001-06:00

Red Curry of Beef (or Daging masak merah)

Very delicious. Read the directions carefully. you may wish to have everything measured/chopped and skinned before starting as the recipe is quite involved for newbies.

Ingredients:
2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp. ground tumeric
1/2 tsp. course sea salt
1 1/2 lb sirloin steak cut into pieces (2 pieces per person)
3 Tbsp peanut oil
3 Tbsp thick tamarind water (1 oz tamarind paste placed in hot water and strained)
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped (blanch them to peel)
1 1/4 cups coconut cream (the thick creamy stuff in the tops of the cans)
handful of mint leaves and cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Red Paste Ingredients:
3 shallots, chopped
6-8 garlic cloves, chopped
4 large red chilies, seeded and chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 Tbsp peanut oil

Garnish Ingredients:
4 Tbsp deep fried shallots (slice very thin and fry quickly until brown in peanut oil) (drain on paper towel)
2 oz unsalted cashews, fried in a some peanut oil until brown (drain on paper towel)
2 oz raisins, fried very briefly in oil until plump (drain on paper towel)

Directions:

1. Grind the ginger, tumeric and sea salt in a mortar to make a paste. Rub the pieces of beef all over with this paste and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

2. Make the Red Paste- blend all of the red paste ingredients together with 3 Tbsp water until smooth. Transfer the paste to a large saucepan and simmer over med. heat for 6 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a fry pan and fry the pieces of beef, a few at a time for 2 minutes per side. Set aside.

4. Reheat the paste in the saucepan, stirring well for a couple of minutes, then add 1/2 cup HOT water and the tamarind water. Bring to a boil. Add the beef, stir and cover. Continue cooking over medium heat for 6-8 minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes and stir to mix with beef. Cook for a few more minutes, now add the coconut cream and continue cooking, turning meat several times, until the sauce has reduced. Just a few minutes. In the final minute add the cilantro and mint leaves.

6. Serve hot with garnish of fried shallots, cashews, and plump raisins.

serve with coconut rice

Roasted Red Pepper & White Bean Soup

2010-09-11T18:53:00.000-06:00

First you will need to roast some ( two or three) red peppers

To do this:
a. Cut off the tops and bottoms of the peppers, remove the cores and seeds, cut down one side and open up the peppers. Lay the splayed peppers on a baking sheet and flatten them a bit.

1. Adjust oven rack to top position. Turn broiler on. With oven door closed, let oven heat for 5 minutes. Oven rack should be 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches from heating element. Broil peppers, with oven door closed, until spotty brown, about 5 minutes. Reverse pan in oven; roast until skin is charred and puffed but the flesh is still firm, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
2. Remove pan from oven; let peppers sit until cool enough to handle; peel and discard skin from each piece. For those who prefer, peppers can be transferred to a large heat-resistant bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and steamed for 15 minutes before peeling skin.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 zucchini, diced
1 1/2 cups roasted red peppers, diced
2 walla walla onions, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
salt, to taste
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz of gluten free chicken stock
1 cup water
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Directions:

1. Roast red bell peppers according to instructions above.

2. In a dutch oven, heat half the oil over medium high heat, saute zucchini until golden (8-10 minutes). Add the diced roasted red bell peppers, stir to combine, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

3. In the same dutch oven heat the remaining oil, cook the onion, garlic, jalapeno, thyme and pepper and salt until softened (about 5 minutes), Add the beans, the chicken stock and the water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool.

4. In a blender, puree the soup (stock and beans), in batches until smooth. Return to pan, stir in the reserved zucchini and roasted red peppers, heat through and serve. Garnish with parsley.

Peanut Butter Crunch Squares

2010-08-31T12:48:00.000-06:00

It's Buckarooken's birthday so I made him some treats .

Ingredients:

1/3 cup organic agave syrup
1/3 cup sucanat (brown sugar if you can't find it)
1 cup organic natural valencia peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups organic gluten free cornflakes (broken up with your hands)
1 cup organic gluten free crisp rice cereal (broken up with your hands)

Directions:

1. Melt the agave syrup and brown sugar in a saucepan on med. Turn off heat, add the peanut butter, stir and add remaining ingredients.
2. Press into a 8" square pan.
3. Refrigerate until set.

Icing-

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp lemon juice; fresh
3 cups powdered sugar

(alternate to icing- melt dark chocolate and spread a layer on top of the squares instead! yum)

Instructions
1. Put the yogurt in a square of cheesecloth.
2. Gather the corners & tie them around a spoon handle. Dangle the yogurt over a bowl,
using the spoon handle to suspend it. Let sit about 40 minutes. Gently
twist until the cheesecloth tightens around the ball of yogurt. More
liquid should drip out, don't twist so hard the yogurt oozes out.
3. In a medium bowl, add the yogurt to the remaining ingredients, blend until
smooth. Spread on lightly on cooled peanut butter squares.
4. Serve!

SANPELLEGRINO Salad

2010-08-03T18:47:00.000-06:00

It's summer and I'm cracking open bottles of SANPELLEGRINO like there is no tomorrow. So I figured "Hey!, I'll use some in my salad tonight". My container gardens of lettuce have done super well so I mixed a couple types of lettuce and I also happen to have some fresh basil growing, so I added that to the dressing. Delicious.

Ingredients:

Dressing-
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp SANPELLEGRINO (Limonata) (though you could use the orange just as well)
2 Tbsp champagne vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh minced basil
sea salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Salad-
large helpings of fresh leaf lettuce, washed and torn
1 Clementine, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp sunflower seeds

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl mix together the Sanpellegrino, champagne vinegar and minced basil. Add the olive oil slowly while whisking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Pour some dressing over the lettuce, toss, garnish with Clementine pieces and sunflower seeds.

Note: I made this again using the orange Sanpellegrino and strawberries instead of Clementine's and it was very nice!

Back Country Bean Salad

2010-07-30T23:47:00.000-06:00

This is a great choice for a light weight but satisfying meal to carry in your pack. Make it the night before, freeze it in a ziplock and serve it up the next evening in camp with a warm corn tortilla and fresh avocado & salsa!

Ingredients:

1 tomato, diced
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can green chilies, drained
1/2 can of corn, drained
1/2 jalapeño, diced
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Dice tomatoes, jalapeño and chop onion. Open and drain cans of chiles, beans and corn. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

3. Spoon into large ziplock bags, remove air, fold and double bag. Freeze overnight. By the time you go to eat dinner the next evening, your meal will be thawed but not spoiled (and it won't have spilled out into your pack either!).

4. Serve with fresh avocado and some premade salsa inside some warmed tortilla's.

5. If you wish to make this for a meal at home, you can add chopped lettuce (and even grated cheese if you eat cheese). (Skip the freezing part of course).

Jicama, Cucumber & Lime Salad

2010-07-26T17:30:00.000-06:00

File this recipe under "who would have guessed it". I have never even tried Jicama before but this was one of the great recipes that our rafting outfitter sent along with our food package (on my Grand Canyon trip) . I like the vegetable julienned so I have presented the recipe that way. You could simply slice it into thin 1/2 inch strips. I also added the jalapeño pepper. I made this salad a couple of times on the trip and it was a hit with everyone! Jicama is now on my fav list.

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned
1 Jicama, peeled and julienned
2 limes, the juice of
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
salt, to taste
chili pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste.

Directions:

1. Toss everything together and serve. Easy!

New Cook Book

2010-07-02T13:14:00.000-06:00

Brand New Edition to keep everything up to date!

Thai Red Chili Mango Shrimp

2010-07-01T23:34:00.001-06:00

Super fast and super easy. If you don't like your food too spicy, half the spices. I generally double the spices whenever I see a recipe. haha. I made this for my fella to celebrate Canada Day. It was a gorgeous day out, so rather than spending extra time making Thai red curry paste from scratch, I "gasp" used store bought. And I don't regret it at all! Delicious! Also, the lettuce came from my very own container garden as did the cilantro. :)

Ingredients:

150ml of organic coconut milk
2 heaping Tbsp of Thai red curry paste
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro , finely chopped
2 small red chili's, finely sliced
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Juice of 2 limes
2 ripe mangoes
1 pound raw large shrimp, deveined with tails intact
oil for grill (coconut is best)
1 tsp. sucanat
fresh lettuce leaves
lime wedges for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, curry paste, cilantro, chili, garlic and lime juice and whisk together until blended. Put half of the dressing in a lidded container for the marinade and the other half will be used as dressing.

2. Cut your mangoes and cube the fruit and divide into two half's. (youtube how to cut a mango if you have never done this). Add half of the mango to the marinade and half of it to the dressing.

3. Add your shrimp to the marinade and toss to cover. Refrigerate and marinate for at least one hour. Add one tsp. sucanat to "dressing" half of your mixture and cover in another bowl refrigerated.

4. Heat your grill to a nice hot temperature, remove shrimps from marinade (discard leftover marinade) and grill until cooked through, turning once. Just a minute or so each side.

5. Remove shrimps from heat and serve on fresh lettuce leaves. Spoon mango dressing on to your shrimp and lettuce. Serve with lime wedges. Yum!

grilled plantain

2010-06-28T10:06:00.000-06:00

After experimenting with plantain only once before I decided to try again. And this was delicious!
Wait until your plantain is ripe. A ripe plantain is anywhere from yellow with some black spots to mostly black. I allowed this one to ripen to about 1/2 black. It can easily take weeks for a plantain to ripen on your counter top, so be patient. Green plantains are used in savory dinner dishes.

Ingredients:
1 or 2 ripe plantains
canola oil for brushing and grilling
salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Peel your plantain and slice diagonally into 1/2 slices (or smaller if you want them more crisp)

2. Brush canola oil on both sides of your plantain slices and grill on a hot clean grill for about 3 minutes per side. You want an even yellow color throughout with some nice grill marks.

3. Season with a pinch of salt and serve.

Super with brown basmati rice and a poached egg!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Orange Zest

2010-06-23T08:17:00.000-06:00

I was given some rhubarb by my wonderful MIL so a rhubarb crisp went in the oven asap. I have made this one using some strawberries as well as a few raspberries (because I can).

Ingredients:
Filling-
4 cups rhubarb, washed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups fresh strawberries, cut into 1 inch cubes
handful of raspberries
1/2 cup sucanat
1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
juice of 1/2 lime
zest of 1/2 orange

Topping-
1 cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
3/4 cup sucanat
3/4 cup brown rice flakes
1/2 cup butter, nearing room temperature, cut into cubes
cinnamon for sprinkling on top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° . Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, sucanat, flour, lime juice and orange zest in a large mixing bowl.
2. In another bowl, mix together your topping flour, sucanat, brown rice flakes, and butter. Combine the topping ingredients with your hands until it is crumbly and lumpy.
3. Transfer your filling mix to a lightly greased 8" casserole, crumble topping mixture over top to cover and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 30- 40 minutes until the top is browned and the fruit is cooked through.

Baked Polenta Fries

2010-06-18T10:28:00.000-06:00

Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Polenta Fries are an easy treat anytime. You could make your own polenta from scratch first, or simply use a prepared tube like Scarpone's brand.
You should probably know. I use my convection mode on my oven for almost everything. I know a lot of you don't actually have convection ovens so I never really mention that.

Ingredients:
1 tube plain prepared polenta
Olive oil
Coarse Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 450°.
2. Remove the plastic sleeve from the tube and cut your polenta in half crosswise. Then cut in half length wise and cut those into 4 or 5 strips each. The fries taste best when they are not too thick.
3. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet and place your polenta wedges on the sheet. Use a brush to brush some more olive oil on the tops of the polenta strips. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and place your cooking sheet on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes or so (until lightly browned) , turning once about 1/2 way through the cooking time.
4. Remove your fries when they are crisp and lightly golden, place them on a paper towel. You could at this time toss them with some nice spices like oregano or season salt. Serve with ketchup. Make a nice chipotle ketchup if it is an evening meal!

Roasted Squash Salad with Pomegranate Dressing, Crisp Apple & Toasted Pistachios

2010-06-16T17:22:00.000-06:00

It has been raining for weeks, so I have been craving comforting meals. This salad has the depth of roasted Butternut squash , combined with the fresh summery tastes of apple and pomegranate juice. An ideal light meal for a cool and stormy evening.

Ingredients:
Salad-
2 cups baby spinach (washed)
2 cups butter lettuce (washed and torn into bite size pieces)
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 large red apple, diced
1/2 cup toasted pistachio nuts
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt- to taste
fresh ground black pepper- to taste
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Dressing-
3/4 cup 100% pomegranate juice
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp shallots, diced
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425° and move the rack to the top position.

2. Toss your cubes of butternut squash in olive oil and place in a medium casserole so that each piece has it's own space. Sprinkle liberally with salt/pepper and red pepper flakes. Roast on top rack for 20-25 minutes. Until the squash pieces are lightly browned. Remove from oven , transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.

3. While the squash is cooking you can begin making the dressing. In a small saucepan, bring your pomegranate juice, apple cider vinegar and shallots to a boil. Reduce heat to low/medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes until slightly reduced.

4. Remove pomegranate juice dressing from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add mustard to pomegranate juice dressing and whisk until combined. Add olive oil to dressing slowly, whisking continuously until it is all combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. In a large salad bowl combine your lettuce, spinach, apple and pistachios (reserve a bit of the apple and pistachio for final garnish). Add dressing and toss. Add the roasted squash, toss once, garnish with a few more pistachios and diced apple. Serve.

Natural No Bake Carrot Cake

2010-06-15T07:40:00.000-06:00

Ok so it's not really a cake. It's pretty darn healthy though and tastes awesome!

Ingredients:

4 cups grated carrots
1 cup of medjool dates, (pits removed)
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
2 Tbsp organic apple butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 lemon, juice of
1 cup organic shredded coconut
1 cup organic raw walnuts
organic coconut oil for greasing your 9x9 pan

Directions:

1. Use a food processor to grate the carrots, remove carrots and set aside.
2. Place your dates, ground flax seeds, apple butter, cinnamon and lemon juice in a food processor and process until blended. Add the coconut and walnuts and process until the walnuts are coarsely chopped.
3. Add the carrots back to the food processor, process just enough to blend.
4. Press your finished mixture into a greased 9x9 pan and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Icing Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw whole cashews (soaked)
2 medjool dates (pits removed)
1/2 Tbsp agave nector
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
shredded coconut for topping
lemon zest for topping
walnut pieces for topping

Icing directions:

1. Process the cashews, dates, agave, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a food processor until smooth. Add the water until desired consistency of icing is reached.
2. Spread icing on carrot cake, top with coconut, lemon zest and walnut pieces.

Peanut Butter and Banana cakes

2010-06-14T09:39:00.000-06:00

So easy! Buckarooken likes them too.

Ingredients:

2 yellow bananas or heading to ripe
1 egg- beaten lightly
1 hugely heaping tablespoon of organic natural peanut butter (crunchy)

Directions:

1. Mash your bananas well in a medium bowl. you can leave a few little lumps.
2. Heat some vegetable oil on your non stick griddle on medium heat
3. Mix your peanut butter in with the banana and then add the beaten egg and stir that in well.
4. Drop batter onto the griddle, again 3" diameter cakes work best.
5. When the underside is medium brown, flip them and cook the other side.
6. Serve with Berries and you can call it a PBJ!

Almond Pancakes

2010-06-13T12:21:00.000-06:00

This recipe uses no processed flours. Just almond flour (you can make your own in a food processor or buy it at a health food store). It's really delicious.

Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup soda water or sparkling water
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp sucanat (or sugar)
(a bit of oil for the griddle as well)
Directions:

1. Mix your dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs until soft peaks begin to appear.
3. Preheat your non stick griddle on medium with about a teaspoon vegetable oil.
4. Add your oil and water to the eggs and stir to blend just a couple of stirs.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry flour mix and stir with a wooden spoon until just blended. Don't over mix.
6. Spoon your pancake batter onto the griddle. These pancakes won't bubble like "regular" pancakes, so you simply flip them when they are browned on the bottom. If you keep them smallish it is easier to determine if the pancakes are done. We made about nine- 3" diameter pancakes.
7. Serve with fresh fruit, maple syrup, butter, jam, whichever you prefer.

Hominy & Egg Scram

2010-06-11T10:16:00.000-06:00

I happened across this South American style cooking blog and saw this recipe for Mote Pillo. I was intrigued, so off I went to a local Latino Market to purchase the required ingredients to make my breakfast. Apparently Mote Pillo is a typical dish from the highlands or Sierra region in Ecuador. To Laylita it is comfort food.
For me it was an entirely new experience. The texture of the Hominy (treated maize kernels) is somewhat similar to a dense pasta. The flavor is brand new to me. I liked the dish but of course felt it needed a kick or something. I tried a bit of cayenne (nope) some hot sauce (better) and finally some maple syrup (always best!) haha -I never tried ketchup though that might have been nice. I enjoyed the dish and ate my entire meal but like most regional comfort food. It might take me a while to actually crave it. :)
Here is the recipe as she wrote it with my substitutions in parenthesis (I made a 1/2 batch) -

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked mote or hominy (canned is fine)
2 tbs butter (or organic red palm oil for color)
4 eggs
1 cup chopped leeks (white part only) or white onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp ground achiote
1/4 cup milk (rice milk)
2 tbs chopped chives
1 tbs finely chopped cilantro
salt to taste

serve with cheese slices and black coffee (or herbal chai tea if you are like me and don't do dairy or caffeine )

Directions:

1. Heat the butter over med. heat in a large sauté pan, add the leeks, crushed garlic, achiote and salt. Cook until leeks are soft (about 5 min)
2. Add the hominy, stir in well and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the milk (rice milk) and cook until it is almost absorbed by the hominy.
4. Whisk the eggs and add them to the pan, stir well and cook for 3 minutes or so.
5. Stir in the chives and cilantro, season to taste.

note- the achiote powder is what gives the dish it's color. You can mix together some oregano, cumin, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, garlic powder, salt and annatto in a mortar and pestle and make your own. It is the annatto seeds that dye the mixture red.

The Breakfast Project

2010-06-07T23:46:00.000-06:00

I have started a fun new project on flickr called- The Breakfast Project Inspired by my Norwegian friend Astrid and her Dinner Project It's only for a couple of weeks, but I figured it would be rather fun and turns out it is! It is forcing me to consider the aesthetics of my morning meal a bit more. Trust me, I often eat stuff that looks like a dog's breakfast because it's just a mash of leftovers from the night before. If I do have one of those mornings, I promise to photograph it anyhow. :)

Quinoa chocolate cake

2010-06-06T12:45:00.000-06:00

My MIL made me this delicious cake for my birthday. I loved it. I intend to make it myself sometime. When I make it, I will replace the milk with rice milk and the processed cane sugar with sucanat. It is super moist and really delicious! Buckarooken loved it as well. That's the thing with gluten free chocolate cakes, they are just as good as regular cakes. Only this one is made with whole quinoa which is fabulously good for you.

Ingredients-
2/3 cup white or golden quinoa
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup milk
4 large eggs
1tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions-
1. Combine the water and the quinoa in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two- 8" round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.

3. Combine milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender, add the 2 cups of cooked quinoa and the butter. Blend until smooth.

4. Whisk together sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the contents of the blender and mix well. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake on center rack of oven for 40-45 minutes (until a knife inserted comes out clean). Remove cakes from oven and cool completely in the pans before serving. You could make a two layer cake and frost it at this point. Or just serve each cake as is (my preference).

5. Eat for dinner, lunch or breakfast until the cake is gone. :)

Mexican Chicken, Chili and Grilled Corn soup

2010-05-28T20:40:00.001-06:00

This soup has kick and is very satisfying on a rainy day (like today) It makes a full pot so you will have plenty left over. The heat of the peppers combined with the sweetness of the corn is fabulous. A little bit of sour from the lime and it has everything.
note: we ate this for three days for both lunch and dinner and at the end of those three days my husband turned to me and asked- "Can we make this again within the week?". it's that good.

First you have to make your chicken broth
The Broth
Chicken Broth Ingredients:

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, smashed
2 large red onions, rough chopped
2 cups carrots, rough chopped
2 cups celery, rough chopped
Course salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 whole organic chicken
1 sprig thyme
1/3 cup Italian parsley
1 bay leaf
1 sprig tarragon
1/3 cup celery leaves
8 whole black peppercorns

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over med. heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves and sauté for 2 minutes until the garlic is golden. Add the onions, carrots & celery to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 8 minutes.

2. Cut up your chicken into pieces with a heavy cleaver- making sure to cut the bones to expose some marrow. Add to pot and fill the pot with water until it covers the chicken, bring to a boil.

3. Tie the thyme, parsley, bay leaf, tarragon and celery leaves into a bouquet using butchers twine. Add to the pot. Add the black peppercorns to pot, bring broth to a boil, turn down to med-low, partially cover and simmer for 3 hours. (add more water if required 1/2 way through cooking)

4. Skim off any fat, strain the chicken broth through a mesh sieve, then strain again through cheese cloth a couple of times until your broth is nice and clear. Leave to sit and separate a while so that you can skim off the fat. (I have a special fat skimming container that I use)

5. Hand pick the the good chicken meat and set it aside for soup recipe.

The Soup!
Mexican Chicken, Chili and Grilled Corn Soup
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce) minced
1 hot Anaheim New Mexico chili, reconstituted and chopped
1 red onion, diced
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. paprika
course salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
5 cups chicken broth (if you don't have enough, top it up with water)
1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped coarse and smushed with the side of a knife
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken (hand picked from your broth earlier)
1 handful cilantro , chopped
1/2 cup wild rice
2 cobs of corn, grilled
canola oil for grilling
1 cup canned, strained black beans
1 tsp. sucanat (or brown sugar)
handful of cilantro, minced (and some for garnish)
Fried corn tortillas for topping
Fresh lime to taste
Creme fraiche or sour cream for the dairy lovers

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over med. heat. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add chipotles, chilies, red onion, cumin, cayenne, paprika, salt and fresh ground pepper. Sauté for 8 minutes.

2. Add the chicken broth, the tomatoes, oregano, hand picked chicken meat and a handful of cilantro. Partially cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

3. In a separate pot, boil some water, add wild rice and cook according to package, strain.

4. Heat some canola oil, brush some oil on the corn and grill your corn either in a cast iron pan or on a grill. You want each side to be grill marked (slightly brown). Slice off the corn niblets.

5. In a cast iron pan, heat some oil on medium and add corn tortillas slices, fry until golden, set aside on paper towels.

6. Add the corn niblets, wild rice and black beans to the soup and stir to combine. Season with salt, pepper, sucanat and cilantro.

7. Serve soup with crispy tortillas, a squirt of fresh lime, and some creme fraiche or sour cream if you eat dairy.

Nutrient Density Score Chart

2010-05-20T17:55:00.000-06:00

Find the link here-
Dr. Fuhrman's nutrient density scoring chart
This little chart is pretty much all you need to figure out what is good to eat, what is better and what is best.

If you choose foods from the green and yellow charts first and then add some foods from the gold chart on the far right in moderation- you will be eating healthy. So easy.

now- go buy some Kale!

Chicken Enchiladas & Red Chili Sauce

2010-05-15T20:51:00.001-06:00

Ken has been holding on to this recipe from his fav site (Cooks Illustrated) to try for several years. We finally made it and wowzers! it was good. I made mine completely dairy free and he used dairy. Either way we loved it and highly recommend this easy Mexican inspired dish

Ingredients:
Sauce & Filling-

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 med. onion, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, pressed (about a Tbsp)
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sucanat (sugar)
4 chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/4" strips
2 -8 ounce cans of crushed tomato's
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 -4 ounce can pickled jalapenos, drained and chopped
(2 cups sharp cheddar cheese for those of you who eat dairy)*

Tortillas & toppings

10 -6" corn tortilla's
vegetable oil
1/2 head romaine lettuce, washed and shredded
2 limes, quartered
salsa or chopped tomato
(cheese and sour cream if you eat dairy)*
Guacamole- ( I made mine with 3 avocados, pitted and diced, juice of 1 lime, 1 jalapeno pepper diced, some red pepper flakes, a bit of salt, a bit of olive oil, chopped cilantro and 1/2 small onion chopped)

Directions:

1. Start on the sauce and filling- Heat oil in med saucepan over med/high heat until shimmering, add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown (5 minutes). Add garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt & sucanat, cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir to coat for another 30 seconds. Add crushed tomato's & 1/4 cup water, stir to separate chicken pieces. Bring to a roll, reduce heat to med. low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through (8 minutes).

2. Pour the mixture through a med. mesh strainer into a medium size bowl. Use the backside of a ladle to press the chicken and onion mixture and the liquid sauce will extract. Set the chili sauce aside.

3. Transfer the chicken onion mixture to a plate and place in freezer to cool (10 minutes).

4. Once cool, combine the chicken onion mixture with cilantro, jalapeno, (cheese)* in a med. bowl and set aside.

5. Preheat oven to 300° F with rack on lower middle position.

6. Smear a 13x9 inch baking dish with 3/4 cup chili sauce. Set aside.

7. Lightly spray tortillas with oil and place on baking sheet, bake for 3 minutes until soft and pliable. Remove from oven and increase the temp. to 400° F for the next step.

8. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup filling. Roll each tortilla by hand and place in baking dish, side by side and seam side down.

9. Pour remaining chili sauce over the enchiladas. (and sprinkle with cheese)*

10. Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes. uncover and serve with guacamole, lettuce, lime wedges, salsa or tomato (cheese and sour cream)*

*- dairy or soy products for those of you who eat that.

Goan Coconut Curry Chicken & Cauliflower Keema

2010-05-09T21:05:00.001-06:00

We bought a new cookbook. Kris Dhillon's -The New Curry Secret. Do not attempt these recipes if you are a novice cook or if you are in a hurry. From scratch, these two dishes will take nearly 4 hours of cooking/prep time. Is it worth it? Oh yes. This is fine dining Indian style. I highly recommend the dishes. Highly.

Be sure to read recipes through. Start by making the curry sauce, then the cauliflower (and brown basmati rice) and then cooking the chicken* and then making the Goan chicken dish itself. This is much easier to do with two chefs.

The first thing you will need to make is the curry sauce. This curry sauce can be stored in the fridge for 4 days or in the freezer for a month. This recipe will make enough for around 4 main curry dishes.

Curry Sauce-
prep & cook time- 1 hour

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 kg onions, sliced
1 tsp. salt
50g fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
50g garlic, coarsely chopped
1.5 L water
1 225 g can tomatoes
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. paprika

Directions-

1. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid, add sliced onions. Stir on high heat for 1 minute, turn down heat to med/high. Continue to cook onions, stirring frequently for 10 minutes, until onion is transparent and beginning to brown at edges.

2. Add salt, stir well, turn down heat to lowest setting, cover pan and continue to cook onions for 20 minutes, stir occasionally.

3. Add ginger & garlic to onions. Turn heat up to med. and cook for 1-2 minutes until aromatic.

4. Add water, bring to boil on high, turn heat down and simmer partially covered for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

5. Once cool, ladle half of onion mixture into a blender and blend until very smooth. Pour blended onion mixture into a clean bowl and repeat with second batch.

6. Wash/dry your saucepan, [reserve 4 Tbsp of curry onion sauce at this point for cooking meat.]*°

7. Place the canned tomato contents in clean blender and blend until smooth.

8. In your cleaned saucepan, add 1 Tbsp oil and heat on med. Add the tomato paste, tumeric & paprika & cook for 30 seconds. Add blended tomatoes, bring to boil, turn down the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes, add the blended onion mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, using spoon to skim off froth from time to time.

Goan Coconut Curry Chicken-
prep & cook time- 25 minutes
Ingredients-

Spice Mix-
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
4 green cardamons
4 cloves
1- 1 inch piece of cinnamon

Remaining Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp. tumeric
325 ml curry sauce (that you have made earlier -see above)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
300 ml coconut cream
450 g precooked chicken fillets (recipe to follow this list)*
2 tsp. tamarind paste dissolved in 2 Tbsp warm water

*[Precooked Chicken fillets recipe-]
prep. & cooking time 25 min.
3 large chicken breasts with skin and bone removed
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. tumeric
4 Tbsp reserved curry onion sauce *°
Remove fat and sinew, rinse and pat dry chicken fillets. Cut each fillet into 8 equal size pieces about 1 inch wide. Place the oil, tumeric and curry onion sauce*° into a large saucepan and mix well. cook on med. heat, stirring continuously, until sauce starts to darken about 4-5 minutes.
Add chicken and stir until all pieces are coated with sauce, turn heat down, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is tender, stirring frequently. Remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Goan Coconut Curry Chicken Directions:

1. Grind all the spices for the spice mix with a mortar and pestle (or electric grinder)

2. In a large, heavy frying fan, heat oil on med. & add spice mix. Fry for 1 minutes until aromatic.

3. Stir in tumeric, curry sauce, salt, chili powder & paprika. Bring to a boil, cook on high for 3 minutes until thickened slightly. Turn down heat.

4. Add coconut cream & bring slowly to a simmer. Add the chicken to the sauce & stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in tamarind & serve.

Cauliflower Keema
Ingredients:

1 small cauliflower
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1 green chili, finely sliced
350 ml curry sauce
150 g frozen peas
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions for Cauliflower Keema-

1. Break cauliflower into florets, rinse and drain well. process in food processor on slow chop until coarsely minced.

2. Heat oil in heavy based saucepan, add fennel seeds, tomato, salt & tumeric. Cook on med. heat for 2 min. stir in green chili. Cook 1 min., add cauliflower. Stir for 3-4 min. on med. heat and add curry sauce.

3. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has almost evaporated and cauliflower is tender.

4. Stir in peas, cook for 5 min., stirring often.

5. Serve garnished with cilantro.

We served our meal with brown basmati rice and mango chutney. Recipe for mango chutney on another day!

If you have any questions, pop me an email!
10 cent

Fiddleheads & Fried Egg

2010-05-06T14:22:00.000-06:00

Well I saw these baby fiddlehead's in my local market and I decided to try them. I admit that up until about an hour ago I had NEVER tried a fiddlehead. That said, I made sure to read up on the best way to cook them and pretty much every source I looked at claimed it was best to boil them like crazy until you are sure they are cooked. Steaming apparently can leave behind a bitter taste. So here is how I ate em-

(And yes, I liked them; though not in the same way I like, say, chocolate or sweet potatoes or even spinach. My guess is fiddleheads are a bit of an acquired taste. So I intend to keep trying as they are very good for you!)

Ingredients:
a generous handful of fresh fiddleheads, hard stems removed and rinsed thoroughly in cold water
sesame oil
gluten free soy sauce
sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 egg, fried

Directions:

1. Boil your fiddleheads in a medium pot for 7-9 minutes. (fry your egg just before they are done)
2. Drain, place in a clean bowl and toss with sesame oil and soy sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with a fried egg. Salt and pepper to taste.

Jonnycakes

2010-05-01T10:38:00.000-06:00

A traditional jonnycake pancake. Serve with sausage ("or" bacon for those of you who eat bacon) & fried egg, top with maple syrup & a pat of butter.

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp sucanat (sugar)
1 tsp. salt (ok a tiny bit less perhaps)
3/4 cup boiling water
3-4 Tbsp rice milk

Directions:

1. Combine the cornmeal, sucanat, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the boiling water, stir and add the milk. You might need to thin additionally with more milk. The mixture should easily drop from a spoon.

2. Drop by large spoon onto a hot greased non stick griddle (use vegetable oil for the griddle)

3. Cook 5-6 minutes per side until nicely browned and cooked through. (flatten the jonnycake a bit when you turn it over if you need to spread the cornmeal out)

Note- We use Bob's Red Mill cornmeal which is quite granular, some brands are finer and might require more water. If you were from say, "Rhode Island", this flour (Bob's Red Mill) would be considered entirely wrong! They use a light stone-ground white flint cornmeal from Rhode Island. We simply used what we had. :)

Martha's Jalapeno & Garlic Shrimp

2010-04-29T16:54:00.000-06:00

I decided to make that yummy Cucumber & Dill salad again and thought a simple shrimp dish would go nice. This shrimp recipe comes from Martha Stewart Living May 2010. It might appeal to some of you who don't like your food too spicy. I found it a bit bland for my taste and would prefer to have something with a bit more kick like my Adobo Shrimp . Still, I liked it enough to eat a bunch of them. And I did just run out of black pepper so, maybe that would have helped. :)

Ingredients:

1 pound of peeled, deveined shrimp
3 garlic cloves pressed
1/2 jalapeno chile, seeds removed, finely chopped (I recommend the entire chile)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Toss together the shrimp, garlic, lime juice and a Tbsp of the oil. Season with salt and pepper, and marinate in fridge for 45 minutes.

2. Heat remaining oil in large skillet over med/high heat. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and add to skillet. You can use less oil if you use a non stick skillet. Cook through, about 2 minutes per side.

serve with lime wedges.

Roasted Broccoli with Kalmata Olives, sliced Garlic, Oregano & Lemon

2010-04-27T16:51:00.000-06:00

It's a coolish overcast day and I was craving roasted veggies. So I went with Roasted Broccoli! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sucanat (or sugar)
5 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp pitted, minced kalamata olives
1 tsp. minced fresh oregano
juice from one lemon

Directions:

1. Adjust rack to lowest position, place quality baking sheet on rack and preheat oven to 500°F (convect roast if you have convection)

2. Cut your broccoli at the stems, remove outer peel from stalk and cut stalks into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Cut broccoli crowns into wedges. Place broccoli and cut stalks in a bowl, toss well with 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, salt and sucanat.

3. When oven reaches desired temp., remove baking sheet using oven mitts, transfer tossed broccoli to baking sheet and spread into an even layer, flat sides down. Return to oven and roast for about 9-10 minutes until lightly browned.

4. While the broccoli is roasting, heat the rest of the olive oil on med/low heat, add sliced garlic and red pepper flakes, cook stirring, until garlic is soft and golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in the olives, oregano and lemon juice. Toss into the roasted broccoli and serve.

Fresh Cucumber & Dill Salad

2010-04-25T16:08:00.000-06:00

This is super fresh and great for spring and summer! Buckarooken likes it too!
note: This salad is really delicious. I think I have made it at least a 1/2 dozen times within a few weeks.

Ingredients:

Salad-
1 head of Romaine lettuce, washed dried and cut into bite size pieces
1 cucumber, peeled & thinly sliced
1/4 cup of red onion, diced
1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped

Dressing-
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3 cloves of garlic, pressed

Directions:

1. In a large serving bowl combine all of the Salad ingredients and toss

2. In another small bowl, whisk the olive oil into the other dressing ingredients until fully combined

3. Pour dressing over salad and toss. serve.

Buckarooken's best banana bread

2010-04-23T09:17:00.000-06:00

Gluten Free banana bread made for me by my talented husband. :)

Ingredients:

2 cups Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
1 1/2 tsp. xantham gum
3/4 cup sucanat (or sugar if you can't find sucanat)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped coarse
4 small over ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F with rack in the lower middle position. Grease and flour a non stick 9x5x3 loaf pan. In a separate large bowl , combine the flour, xantham gum, sucanat, baking soda, salt & walnuts.

2. Mix the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl using a wooden spoon. Lightly fold the banana mixture into larger bowl with the dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined. Transfer the batter into the loaf pan and bake until golden brown and toothpick in center comes out clean. About 55 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring the loaf to a wire rack.

Grapefruit, Kiwi & Walnuts for breakfast

2010-04-10T10:23:00.000-06:00

After last nights onion rings, I figured it would be for the best to stick to healthy treats today. I segmented a Ruby Red Grapefruit and added Kiwi slices and some fresh Raw Walnuts. (I always squeeze out all the juice from my grapefruit skins and gobble that up as well.)
We plan to make a delicious East Indian Spicy tomato soup for dinner and maybe some flatbread. I promise to post the results!

Gluten Free Onion Rings!

2010-04-09T18:47:00.000-06:00

Ok so I have been craving onion rings for , oh I dunno, about 2 years! Eventually I had to give in and tonight we actually made some of the delicious crispy onion treats. Of course I will need to pull a double at the gym tomorrow to work off the extra fat, but it was worth it.

Ingredients:

2 yellow onions, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch sections, rings pulled apart
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
1/4 cup medium yellow cornmeal
3 liters vegetable oil
sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200°F (you will keep your onion rings crisp and warm in there as you do them in batches).

2. In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, 1 1/2 tsp. salt and a tsp. fresh ground pepper. mix and toss in your onion rings, toss to coat and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

3. In another bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, 1 tsp. salt & 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper.

4. Preheat your vegetable oil to 350°F. We used a deep fryer, but you could easily use a dutch oven and an attached candy thermometer. (note we did our deep frying in the garage so as to avoid stinking up my little house with the scent of frying oil)

5. When your oil is hot, dredge a few onion rings in the flour mixture and place in the oil. You must work in small batches so don't crowd them! Cook for a total of 2 minutes, turning once with some tongs about half way through the cook time.

6. Remove your batch of onion rings from the oil and place on a paper towel lined cookie sheet, salt lightly. Place the cookie sheet in the preheated oven to keep the onion rings warm and crisp for up to 30 minutes while you deep fry the rest.

7. Eventually you will tire of making onion rings and then you will know you have enough. Serve with ketchup, and dinner (if you have any room after gorging yourself on crispy onion rings.)

Roasted Carrots & Sweet Potatoes

2010-04-08T15:42:00.000-06:00

After eating the super garlicy RAW cauliflower dish for lunch, I was craving something cooked. Roasted to be exact. I'm pretty sure I will never be a RAW foodist. :)

Ingredients:
2 small sweet potatoes, washed, trimmed & cut into thick wedges
1 bunch of small organic carrots, washed & peeled
2 or 3 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt
fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. In a large bowl, drizzle sweet potato wedges in olive oil & sprinkle with salt & pepper, toss to coat.
3. Place sweet potato wedges on a foil lined cookie sheet & roast on the middle rack for about 15 minutes
4. Toss the carrots in olive oil, salt and pepper. Remove cookie sheet from oven & add to your carrots to the sheet in a single layer.
5. Turn oven up to 475° and return cookie sheet to oven.
6. Turn potatoes & carrots occasionally until they are browned nicely.

simple and delicious!

I have never mentioned that I have a convection oven. but I do and I use the convect setting all of the time. just so you know.

Fluffy Macadamia & Cauliflower Mash

2010-04-08T11:09:00.000-06:00

I brought home my new Kitchenaid food processor last night! This is the first recipe I made with it. Todays recipe is raw & vegan so take note: raw garlic is very strong. Just a little warning in case you forgot.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cauliflower, ground in a food processor
1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts, ground in a food processor
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tiny little clove of garlic, peeled

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until fluffy.
2. Add fresh ground pepper to taste & a few broken macadamia nuts as garnish.

(this will serve 4 people)

Spicy Thai Coleslaw

2010-04-07T15:24:00.001-06:00

I love coleslaw! This one is hot and spicy and vegan. You can play with the amount of spices if you don't like as much fire (or if it is for the kidlets).

Coleslaw Ingredients:

3 cups finely shredded green cabbage
1 cup peeled and shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded carrot
1 handful fresh basil, chopped
1 handful fresh mint, chopped
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch fresh chives, cut
1/2 cup raw unsalted peanuts

Dressing Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup tamari gluten free soy sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp sucanat (that's paddled, non-refined cane sugar)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 one inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & minced fine
1 heaping tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Assemble all of the coleslaw ingredients together in a large bowl and toss to mix well.

2. Assemble all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Pour the dressing over the coleslaw, toss and serve. (you might not need to use ALL of the dressing)

Apple Butter Baked Acorn Squash

2010-03-25T10:25:00.000-06:00

Since I work from home most mornings, it's easy for me to prepare a hot breakfast like this, but even if you don't have that luxury, this dish is so easy you could do it too! Just pop the squash in the oven when you get up and by the time your dressed for work, voila! hot breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash
2 Tbsp organic apple butter
2 pats of butter
salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut your acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and extra pulp.

2. Place your acorn squash pieces skin side down in a shallow baking dish. Fill each squash with a generous dollop of apple butter, top with a pat of butter and season with salt & pepper. Add some water to the dish (about 1/4 inch). Bake on the middle rack for about an hour (or until nicely caramelized).

3. Serve hot. Use a fork to scoop out your yummy squash.

Beet & Sweet Potato Roesti

2010-03-24T15:57:00.000-06:00

Ingredients

1 large beet, peeled and grated (about 1 cup grated)
1 small sweet potato, grated (about 1 3/4 cup grated)
1-2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1 egg beaten
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
plain organic yogurt for topping

Directions:

1. Wash, peel and grate your vegetables. TIP- wear rubber gloves when handling beets!

2. Using paper towel, squeeze as much moisture out of the beet/sweet potato mixture as you can.

3. In a medium size bowl, combine the rice flour, grated sweet potato, grated beet and salt and pepper. Stir in your beaten egg.

4. Melt your butter in a small non stick skillet on medium heat (don't be afraid to use plenty o' butter),

5. Pour your Beet/Potato mixture into the skillet and press down firmly with a wide spatula until it has formed a tight pancake in the pan. Cook until it is browned nicely on the bottom (about 5-10 minutes) (should have a bit of crispness). Use a large plate to turn out your roesti and return it back to your fry pan to cook the other side. Press down with your spatula again. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, turn down the heat if the bottom is getting to dark. The key is to get your potatoes cooked through, while have a nice crispy exterior on your roesti.

6. When it is done, remove from heat, cut into slices and serve with a dollop of fresh organic yogurt.

I have also made this with golden beets and it is lovely.

Amazing Chicken Souvlaki

2010-03-07T17:36:00.001-07:00

Greek Food! This is the best Tzatziki sauce in the world. I looked around and found dozens of recipes for gluten free Pita bread. All of them involved hours of prep, several types of flour, xantham gum, etc. etc. No Way! I simply wrapped my sandwich in greek grilled organic corn tortilla's. It was so delicious! You can of course, use regular Pita bread for the non GF avoiders in the family. Also, feel free to add Feta to your sandwich if you eat cheese.

Ingredients:

Marinade-
1 1/2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
4 1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. dried Oregano
1/2 Tsp. fresh ground black pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

6 to 8 wooden grilling skewers, soaked in water.

Directions for Marinade-

1. Mix your Balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the chicken cubes in a lidded container. Cover, shake and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. We went for 4 and it was good.

Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients-

1/2 cup seeded, shredded cucumber
1 tsp. course salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1 juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. Extra Virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
mix together a spice mixture of-
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper (to taste)
1 tsp. salt (to taste)

(set some of this spice mix aside for grilling the tortillas)

Ingredients for assembling Souvlaki sandwiches-

8 small round organic corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups a romaine lettuce sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup chopped jalapeño pepper
kalamata olives for garnish

Directions for Tzatziki Sauce

1. Combine the shredded cucumber with 1 tsp. salt and let sit for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, rice vinegar and olive oil. Season with garlic, spices and fresh dill. Squeeze water out of shredded cucumber and add to sauce. Stir, season to taste again with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Directions for Souvlaki-

2. Preheat your grill on high.

3. Remove chicken from the marinade and push onto skewers. Discard the remaining marinade.

4. Cook your chicken on a lightly oiled grill about 8 minutes per side (until the internal temp reaches 165°).

5. Brush both sides of organic corn tortilla's with olive oil and season with more dried oregano, garlic salt, onion powder, white pepper/black pepper and salt mixture. Grill both sides until lightly browned.

6. Assemble sandwiches using two grilled tortillas each. Arrange chicken, lettuce, onion, tomato, and jalapeño peppers on tortillas. Drizzle with tzatziki sauce, cut into halves for serving and garnish with olives.

Red Quinoa Breakfast

2010-03-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

It's so easy you can't really call it a recipe , but I figured there are likely plenty of folks who never considered Quinoa as a breakfast choice. So here is a super fast and easy way to enjoy a hot gluten free breakfast of Quinoa.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Red Quinoa
1 cup water
pinch of salt

1/2 apple, thinly sliced
organic raisins
dash of ground cinnamon
honey or sucanat to taste
cold almond milk or rice milk
fresh chopped walnuts if you like

Directions:

1. Combine your Quinoa/water/salt in a lidded sauce pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer on low with lid on for 15 minutes.

2. When your Quinoa is cooked, stir in your raisins and sweetener of choice and top with sliced apples, cold rice milk and a dash of cinnamon

3. Gobble it up.

Curry Coconut Shrimp with Basil & Rice Noodles

2010-02-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

This is easy, fast and super duper yummy. Like -"Hey let's make this again tomorrow" kinda yummy. Like as in "you will spend the entire meal discussing how delicious the meal is", kinda yummy. From my favorite noodle book.

Ingredients:

6 ounces of thin vermicelli rice noodles, softened for 15 minutes in hot water and then cooked for about 3 minutes in boiling water until just tender. Rinsed under cold water and drained.
1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
500g medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 cup fresh Thai basil, cut into thin strips (you can use regular basil as well)
2 red onions, sliced thin

Seasoning Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed, tough outer eaves discarded and chopped into fine pieces
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

- process all of these seasonings to a coarse powder in a blender. Set aside.

Coconut Sauce Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups coconut milk
3 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp sucanat

- mix these coconut sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Directions:

1. Arrange your cooked and cooled rice stick noodles on a platter or serving plates.

2. Heat a heavy skillet (or a wok) over medium/high heat. Add the oil and heat for 1/2 minute. Add the seasoning coarse powder and the onions, turn down heat to med/low and stir fry for 3 minutes until onions are tender. Add the coconut sauce and cook for 3 more minutes.

3. Add the shrimp, turn up the heat to med/high and cook for about 3 minutes (until the shrimp turn pink). Add the peas and basil, toss and spoon over the rice vermicelli stick noodles. Serve immediately.

Maple Walnut & Breakfast Sausage Roasted Acorn Squash

2010-02-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

I made my fellah breakfast. Normally I roast my acorn squash and eat it plain, but since it is Valentines day, I made it extra special for him.

Ingredients:

Acorn Squash, sliced in half, seeds removed
walnuts
maple syrup
lean gluten free breakfast sausage
butter
salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place your acorn squash upside down in a shallow baking dish with 1/4 inch water. Bake for about 30 minutes (until tender). Remove squash and baking dish from oven, move rack up and turn on your broiler.

2. Add some salt to your squash halves. Combine some melted butter and maple syrup and spoon it over your baked acorn squash halves. Add some broken raw walnut pieces into the centers. Return your squash to the oven (flesh side up this time) and broil until lightly browned, basting a couple of times with your syrup/butter mixture.

3. While your squash is baking, cook your breakfast sausage in a skillet on med. high, turning frequently. (Our sausage is lean grass fed beef, directly from the family ranch.) When your sausage is nicely browned, remove from heat and slice into small pieces.

4. Add your sausage bits into the center of your baked and broiled maple squash. Serve as is, and while your at it make him a nice poached egg and some toast if he asks for it (he did)

Miso Turkey Burgers with Southern Cornbread

2010-02-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

Soft, fresh bread and a delicious savory burger. !!!!!
Oh gluten free friends, you are gonna love this.

Cornbread-

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp melted butter and 1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 cup stone ground organic gluten free cornmeal
2 tsp. sucanat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup boiling water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position & heat the oven to 450°F. Set an eleven and a half inch cast iron skillet (with the melted butter and oil inside) in the oven as it heats.

2. Measure 1/3 cup cornmeal into a med. size bowl. Set aside.

3. In another smaller bowl, mix the remaining cornmeal, sucanat, salt, baking powder & baking soda together. Set aside.

4. When you are sure your oven is up to temperature- Pour the boiling water (must be boiling!) quickly into the 1/3 cup cornmeal med. size bowl. Stir to make a thick mush. It should stir up to resemble a soft polenta. Whisk in the buttermilk gradually, breaking up any lumps, then whisk in the egg. Stir the dry ingredients into the mixture until "just" moistened. Remove your skillet from the oven and carefully pour the melted butter/oil mixture into the the batter, stir to incorporate and quickly pour the entire batter into the heated skillet. Put that back in the oven for 15 minutes (until golden brown). Remove from oven and turn onto wire rack to cool immediately. let cool for 5 minutes and then cut into "bread" slices for your burgers.

Miso Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

400g ground turkey thigh
1 tsp. soybean (gluten free) miso thinned with 1 tsp. water
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix your miso mixture with the ground turkey, add salt and pepper for flavor (about 1/2 tsp each). Form into about 4 medium sized burgers.

2. Preheat a stainless steel skillet (or cast iron skillet) on med. hot, swirl in some vegetable oil and add your burgers. Brown well for about 5 minutes on each side. Turn temp. down a bit and continue cooking until the inner temperature of the burgers reads 165°F.

3. Serve on slices of fresh cornbread with lettuce, onions, ketchup, tomatoes and anything else you like on a burger.

a healthy Chocolate Cake

2010-02-08T15:35:00.001-07:00

My mother in law has been making me this cake for my birthday for a couple of years now. I adore it. I have adjusted the recipe to be less sweet because as I get older, the less sweet I seem to want my treats. Besides, I know you. You will serve this with say, coconut ice cream. Or you will make a ganache and pour it over the cake. Or some raspberry sauce.

Garbanzo beans are really high in protein. Go lift some weights now.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups organic gluten free dark chocolate chips (I like DAGOBA 73% chocolate drops)
1 (19 ounce) can organic garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 eggs
1/2 cup sucanat (you can use white sugar if you insist but I like the deeper taste of sucanat)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp cocao nibs- raw chocolate (I simply crushed up some cacao beans and removed the skins)
Dark chocolate for curling and garnish
a bit of gluten free all purpose flour and some butter for greasing the pan

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 inch spring form pan.

2. Melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler until smooth (Or you can melt them in a microwave on medium heat for a couple of minutes stirring, frequently).

3. Place the rinsed beans in a blender and blend until all the beans are broken up, add the eggs and blend until smooth. Add the sucanat and the baking powder and blend. Pour in the melted chocolate and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender to be sure all the chocolate is combined.

4. Pour into your spring form pan and bake for 40 minutes (until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean). Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove spring form sides and transfer cake to serving platter. Sprinkle with Cacao (raw chocolate) nibs and toss some chocolate curls on top just before serving.

5. Serve with almond milk and coconut milk ice cream to your sweet honey bunny on Valentines day.

Pineapple & Sweet Potato Madras Curried chicken

2010-02-06T12:23:00.001-07:00

first make your own madras curry powder- (I made a huge typing error at first and omitted several spices when I wrote down the recipe, which I have now corrected)

Ingredients-

8 tbsp coriander seeds
6 tbsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp whole cloves
2 tbsp tumeric
1 tbsp fennel seed
8 tbsp peppercorns
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp ground cardamom
2 tbsp ground ginger (powder not fresh)
1 tbsp ground cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. In a dry skillet over very low heat, place the coriander, cumin, mustard & fennel seeds. Roast the seeds gently, shaking the pan occasionally, until they begin to pop. Add the cinnamon, peppercorns, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, ginger & cayenne pepper.

2. Continue to heat & stir gently until the mixture is quite hot but not burnt. Grind in a mortar & pestle to a fine powder. Pour into a clean, dry jar, seal, & let cool before using.

Next- make your delicious curry!

Pineapple & Sweet Potato Madras Curried Chicken

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp. tumeric
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground ginger
4 large chicken legs, skin on, thighs & drumsticks separated
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 pineapple, peeled, cored & cut into 1 inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 cans (400 Ml each) coconut milk
1 cup gluten free chicken broth
1 cinnamon stick
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the spices in a small bowl, in a shallow container, coat the chicken with 2 Tbsp of olive oil & 1/2 the spices, & salt & pepper. Marinate, covered, for 2 hours in fridge.

2. Preheat oven to °325F. Warm the remaining olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the legs & thighs in a single layer (batch if required). Brown on both sides, remove & set aside.

3. Saute the pineapple, garlic & 2/3 of the coconut. Stirring frequently until brown (about 4 minutes).

4. Add the pineapple juice, coconut milk, chicken stock, cinnamon stick, remaining spices & sweet potatoes. Stir to combine. Arrange the chicken evenly on top. Bring to a simmer, remove from heat & transfer to oven, uncovered. Cook for 45 minutes, basting the chicken with the liquids a couple of times.

5. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving, adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve on top of curried jasmine rice. Garnish with cilantro & coconut flakes.

Curried Jasmine rice-

follow cooking instructions for jasmine rice but add 1 tsp. madras curry powder to water.

Shrimp Cocktail sauce

2010-02-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

I had some precooked shrimp in the freezer but nothing to dip them in! Well this cocktail sauce is ready in a flash and it's extra yummy.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup thai chili sauce (be sure it is gluten free before buying)
1/2 cup organic ketchup
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1/2 to 3/4 Tbsp gluten free Worcestershire sauce (see my recipe on previous blog post)
1/4 tsp. hot chili paste
salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve as dipping sauce with cooked, cooled shrimp.

Gluten Free Worcestershire Sauce

2010-01-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

If you live in Canada, your Worcestershire Sauce will have gluten. So make your own. It tastes awesome!!!!

Terrific Thai Red Curry

2010-01-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

so, here we are using up the rest of the red curry paste we made the other night for the fajitas! And oh yum! this was good. It goes straight into our favorites list!

Red Curry Paste-

Ingredients:

1 shallot, chopped fine
2 tsp. gluten free Thai chili sauce
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger, chopped fine
2 Tbsp organic tomato ketchup
1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
3 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp. dried shrimp, ground in a mortar and pestle.
1 tsp. sucanat
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/3 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Directions- combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Thai Red Curry

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup eggplant, cubed into bite size pieces
1 red pepper, cubed
2 hot red chilies for fire
1 stick of lemon grass
3 kafir lime leaves
stick of cinnamon
fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Directions

1. Put the chicken in a casserole dish, add the sauce (red curry paste), the limes leaves, the lemon grass and the hot chilies. Cover and bake in a 350° oven for 40 minutes.

2. Add the veggies and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

3. Serve with rice and garnish generously with cilantro

Baked Sweet Potato Breakfast

2010-01-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

For breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, or anytime! I love sweet potatoes. Luckily sweet potatoes are very good for us! This is one of my favorite ways to prepare them. I always make extra so I can keep some in the fridge for a snack. A sweet potato baked with skin is an excellent source of vitamin A. They are also a very good source of vitamin C and manganese. In addition, sweet potatoes are a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. (you must eat the skin!)

Ingredients:

3-5 small sweet potatoes (I usually buy the yellow flesh variety from my organic market)

2 Tbsp of either quality vegetable oil or olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

butter

Directions:

1. Move oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 400° F.

2. Wash and dry the outer skins of the potatoes. Cut off any small hard bits. Using a fork, stab the potatoes three or four times each.

3. Rub the potatoes with oil to cover and arrange them on a foil lined baking sheet with space in between. Bake for 40-50 minutes (do not turn) or until a knife slips easily into the center.

4. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with a little butter if you are feeling decadent. (they taste really great without I promise!)

Superman Salad

2010-01-19T19:54:00.001-07:00

Oh Nooos! Kencent has gone and suffered a leg injury on the ski hill. I want to help so I will be feeding him extra healthy meals to speed up his recovery. That's where this salad comes from. The bonus is that it tastes most excellent. But it has every good thing imaginable inside.

Ingredients:

1 head of romaine lettuce, washed , dried & sliced
1 red grapefruit, cut peel away & segments removed between the membranes using a sharp knife, do this over a bowl and reserve the juice
1 navel orange, cut peel away & segments removed between the membranes using a sharp knife, do this over a bowl and reserve the juice
2 small kiwi fruits, cut in half & fruit scooped out with a spoon
1/4 cup fresh blueberries, washed
1/4 cup fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1 small avocado, cut in half, stone removed and avocado flesh scooped out and cubed.
2 scallions, washed and chopped
1/2 cup sunflower sprouts, washed and chopped
1 Tbsp shelled hemp seed
1/4 cup organic raw walnuts

Dressing Ingredients:

1 Tbsp reserved fruit juice (see above)
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. cold pressed organic canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. cold pressed organic flax seed oil
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prep all of your fruits into one bowl and your greens into another separate bowl. That way you can save any leftovers for the next day or prepare this ahead for lunch.

2. Combine your salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

3. In a large bowl, add salad greens and fruit until desired portion is reached. Pour some dressing over and toss all to combine. Sprinkle with hemp seeds and walnuts. Serve immediately.

ten thousand ingredient Fajitas

2010-01-15T19:28:00.001-07:00

Ha! We were watching Bobby Flay throw down on TV the other night and wanted to make his fajitas. Dude makes some long complicated food! We really enjoyed the taste though!

We added to the complication by making our own gluten free Curry paste for his recipe. Also, a few gluten free substitutions and omissions here and there.

First of all. Keep in mind that you need to marinade the steak for 4- 8 hours.

Read through everything several times before starting.
The Curry Paste will keep for a week in the fridge- use it in another dish that week!
The BBQ sauce will keep in the fridge for 1 week. Barbecue some chicken with it another day!
The BBQ Rub will last for ages in a sealed container. Again, nice on any meat or veggie!

I would prepare it in this order.
1. start by making the curry paste, make marinade and marinade the steak in the morning.
2. make the BBQ rub and BBQ sauce.
3. make the avocado crema
4. grill the steaks, let sit
5. grill the onions while warming the tortillas and letting the steak sit.
6. eat three helpings like we did. :)

Here we go-

Curry Paste-

Ingredients:
1 shallot, chopped fine
2 tsp. gluten free Thai chili sauce
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger, chopped fine
2 Tbsp organic tomato ketchup
1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
3 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp. dried shrimp, ground in a mortar and pestle.
1 tsp. sucanat
2 Tbsp chili powder
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Directions-

1. Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth.
store in an airtight container in fridge for up to 7 days.

BBQ Rub-

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup paprika
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp dry mustard
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. coarse salt

Directions-

1. Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container until ready to use

BBQ Sauce-

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp paprika
1 cup organic tomato ketchup
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 canned chipoltle chile in adobo, chopped
2 Tbsp sucanat
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp molasses
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil over med heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft (3 min). Add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Add the ketchup and water, bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 10 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.

3. Transfer mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a bowl and allow to come to room temperature.

Barbecued Onions

Ingredients-

BBQ rub (see above)
BBQ Sauce (see above)

2 Walla Walla onions cut into 1/4 thick slices
canola oil

(also slice up some red pepper to grill beside the onions if you like)

Directions:

1. Heat cast iron pan on medium. Brush the onion slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Season one side of the slices with BBQ rub.

2. Grill the onions rub-side down until lightly golden brown. Flip over, brush with BBQ sauce and grill until just cooked through. Separate the slices into rings and serve with the fajitas.

Avocado Crema

Ingredients:

2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup water
1 lime, juice of
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste.

Directions-

1. Place the avocado, water, lime juice, rice vinegar, and honey in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Blend to incorporate. (store in fridge until ready to serve.)

Fajitas:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup red curry paste(see above)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut in half or thirds crosswise
salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
12 organic corn tortillas, wrapped in foil and warmed in oven
BBQ onions (see above)
Avocada Crema (see above)

Directions:

1. Combine the curry paste (see above), canola oil, and 1/4 cup of the lime juice in a food processor until smooth.

2. Place the steak in a large baking dish and add half the marinade. Turn to coat the steak in the marinade, pour the remaining marinade over, cover and refrigerate for 4 - 8 hours .

3. Whisk together the honey and remaining lime juice in a bowl.

4. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Remove steak from marinade and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the steak until golden brown and slightly charred on both sides, brushing with honey lime juice a few times and cook to medium rare, about 12 minutes total. (about 120 or 125° internal temp.) Remove from grill and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing across the grain into thin slices. Place meat on a platter.

5. Lay warm tortillas on a flat surface, add a few slices of beef down the center, top with onion slices, grilled peppers and small dollops of avocado crema. Roll and eat.

Many Lentil Daal

2010-01-02T19:16:00.001-07:00

You can make this with as many different types of split lentils as you like.
If you only have 2 kinds (like I did tonight) That works fine as well.

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp split green lentils
5 Tbsp split red lentils

(if you have any split gram lentils ; split and husked black lentils (urad dal) ; or split yellow lentils, you can substitute some of the volume with those)

1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
2 Tbsp ghee
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. ground garam masala
1 tomato, chopped
1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 lemon, juice of

Tadka-
1 Tbsp ghee
1 dried red chili
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
4 cloves
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Mix all of the lentils together, wash under running water. Leave them to soak in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain.

2. Place the lentils in a medium saucepan with 2 1/2 cups water, 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. tumeric. Bring to a boil, skim if necessary. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 25 minutes (or until the lentils are are very soft).

3. While the lentils are cooking, heat the ghee in a frying pan until hot, add the onion and cook until golden brown. Add the remaining salt and tumeric, the chili powder, the the garam masala and sauté for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomato and cook until soft.

4. Pour the onion and tomato mixture over the lentils and bring to a boil. When it has all reduced to your liking, stir in some fresh cilantro and a splash of lemon juice. Remove from the heat and keep lid on.

5. Make the tadka quickly- heat the ghee in a small saucepan until smoking, add the whole red chili, cumin seeds, cloves and garlic. As the garlic begins to turn golden, remove from heat and pour over the lentils. Cover with lid again and let sit for 2 minutes. Remove lid, stir once and serve immediately.

6. Serve with basmati rice and chutney.

Lefse

2009-12-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

Lefse is a Norwegian flat bread made with potatoes. My grandma used to make huge batches for us and send them via greyhound every Christmas. I decided to make a gluten free version and I must say it worked out very nicely!

Ingredients:
6-8 cups boiled russet (or similar dry potato) potatoes (boil them with the skin on)
1 tsp. vegetable oil
dash of salt
as much Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour as needed (between 1-2 cups). You don't want too much moisture in your potatoes or your finished dough.

Directions:

1. After boiling the potatoes, rice them with a potato ricer and let them sit until they are completely cooled down and room temperature.

2. Once the riced potatoes are cool, add the vegetable oil and salt and mix. Next add some flour (just a little at a time) and mix it in. The dough should end up firm enough to roll out like pie crust. Sprinkle flour on the rolling surface before trying to roll out the lefse rounds. You want them very thin. As thin as you can make them. For this reason we rolled ours out on a sturdy cutting board in order to slide the lefse round onto the griddle without it breaking.

3. Place the rounds one at a time onto a hot frying griddle. You could use a pancake griddle, a lefse griddle or even a cast iron pan if that is what you have. Do not grease the griddle.

4. Cook each side until lightly browned. Remove from heat and place on paper towel to cool a bit. Store between sheets of wax paper.

5. Lefse tastes great with a little butter spread on it and rolled up. As kids we loved rolling it up with peanut butter and honey. You can make a sandwich with it. It freezes excellent (between sheets of wax paper). It also keeps nicely in the fridge for a few days.

I love LEFSE!

Mom's Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Balls

2009-12-18T23:07:00.000-07:00

I have always loved this treat that my mom makes. She only makes them at Christmas. Still, there was a nagging concern about some of the traditional baking ingredients she used (like icing sugar and hydrogenated peanut butter). So I fixed them up a bit to make them healthier. I didn't say healthy. I said "healthier"........
Your going to love these.

Ingredients:

1 cup organic natural crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup finely ground almond flour
1/4 cup milled flax seeds
1 cup finely chopped organic walnuts
1 cup finely chopped organic dates (remove pits first of course)

2 cups organic dark chocolate baking chips (gluten free)

Directions:

1. In your stand mixer, cream the peanut butter with the almond flour until light. Add the milled flax seeds and mix well. Add the finely chopped walnuts and dates and mix in. The "dough" should be stiff enough to roll into balls at this point. (if it isn't you can add a bit more almond flour)

2. Shape into round balls (1 Tbsp. each), place on cookie sheet and freeze.

3. Melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler (or carefully on 1/2 power in microwave)

4. Dip balls into chocolate- with tongs. Shake off excess chocolate. Place on wax paper (on a cookie sheet again) and freeze until firm.

You can let them come to room temperature for serving, though they are awesome cold as well! The dates are so sweet and delicious and hey, with the added milled flax seeds there is plenty of fiber! let's review- chocolate, peanut butter, walnuts, dates, almond flour and flax. Go for it! Make them!

The King's Quesadilla

2009-12-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

Elvis loved fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. He used to fry up his sandwiches in heaps of butter, using big slabs of soft bread, huge amounts of sticky peanut butter & bananas. My version is considerably healthier and lower in calories. Still, I have to warn you, while these are tasty little treats, one serving is plenty.

Ingredients:

2 small white corn tortillas ( I use Tres Marias white corn tortillas by Pradera Natural Mexican Food Products)
1 Tbsp natural, organic crunchy peanut butter
1 banana, peeled & sliced thinly
1 tsp. organic peanut oil

Directions:

1. Spread a thin amount of peanut butter on one of your corn tortillas. Don't go all the way to the edge or it will just bubble out and burn. Arrange your banana slices on top, cover with the remaining corn tortilla.

2. Heat a small amount of peanut oil in a non stick skillet on med heat. When the oil is hot, place your corn tortilla sandwich on the skillet. Cook each side until lightly browned. Cut into quarters while singing Love me Tender

Arctic Blast Sweet Potato Smash

2009-12-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

I loved those little potato smashes so much, I wanted to find a way to make them even healthier.
Sweet potatoes are a nutritional powerhouse compared to regular white potatoes. Actually sweet potatoes are a member of the morning glory family and not potatoes at all. They come in orange flesh and white fleshed varieties. Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, loaded with vitamin A and potassium & they are a rich source of antioxidants in the carotenoid family.

I chose the smallest organic sweet potato I could find for this mornings breakfast. The squishing process is a little less pretty than with the whole little potatoes, but the taste is amazing! The sweet potatoes will brown faster than a white potato so keep your eye on them.

Ingredients-

1 small sweet potato- washed and any hard bits cut off (leave skin on)
a generous drizzle of olive oil
course salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cut your washed sweet potato into quarters (or new potato sized pieces) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the sweet potaoes, boil until fork tender. While they are boiling, pre-heat the oven to 450 with the rack on the top.

2. Generously drizzle a sturdy cookie sheet with olive oil, After draining your cooked sweet potatoes, place them on the oiled cookie sheet with space in between. Score the sweet potatoes lightly with a knife to make little cube-like protrusions. Use a potato masher to gently squish the sweet potatoes. (it works best to squish each on a little, turn the masher a quarter turn and then squish them a little more). Be gentle, you want your sweet potatoes to look about cookie shape at this point. Brush some olive oil onto the squished potatoes, add some salt and fresh ground black pepper.

3. Place the cookie sheet with the squished sweet potatoes on the top rack of your pre- heated oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are nicely browned and crispy. Enjoy them on a cold morning.

Kenny's Special Scram & Smashed Baked Baby Potatoes

2009-12-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

My friend Jocelyn turned me on to these potatoes. Goodness me, they are like little potato crack bombs really. :)

Smashed Baked Baby Potatoes-

Ingredients-

a few handfuls of new potatoes (we used Piccolo but any smallish boiling potato will do)
a generous drizzle of olive oil
course salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
fresh rosemary, chopped, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the new potatoes, boil until fork tender. While they are boiling, pre-heat the oven to 450 with the rack on the top.

2. Generously drizzle a sturdy cookie sheet with olive oil, After draining your cooked potatoes, place them on the oiled cookie sheet with space in between. Use a potato masher to gently squish the potatoes (it works best to squish each on a little, turn the masher a quarter turn and then squish them a little more). Be gentle, you want your potatoes to look about cookie shape at this point. Brush some olive oil onto the squished potatoes, add some salt and fresh ground black pepper, finish with some fresh rosemary or herb of your choice.

3. Place the cookie sheet with the squished potatoes on the top rack of your pre- heated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely browned and crispy. Be prepared for fights over who gets the last one.

Kenny's Special Scram -

Ingredients-

2 Tbsp. red onion, chopped fine
2 Tbsp. red pepper, chopped fine
large handful of fresh baby spinach chopped fine
handful of button mushrooms, sliced
5 eggs
Butter for frying
paprika for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat a sauté pan on med/high and melt some butter into it, sauté your onions and red pepper until lightly brown, add the spinach and sauté everything until soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Re-heat your sauté pan, add a generous amount of butter and sauté your mushrooms until brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the onion, spinach, red pepper, eggs, and salt/ pepper to taste. Beat with a fork until combined. Heat a med. non stick skillet over med/high heat, melt some butter in it and pour in your egg mixture. Add the mushrooms at this point. Use a heat resistant spatula to break up the egg mixture a couple of times as it cooks. Don't over stir it. You want to cook the eggs until they are "just" done and the obvious liquid is cooked.

4. Remove from heat, sprinkle some paprika over top & serve immediately. Serve with Smashed baked baby potato.

Orange & Saffron Chicken Tagine

2009-11-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

adapted from a cooks illustrated recipe

You can make this in a dutch oven if you don't have a Tagine

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp. saffron threads
5 tsp. garlic, pressed
1 1/4 tsp. paprika
3 orange zest strips (2 inches long each)- use a vegetable peeler to remove the wide strips of zest.
1 chicken, cut up, (split breasts cut in half, drumsticks, thighs)
Salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch coins
2 cups gluten free chicken broth
1/2 cup Moroccan olives
2 Tbsp fresh mint, minced
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (juice from one orange)

Directions:

1. combine the saffron, 4 tsp. of garlic and paprika in a small bowl, set aside.

2. Mince 1 strip of the orange zest and mix with the remaining pressed garlic and set aside.

3. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt & pepper. Heat oil in the Tagine (or dutch oven) over med-high heat until just smoking. Brown half the chicken on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes per side, reducing heat if necessary (cover with a splatter guard if you are using a Tagine) . Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken. Transfer chicken to a plate again.

4. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp fat from the Tagine. Add onion, remaining orange zest strips and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened (5-7 minutes). Stir in the garlic spice mixture and cook about 30 seconds, stir in carrots and broth, scraping up any brown bits.

5. Bring the drumsticks and thigh pieces back to the Tagine & simmer. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, then add the breast and wing pieces, cover again and simmer for about 30 minutes (or until all of the chicken is cooked through, -dark meat at 170-175 and the white meat at 160-165 with an instant read thermometer)

6. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and tent loosely with foil.

7. Skim off any fat on top of the Tagine liquids, add the olives & simmer 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic/orange-zest mixture, mint & orange juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

8. Serve with brown rice.

The 10 cent Diet Gluten Free, Naturally - the cookbook!

2009-11-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well I finally made the cookbook. Blurb has an option to transfer information from Blogger so I chose to do it that way. I had a couple friends ask me like a hundred times to make this so I did. :)

Easy Veggie soup

2009-11-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

We started our soup with some Turkey Stock that we had in the freezer from Canadian Thanksgiving. You could use homemade chicken stock or vegetarian soup stock as well.

Ingredients

4 cups gluten free soup stock
2 medium carrots, chopped small
2 baby bok choy, chopped, with greens separated from the white stalks
2 handfuls of shiitake mushrooms sliced, hard stems removed and discarded (save them for your next soup stock)
1 small bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped into small bite size pieces
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 scallions, greens only, chopped for garnish
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
crushed red chili peppers, to taste
fresh lemon wedges for serving

1 cup Brown Rice- cooked according to the package instructions

Directions:

1. Cook the brown rice according to the package instructions.

2. Heat stock in soup pot over medium heat, add ginger, garlic and chopped onion. When the soup begins to boil, add the carrots, shiitake mushrooms, bell peppers and Bok Choy stalks. Turn heat down to simmer and cook until vegetables are sufficiently done. (add some water if you need too) Salt to taste, add crushed red pepper. Adjust seasonings until satisfied, Stir in the bok choy greens at the last minute.

3. Scoop some brown rice into individual serving bowls, ladle vegetable soup over top. Garnish with scallion pieces and serve with lemon wedges for a little squeeze of freshness.

Easy Chicken Curry for 1

2009-11-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds
1 bay leave
2 cardamom pods
2 black peppercorns
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 medium potato, washed, cut into cubes and parboiled for about 10 minutes.
1 tsp. salt
1 boneless skinless chicken breast. cut into large pieces

1/2 Tbsp. fresh ginger chopped very very fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped very very fine
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tomato, chopped until nearly smooth
1 cup gluten free chicken stock (or water)
ground cinnamon for garnish
chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet and add the whole spices. When they crackle, add the onions and fry over medium heat until they are brown. Stir in the parboiled potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the salt then the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes until the chicken is lightly browned.

2. Add the ginger, garlic, ground coriander, cumin, chili powder and turmeric. Cook for another 6 minutes, stirring constantly, until the spices begin to release their aromas. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for another 4 minutes. Then add the stock & bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is cooked through.

3. Adjust seasonings to taste, sprinkle with ground cinnamon, and chopped cilantro.

4. Serve with brown basmati rice and mango chutney.

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry & Rice Flour Rotti

2009-10-31T18:22:00.000-06:00

This curry is very very delicious. An instant fav. We will make it again and soon I bet. Both it and the rice flour rotti are from this book.

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry-

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, finely sliced
1" piece fresh ginger, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground garam masala
400g boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 tomatoes, quartered
salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a med. saucepan, add the onions and cook until golden brown. Add the ginger. garlic and ground spices. Mix for 1 minute, then add chicken. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes.

2. Pour in 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Turn down heat to lowest, add the coconut milk. Cook for another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in tomatoes and salt to taste. Cook for 5 more minutes. Serve with rice or rotti. Nice with mango chutney.

Akki Rotti

Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour
50g freshly grated coconut (or dried coconut)
2 Tbsp cilantro chopped fine
10 curry leaves chopped fine
2 green chilies, chopped fine
2 1/2 shallots, very finely sliced
10 cashew nuts, roasted and ground
salt, to taste
vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1. Put all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the center and gradually (slowly) stir in 1 to 2 cups of water until it forms a soft dough. With floured hands, knead the dough to mix and shape into small balls.

2. Roll out balls on a surface dusted with rice flour to make discs as thin as possible. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

3. Heat a large frying pan and coat the bottom with oil. Place one disc of dough in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Turn over and brown the other side. Remove from pan and keep warm while cooking the remaining breads. Serve hot.

Anti- flu diet

2009-10-28T14:11:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted a new recipe for a while. That's because I am concentrating on eating fresh fruit, steamed and raw veggies, eggs and fish. Many of my friends have fallen ill and tons of my clients and contacts have contracted the flu. Eating an exemplary diet is part of my plan to stay healthy, as is going to bed at a reasonable time and getting enough exercise. I also plan to go get a flu shot, possibly next week. Until then, I have been sauté crazy. Mushrooms, leafy greens, (like spinach, pea shoots and Mâche), peppers, and any other veggie I can cook in minutes. Today I grilled a bell pepper with a little olive oil in a cast iron pan. When that was done, I threw in several handfuls of mâche and quickly wilted it, a little dash of course salt and lunch was ready. A handful of nuts for protein and I'm back to work.

Stay healthy!

Ridiculously Easy Brown Basmati Pilaf

2009-10-21T17:35:00.000-06:00

This is a "whatever you have in the fridge" type of recipe. It would be just as nice with broccoli and mushrooms, or cauliflower and spinach.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown basmati rice
2 cups water

2 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 cup mâche (or spinach)
1/2 cup fresh pea shots
1/2 large bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1/4 cup almond slivers (or pine nuts)
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 lemon, juice of
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the water and rice in a med pot. bring to boil, stir once, lower heat to simmer, cover and cook for 50 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

2. Bring 3 cups water to a boil, add the carrots and bring to a boil again, cook on med with lid slightly off for about 10 -15 minutes (or until the carrots are cooked but not mushy) set aside.

3. Heat a large skillet over med. heat. Add slivered almonds and toss until toasted. Be careful not to let the almonds burn. Remove from pan and set aside.

4. Return the skillet to the burner and heat the oil. Add the onions and sauté until nearly soft (about 3 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Stir in the bell pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.

5. Stir in the lemon juice, white wine and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add the cooled brown rice, carrots, mâche and pea shoots. Cook until heated through (about 2 minutes) sprinkle with toasted almonds and serve.

African Plantain Curry

2009-10-19T17:55:00.000-06:00

I like to try new things. I saw this recipe and wanted to try it right away as I have not really eaten much plantain in my life. I have had some African cuisine but I have never attempted to make it. This recipe comes from my favorite new book, Curry Cuisine
Anyhow, it was easy to make and I'm quite certain I liked it. It's a totally new taste for me but yes, I liked it and I would make it again.

Ingredients:

4 plantains
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 Tbsp curry leaves
1 onion, finely chopped
1 3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
2-4 green chilies, seeded and chopped
pinch of ground tumeric
fresh cilantro leaves, chopped for garnish
lemon juice, to sharpen

Directions:

1. Put the unpeeled plantains in a steamer basket set over a pan of simmering water. Steam for 10 minutes. They should still be quite firm to the touch.

2. While the plantains are cooking, make the masala. Heat the oil in a wok or pan and toss in the mustard seeds, followed by the cumin seeds and curry leaves. As soon as the seeds begin to pop, add the onion, ginger & green chilies. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan, and cook for about 10 minutes (until the onion is softened)

3. When the plantains are cool enough to handle, strip off the peel with a sharp knife and grate them lengthwise into thick coarse shreds.

4. Add the turmeric to the masala while still on the heat, stir to combine. Add the grated plantains and fry for another 5-7 minutes. You want to make sure the plantain still has texture and bite. If it is sticking, add a little water.

5. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and add a squeeze of lemon. Serve with rice. Good with pickled relishes, spiced chilies etc.

Thai Food

2009-10-14T20:00:00.001-06:00

Love Thai Food? Here are some of my favs

Thai Green Curry From Scratch

Pad Thai-alicious!

Curried Chicken Roll with Sweet Thai Basil

Thai Spicy coconut squash Curry

Coconut Rice

Thai Spicy Coconut Squash Curry

2009-10-14T16:42:00.001-06:00

Ingredients:

2/3 cup organic coconut milk
1 tsp. salt
4 cups (about 1 small butternut squash), peeled and cubed (use a peeler to peel the squash, then cut it in half where the bulbous end meets the narrow end. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut into cubes.
3 tsp. sucanat
1/4 cup light gluten free soy sauce
4 deep fried red shallots (peel, slice into very thin slices lengthwise, and deep fry until golden on med/high heat in peanut oil. stir constantly and when they are deep gold, remove and drain on paper towels)

Curry Paste Ingredients:

4 red chilies, seeded and chopped fine. (less if you can't take the heat)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp finely chopped lemongrass
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp. tumeric powder
1 tsp. finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped red shallots
1 bulb garlic, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground white pepper
1/4 cup water

note- this will make extra curry paste, you can store the rest for a few days in the fridge

Directions:

1. Make the curry paste. Place all of the curry ingredients in a blender and blend on high until a thick paste has formed and everything is fairly homogeneous. 3-4 minutes.

2. Deep fry the shallots, lay out on paper towel to cool and set aside.

3. Place the butternut squash cubes in a medium pan and cover with water. Bring to boil and turn down heat to medium and cook for another 6-9 minutes until the squash is tender. Take off heat and set aside.

4. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk and 1/4 cup of the curry paste to boil over med/high heat, stirring constantly. Lower heat a bit so it doesn't burn and keep stirring. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and sucanat and stir. Season with salt and return the cooked butternut squash to the coconut milk/curry mixture. Heat through.

5. Spoon into serving bowls, sprinkle with fried shallots and serve with rice.

Crispy oatmeal & cacoa nib cookies

2009-10-06T22:45:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose gluten free flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 sticks of butter (1/2 cup sticks), room temperature
1/4 cup Agave syrup
3/4 cup sucanat
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (wheat free -uncontaminated) rolled oats
1/4 cup organic cacoa nibs (raw chocolate)

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 °F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

3. Using a paddle attachment on your mixer, at med low speed, beat the butter and the sucanat and agave syrup for a minute or two until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, beat again for half a minute. Add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Gradually add the oats and continue mixing on low until everything is combined well. Add the cacoa nibs and stir to combine.

4. Using your hands, make balls with slightly less than 2 Tbsp of dough and spread out on parchment leaving at least 2 1/2 inches between each cookie. Flatten slightly with your fingertips before baking for 11- 14 minutes. Bake only one cookie sheet at a time. When the cookies are flat and deep golden brown, remove from oven and cool the cookies while still on the cookie sheets at least 15 minutes before removing from cookie sheet. You will get about 8 cookies on each sheet for a total of 24 cookies. Cookies are crispy and not overly sweet.

This recipe was adapted from a cooks illustrated recipe. I have made mine gluten free, and limited the processed sugars. The cacoa nibs are a special addition and taste great in the cookie.

Cargamanto Cranberry Bean & Green Kale Stew

2009-10-06T16:58:00.000-06:00

Vegetarian Tuscan Bean Stew
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Rancho Gordo Cargamanto Cranberry Beans
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
3 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 cup onion, chopped coarse
1 cup carrots, chopped coarse
1 cup celery stalks, chopped coarse
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
2 1/2 cups gluten free vegetable broth
2 Bay leaves
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed
6 loose cups kale, ends trimmed, hard stems removed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 sprig fresh rosemary
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Directions

1. Soak our beans over night (8 hours at least) in large container filled with water.

2. Rinse mushrooms quickly and then soak them in 1 cup of warm water for 30 minutes. remove the mushrooms and strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, mince the mushrooms and set both aside for use later.

3. Preheat oven to 250° F. adjust rack to lower middle position.

4. Heat some olive oil in a large Dutch Oven over med. Add onion, celery and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes (until vegetables are lightly browned and softened). Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the remaining water, bay leaves, soaked beans, mushrooms, vegetable broth and reserved mushroom water and stir. Increase heat to high and simmer stew for a few minutes. Cover the pot and transfer it to the preheated oven. Cook for an hour or until the beans are nearly tender (still firm inside). (if it is taking too long to cook, turn the heat up to 275 and check it every 15 minutes)

5. Take the pot out of the oven and add the tomatoes and the kale. Return to oven and cook for another 30 minutes to an hour (or until beans are fully tender).

6. Remove the pot from the oven and throw in the rosemary sprig, cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and rosemary sprig, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm.

Meat & Seafood Internal Temperature Cooking Chart- illustrated

2009-10-05T00:37:00.000-06:00

I got my illustration on tonight and made you this chart. Use a quality instant read thermometer to check the temperature of your meat and you should be able to cook it perfect!

Mulligatawny Soup

2009-10-04T19:42:00.001-06:00

Adapted to be gluten free from another super Cooks Illustrated recipe.

Ingredients:

4 med. cloves garlic- 2 peeled and 2 finely minced
1 piece ginger, peeled & grated so that you have about 1 1/2 Tbsp.
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. butter
2 med. onions, chopped medium coarse
1 tsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Bobs Red Mill, all purpose gluten free flour
7 cups gluten free chicken broth (homemade is best)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped coarse
1 rib celery, chopped course
1 banana, very ripe, peeled.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
fresh plain goats yogurt (or cows yogurt)
fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Place the 2 peeled whole garlic cloves, 2 tsp. of grated ginger & water in a blender. Blend until smooth. Leave this mixture in the blender jar and set aside for the last step. (you will puree the soup right in the blender with the garlic and ginger)

2. Heat butter in a large stockpot over med. heat until foaming. Add the onions and tomato paste and cook, stirring often until the onions are soft and beginning to brown (about 5 minutes). Stir in the coconut and cook for about a minute. Add the minced garlic, remaining 2 1/2 tsp. ginger, curry powder, cumin, cayenne & gluten free flour; stir until evenly combined for around a minute. Whisking constantly & vigorously, slowly add the gluten free chicken broth.

3. Add the carrots, celery & whole banana. Increase heat and bring to a boil, add the chicken breasts to the pot. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for around 20 minutes (until chicken is cooked through). Remove the chicken breasts with tongs and set on a cutting board, cool slightly and cut into bite size pieces.

4. Puree the soup in small batches in the blender (with the garlic and ginger mixture still in the blender). Wash & dry the pot. Return all of the pureed soup to the freshly washed pot, salt and pepper to taste. Add the cut chicken pieces and heat the soup on low until warmed through. don't boil.

5. Ladle into bowls, dollop with yogurt and sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with saffron rice.

Rolled Oats for fall

2009-09-30T10:26:00.000-06:00

One of the things I missed the most when I went gluten free was hot oatmeal. Ever since I tried these Uncontaminated Rolled oats without any obvious symptoms, I have been loving my hot morning cereal! Today I added a bit of coconut, some milled flax seeds, dried cranberries, a touch of agave syrup (for sweetening) and some fresh blueberries from my trip to the farmers market. I cooked my rolled oats according to the package directions, added the cranberries in the last minute and then poured them in a bowl and mixed them with the flax and coconut. A little almond milk on top and I have tons of energy for the day!

Pad Thai -alicious

2009-09-27T18:25:00.001-06:00

Another Cooks Illustrated recipe! it's delicious. I highly recommend the website and the magazine. We have been fans for years. Since I am gluten free I was unable to add some chopped Thai salted preserved radish as every brand I could find had soy sauce in it (most soy sauce contains gluten). We happen to live in a city with excellent Asian food markets. If you don't, you could probably order the unusual items on line and then make it once they arrived.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Tamarind paste or Tamarind concentrate
3/4 cup boiling water
3 Tbsp gluten free fish sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sucanat (or sugar if you can't find sucanat)
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 Tbsp. peanut oil
8 ounces dried rice stick noodles
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
12 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 med. shallot, minced fine
2 Tbsp dried shrimp, chopped fine
6 Tbsp chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
3 cups bean sprouts
5 medium green onions, green part only, sliced thin
fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
lime wedges for serving

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, add boiling water to the Tamarind paste or concentrate. (if you have dry paste with seeds and fiber you will want to press it through a fine strainer once you have re hydrated it. Our Tamarind paste was packed in water and already strained). Stir in Fish sauce, rice vinegar, sucanat, cayenne pepper and 2 Tbsp oil. set aside.

2. Cover Rice sticks with hot tap water in a large bowl, soak until softened, pliable and limp but not yet fully tender. (20 minutes). Drain noodles and set aside. Beat the eggs and 1/8 tsp. salt in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until just starting to smoke (2 minutes). Add the shrimp and sprinkle with remaining salt, cook tossing once in a while, until shrimp are opaque and slightly browned on edges (3 minutes), transfer to plate and set aside.

4. While skillet is off heat, add the remaining oil to the skillet & swirl to coat. add garlic, & diced shallot, set skillet over med. heat and cook for 1 1/2 minutes, add eggs to the skillet and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until just scrambled (20 seconds). Add noodles & dried shrimp to eggs, toss to combine. Pour the fish sauce/Tamarind mixture over the noodles, increase heat to high and cook, tossing occasionally until noodles are coated. Add the peanuts, bean sprouts and most of the green onions and the shrimp to the skillet. Cook, tossing frequently until the noodles are tender.

Serve with cilantro and lime wedges as well as a little garnish of green onion and peanuts.

delicious!

for a feast, serve with coconut rice

and green curry

Nachos for dinner!

2009-09-24T19:37:00.000-06:00

My husband "Kencent" was reading Cooks Illustrated again. There was a story called Nachos Done Right, he HAD to have nachos! I happily went along. I bought myself some lactose free mozzarella to use. It might still be too much dairy (my tummy will hurt) but what the heck, you only live once.
Here is the recipe with our changes-

spicy beef topping- (replace this part with heated refried black beans if you are vegetarian)

2 tsp. cold pressed canola oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 large garlic clove , minced
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 pound lean, grass fed ground beef

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a med. skillet over med heat until hot, add onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, spices and salt, cook, stirring constantly for a minute. Add ground beef and break up with wooden spoon, stirring until beef is no longer pink (5 minutes or so). take off heat and set aside

Cheesy Nachos with Guacamole, salsa and spicy beef

1/2 bag of quality white corn tortilla chips
150 grams of lactose free, organic mozzarella cheese
2 jalapeño chiles, sliced thin
2 green onions, sliced thin
1 recipe fresh guacamole- (see below)
1 recipe quick salsa- (see below)

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 400°

2. Spread the chips in an even layer on tin foil layered on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle evenly with cheese, beef and the jalapeño peppers. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions. Serve with salsa and guacamole- (see below)

Guacamole

Ingredients:
2 small ripe avocados
1 Tbsp minced red onion
1 garlic clove, minced fine
1/2 jalapeño chile, minced
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped fine
salt to taste
1/2 lime, juice of

Directions for guacamole-

1. Halve 1 avocado, remove pit and scoop the flesh into a medium bowl. mash (don't decimate) to combine with onion, salt, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro and salt.

2. Halve the remaining avocado and remove pit, scoop out flesh and dice into fine cubes. add to mashed avocado mixture, sprinkle with lime juice and lightly combine with fork. don't mush it all up! salt to taste.

Salsa-

Ingredients:

1/2 jalapeño chile minced fine
1/4 red onion, peeled, and minced very fine (as if you were a human food processor let's say)
1 clove garlic, minced very fine
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped fine
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/2 lime, juice of
2 small ripe tomatoes, chopped very fine, (try to keep the juice that comes out of them as well.)

Directions for salsa-

1. Stir to combine all finely chopped ingredients, add the lime juice and season to taste.

Vegetable Quiche with Sweet Potato & Goats Milk Yogurt

2009-09-17T09:02:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

For Crust

1 cup sweet potato, peeled and grated
1 1/2 cup, carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup zucchini, peeled and grated
3 cups butternut squash, grated (flesh only)
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup almond flour

For Filling

1 cup yellow onion, chopped
4 cups fresh button mushrooms, sliced
3-4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 Tbsp fresh marjoram, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
8 free run eggs, beaten
1/2 avocado
1 cup organic goats milk yogurt
paprika for garnish

Directions:

1. For the crust, peel and grate the sweet potato, carrots, zucchini and squash and place in colander set on top of a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for at least 10 minutes to drain. Press out any extra moisture and transfer to a large bowl. Add the almond flour, butter and a bit more salt, mix well. Transfer to 2 buttered ceramic quiche bake ware or glass pie pans, and press crust onto the bottom and sides of pans.

2. Preheat oven to 375

3. For the filling. Heat 3-4 Tbsp butter in a large skillet, sauté the onion and mushrooms with the herbs and until tender. Season to taste. Place the mushroom mixture on top of the crusts. Next dollop spoonful dots of yogurt on top of the mushroom mixture. Beat eggs, and then blend with the avocado (in a food processor or blender) until smooth. Pour over the other layers. Dot with butter and brush a little butter onto the edge of the crust. sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375° for 25-35 minutes or until set. (should come clean when pricked with a fork) Allow to cool before serving.

super delicious with a little Tabasco sauce!

Coconut Curried Beets & Brown Basmati Rice

2009-09-09T17:46:00.000-06:00

Fall is coming and I am starting to crave complex curries again. This will take a while to prepare. You will love it. It's amazing. Sweet & Spicy

Ingredients:

5 small beets chopped (about 1 & 1/4 cup or so)
1 Tbsp canned green chillies
1 tsp. Chilli powder
2 red hot chillies, minced fine
1 cup shredded coconut
2- 3 Tbsp coconut milk
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. Cumin seeds

5-7 Tbsp fresh plain goats yogurt

Ingredients for Tempering-

1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. Fenugreek seeds
1 tsp. dried red chillies
3 Tbsp. curry leaves, (ground in mortar and pestle)
salt, to taste
1 Tbsp. ghee

Directions:

1. Cover the beets with about 2 inches of water, add the green chillies, 1 tsp. chili powder and a dash of salt. Bring to a boil, crack lid and cook on med for 30-45 minutes (until beets are soft). Pour out most of the water and mash.

2. While beets are cooking, (using a medium mortar and pestle) grind the mustard seeds, and cumin seeds, add the red chillies, ginger, coconut and coconut milk and grind into a thick paste. This will take a while. Try to get a nice consistent paste. Add a bit more coconut milk if it is so dry that it crumbles. Keep grinding. That's it. It will take you maybe 10-15 minutes.

3. Add the coconut mash mixture to the mashed beets and cook on med. heat in the pot for about 3 minutes stirring constantly.

4. Add the yogurt and heat through on low. If it is too dry, add some water and a little more yogurt. Don't boil it, just heat it.

5. In a frying pan, melt some ghee or oil on med/high. Temper the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves and salt for a few minutes in the oil. Until it is hot and very fragrant. Add this to your beet mixture, stir it in and you are done.

6. Serve with basmati rice, garnish with lot's of parsley, this is an excellent side dish if you want to serve meat as well.

My Sister Nancy's Chocolate Oatmeal "Energy" Bars

2009-09-08T08:37:00.000-06:00

um, I was craving these. Don't say you weren't warned. Highly addictive.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sucanat (or 1/2 cup packed brown sugar if you prefer)
2/3 cup almond butter (any nut butter will work)
1/4 cup agave syrup (corn syrup is in her recipe)
1/2 cup butter - room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups uncontaminated rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or blueberries or raisins.....)
2 tbs. sesame seeds
1 cup organic dark chocolate chips (less if you prefer more fruit to chocolate ratio. we don't.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir well to mix, Pour into a 9x18 baking dish and press down well to an even bar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. let cool completely before cutting or even refrigerate for a bit to set.

Tonight's Recipe

2009-09-06T19:24:00.000-06:00

Tonight's recipe is- No Recipe! Rather I would like to suggest that you head down to your local farmers market and buy up whatever is locally grown, looks delicious and will be colorful on your plate.

We bought some Bison steaks from the best local producer- Valta Bison, which Ken grilled on high to a delicious medium rare.
We also bought some corn from the Medicine Hat region which we boiled and served with butter, some green beans from the Innisfail area which we steamed, in addition to some new Alberta Potatoes that we tossed in butter & dill from my herb garden. For dessert, it is almost time for mixed berries from BC organic producers.
So simple, it's the best kind of food.
Tomorrow it's fresh spaghetti squash, bison meatballs, and colorful beets. All from Alberta producers.

Kale, Quinoa & Heirloom Tomato Salad

2009-09-04T11:42:00.001-06:00

saw these heirloom tomatoes in my local organic store and I bought them in every color! They had some lovely looking organic kale as well so I made this very tasty salad. I plan to bring it hiking tomorrow as it is fabulous cold.

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1 bunch kale, sliced lengthwise to remove hard center stems
1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 or 5 small heirloom tomatoes, quartered
3 green onions, sliced widthwise into fine slices, green and white parts
1 handful fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
1/2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped fine
1/2 lemon, juice of (or more to taste)
1 Tbsp. champagne vinegar
1 Tbsp extra virgin Olive oil
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the dry quinoa with 2 cups water, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and a pinch of salt in a med pot. Bring to a boil, stir once, put lid on and simmer on low for 14 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp Olive oil on med heat in a large non stick skillet, add the finely chopped garlic and sauté for half a minute or so. Add your sliced kale and sauté until warmed through and wilted.

3. In a large ceramic bowl combine the cooled quinoa with the green onions, basil, oregano, Kale and tomatoes. Squeeze the lemon juice over the salad, add the olive oil and champagne vinegar and toss it all up to coat. salt and pepper to taste.

great warm or cold.

Special Pure Oats, Homemade Granola

2009-09-02T18:26:00.000-06:00

I have been completely Gluten free for over a year now. It was simpler to avoid oats altogether up until now. There has been a great deal of research done that shows that (pure uncontaminated) oats do not cause problems for (most) people with celiac disease. For myself, my gluten intolerance can cause a major 3 day migraine (did I mention I have not had one in OVER a year and 2 months?!) Oats are a true health food.

Well so anyhow, I decided to try some oats. I started by purchasing some Pure Oats that are free of any cross-contamination with wheat, barley, rye, tricale, kamut, or spelt during growing, harvesting, transport, storage, mill processing and packaging. Yes, they cost more than bulk oats. I made myself a little hot oatmeal for breakfast. Twice. and then I waited for 72 hours after each consumption. No Migraine! woo hoo! also no apparent digestive problems related to my IBS either. awesome news.

And So I give you the most delicious granola ever. I can say that because it has been sooooo long since I had granola! But honestly it is great. Kencent makes a version for himself with wheat germ and stuff I can't have, but I think my version is extra delicious. Keep it in a well sealed container and it will last for weeks.

Ingredients:

5 cups Pure uncontaminated rolled oats
1 cup raw organic almonds
1 cup raw organic walnuts broken into smaller pieces
1 cup raw organic sesame seeds
2 cups organic shredded coconut
1 cup raw organic sunflower seeds
1 cup organic virgin coconut oil
1 cup organic honey
1/2 cup organic raisins
1/2 cup organic dried cranberries
1/2 cup organic dried wild blueberries
1/2 cup organic dried cherries
salt, to taste

(try to purchase all of these items organic and hopefully you can get them sulphate free)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F

2. In a very large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and coconut.

3. Melt the coconut oil and the honey together in a pot on the stove over medium heat. Stir them together as best as you can (they don't mix well), and pour over the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring constantly until everything is mixed well. Add a little salt (tsp. or 2) and stir in.

4. Pour half of the oat mixture onto a cookie sheet (or pour it into 2 cookie sheets if your oven is large enough. mine is not.) Spread it out evenly and bake it for about 18-20 minutes in the preheated oven. The mixture should be nicely toasted light brown. add 1/2 of the dried fruit, stir to incorporate and set this aside for 10 minutes to cool. Repeat with a second cookie sheet full.

5. Once both of the cookie sheets have cooled for about 10 minutes give them a stir to break up clumps. Wait until the granola is room temperature before storing in airtight containers. Remember to mark the gluten free version! especially if there are folks in the home who insist on making non GF versions. teehee.

it's good. really good. You only need a little to feel full and the granola will energize your day.

quick and easy rack of lamb

2009-08-30T21:33:00.000-06:00

We were out working on our river canoe skills today. On the way home we stopped at the market and bought a rack of lamb (already frenched), some red yams, parsnips & broccoli. This meal was prepped and ready to eat within 20 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 rack of lamb.
salt, to taste,
pepper, to taste

2 cups of red yams, 1 cup of parsnips, cut into small cubes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/2 lemon, juice of

Directions-

1. preheat BBQ to high. salt and pepper the rack of lamb and place on grill, cook, turning when brown and a few more time until an instant read thermometer reads, 125° F (about 15 minutes). take the lamb off the grill, tent it under some foil and let it sit for 5 minutes before cutting between the bones and serving.

2. toss the red yams, parsnips, chopped garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl, place in side a foil packet that you make and seal it shut. barbecue on high, turning the packet frequently for about 15 minutes.

3. Steam the broccoli for about 3 minutes. In a non stick skillet, sauté the garlic in the butter for a minute or so, add the steamed broccoli and toss and heat through. Add the lemon juice and toss and heat through for 30 seconds or so. remove from heat and serve.

Tangy, Cranberry and Mint Quinoa Salad

2009-08-28T15:38:00.000-06:00

I have just finished making this to bring with me hiking this weekend. Quinoa is full of protein and all these fresh delicious ingredients will fuel my hiking and canoing adventures. My second mom made this for us last weekend. It was so tangy and delicious I asked her for the recipe. Like most moms she said, well you take some quinoa and cook it in some orange juice and water and then add some of this and some of that...... haha. I have given you measurements to how I made it. you can switch them around as much as you like.

Ingredients:
1 cup Quinoa (pre rinsed)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup water
2/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup organic dried cranberries
1/2 cup celery, finely sliced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped fine
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped fine
1/2 lemon, zest of and juice of
1/3 cup walnuts, quickly chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the orange juice, water and quinoa in a med/large pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Stir once, cover and reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa has expanded to little swirls. stir, and set aside to cool.

2. Once the quinoa is cooled, add the celery, parsley, mint, red onion, lemon zest and juice, cranberries and walnuts. stir well to combine. add the olive oil and salt and pepper and stir again. refrigerates nicely for a couple of days.

Pink Grapefruit Vinaigrette

2009-08-27T17:30:00.000-06:00

Pair this dressing with delicate mild-flavored greens (like butter lettuce or green leaf lettuce) or even more robust greens (like spinach and romaine.) I simply threw the rest of the grapefruit on top and some walnuts. You could use oranges or a little stilton (if you eat dairy) , whatever you like. The lettuce is from my MIL's garden again. I brought home A TON of lettuce so I will be eating salads for the next few days. :)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. pink grapefruit juice
2 pink grapefruit segments (peeled)
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. shallot, finely minced
1/2 lime, juice of
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. cut off the skin and pulp of the grapefruit, Over a med bowl- using a sharp knife, cut between the section skins and free up the segments. Squeeze out the remaining juice and set aside.

2. Puree the grapefruit juice, 2 grapefruit segments, ginger, shallots and lime juice in a blender. add the olive oil and blend until well mixed. salt and pepper to taste.

Garden Fresh, Spicy Vegetarian Escabeche

2009-08-26T18:14:00.000-06:00

I was lucky enough to get access to my mother in laws garden yesterday. I came home with more lovely little carrots and fresh green beans. I also had some chipotle peppers left over in the fridge and some mushrooms that I meant to use, so I decided to create a veggie Escabeche with what I had. I made it hot. As in Spicy. As in knock your socks off that tastes soooo good spicy. I ate mine wrapped in organic corn tortillas. You can eat yours however you like. Rice would be nice, grilled fish or meat would go well.
I liked this a lot.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms
1 1/2 cups fresh green beans, trimmed and blanched
1 1/2 cups fresh baby garden carrots quickly cut up into reasonable sizes
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup water
1 med onion roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
3 whole cloves
6 chipotle chilli's (from a can of adobo sauce), finely chopped
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 small cinnamon stick
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp. sucanat
salt, to taste

Directions-

1. clean the mushrooms, place the mushrooms and 1 1/2 tsp. salt into a hot, dry pot (med high) and stir for a minute and 1/2. Add 1/3 cup water and cover. Leave for 3 minutes then lift lid and stir, replace lid and let steam for another 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a large pot sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. add all the spices and stir, add chopped chipotles and stir.

3. Add the vinegar and 2 1/2 cups water. Add the sucanat. Bring to boil. and add salt to taste.

4. Add the carrots to the pot replace lid and cook until tender, remove the cooked carrots with tongs and set aside in a med bowl.

5. Add the blanched green beans, replace lid and cook until tender, remove the green beans from the bowl and set aside with the carrots.

6. Add the steamed mushrooms, replace lid, cook until tender (maybe 3-5 minutes) remove and add to carrots and green beans bowl.

7. Drain the remaining stock through a mesh strainer and pour the strained liquid over the veggies.

8. serve with rice or on fresh tortillas. would be nice with guacamole (and sour cream for those who eat dairy)

Adobo Shrimp

2009-08-26T13:22:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
1/2 pound fresh shrimp, deveined and peeled.
3 chipotle chilli's, (from a can of chipotle chilli canned in adobo sauce), chopped fine
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste

Directions:

1. In a med bowl, combine the chopped chipotle chilli's, orange juice, cilantro and olive oil. stir well until marinade is combined.

2. Place shrimp in a medium non-reactive bowl, pour chipotle/ orange juice marinade over to coat. Marinate for 20 minutes.

3. Heat grill to high, remove shrimps from marinade and sprinkle them with salt before placing on grill. Grill the first side for 1 1/2 minutes, turn and grill until finished (about 3-4 minutes total cooking)

4. remove from heat and start eating!