Sunday, April 25, 2010

Eggplant Parmesan Boats


These actually didn't have any "cheese" because I didn't get around to making more cashew cheese, but they where still great! I breaded & fried my eggplant (instructions follow). and I lined my eggplant slices along romaine lettuce leaves and topped with tomato slices! These where fun to eat too! And if you can't have nuts or soy, forget the vegan cheese! You could also try these with zucchini or portabello mushrooms for an equally delicious meal or snack. Enjoy!

After you peal and slice your veggie and it's ready to be breaded, add equal parts of quinoa flour and shelled/hulled hemp seed then add in about a TBLS of Italian herbs and a tsp each of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. For egg wash, I dip in baby squash, gently shake off excess, then toss in breading mixture. I fried in EVOO, but use what you like! It's fast, easy, and delicious! :-)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Spring tacos with Strawberry, Pineapple & Avocado salsa


















These are really simple! Taco shells are simply romaine lettuce leaves with the ends trimmed off. I fried some baby bella mushrooms in a little EVOO with some sea salt and pepper, but you can easily make these 100% raw if you want! I topped with the salsa I made the night before with strawberries, pineapple & avocado. I was a little skeptical about the flavor combo here, but as soon as I took a bite, all fears subsided! These where awesome! I had alfalfa sprouts to top them off but forgot about them until I was at my last bite! So the next round will get the sprouts!

Strawberry, Pineapple & Avocado Salsa

8 oz Strawberries, sliced or chopped
1 small can or 4-6 oz fresh Pineapple tidbits or chunks
1 small or 1/2 a large Avocado, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped small
small bunch of cilantro, chopped
2 TBLS Coconut Aminos (Soy sauce alternative)
1 TBLS Lime juice (or lemon if you don't have lime)
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1 tsp fresh ground pepper, or to taste
1 TBLS agave nectar
1 tsp dried parsley flakes, optional
1 tsp ground celery seed

Put all fresh, chopped fruits/veg in a bowl and set aside. In a small bowl or cup whisk together liquids and spices. Pour over fruits/veg and let sit at room temp for about an hour so all the flavors can marinate together. Toss gently a few times to incorporate the flavors. Refrigerate and use withing a day or two.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Spinach Artichoke Pasta


I made this entirely from scratch! I bought some fresh artichokes and boiled them for about 20 minutes or so, and cleaned up and cut them up and set them aside. I made a cream sauce out of cashew hemp cheese, which I made a couple days before this dish (recipe at end). I used my spirdoodle to make wide noodles out of a yellow squash, which I sauteed lightly in a little olive oil, and then wilted some fresh spinach over. I tossed with my artichokes and set aside to make my cream sauce for over them. I put some of my "cheese" in a sauce pan with a splash of unsweetened coconut milk (So Delicious brand), a little sea salt, some fresh ground pepper, a good shake of dried parsley (use fresh if you have it), and simmered for a few minutes, stirring, until smooth and creamy. Then I poured it over my veggies and tossed it all together, and OMG was it good! I can't wait to make this dish for my sister! It's gonna blow her mind! She won't believe there's no grain or dairy in this this! (I love when I get that OMG you can't eat this! What are you doing? reaction! ;)

Cashew Hemp Cheese

1 cup raw cashews (if you can't have cashews, try pine nuts)
2-3 TBLS shelled hemp seed (optional...adds omegas)
a little water
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Soak the nuts for at least 2 hours, or up to 6 hours. You don't want to soak them too long because they'll get too soggy and your cheese won't have a very good texture to it. After they are done soaking, drain the water off. Put everything in a food processor/blender, starting with very little water. (filtered or any clean water is best.) You only want enough liquid to keep the gears moving. It should be like a thick nut butter! Once it's processed to a nice smooth, but thick consistency, scoop it all into a container and put a lid on it and set it in the middle of the table or someplace where it won't be messed with. Let it ferment at room temp for 24-48 hours. The refrigerate and use within a week. Alternately, for an aged cheese, you can put it in the food dehydrator for a day. I haven't experimented with this idea yet, but I've heard it works well!

Enjoy! :-)

Friday, April 16, 2010

Breadsticks/Pretzels

This recipe is adapted from the Vegetarian Times Amaranth Breadstick recipe that was published in the March 2010 issue. These tastes a lot like pretzels. If you want to make pretzels, I recommend putting a lot of course salt on top for a more authentic pretzel. Another idea that I started experimenting with is pizza crust/flatbread. Just pipe the dough in a spiral to the size you want. Let bake an extra 5 minutes or so to make sure the center is baked threw. Top with veggies (during or after baking, depending on whether you want pizza or a sandwhich) and enjoy!

Amaranth Breadsticks/Pretzels

1 cup amaranth flour
1/3 cup arrowroot starch
3 TBLS tapioca flour
3 TBLS whole amaranth seeds
2 TBS raw sugar
1 0.25oz pkg quick-rise dry yeast
1 tsp gaur gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp olive oil
Chipotle chile powder for sprinkling (didn't have, added 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper to mix) optional
course sea salt for sprinkling, optional

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Stir together all dry ingredients. Stir in oil and 3/4 cup + 1 TBLS warm water (110*). Beat dough with electric mixer on high speed for 2 minutes or until smooth.
Transfer dough into pastry bag fitted with 1/2 inch round tip (or large plastic bag with 1 corner snipped off). Pipe dough into breadsticks, or pretzel shapes. Cover with cloth and let rise in warm spot for 30 minutes, or until doubled in thickness.
Preheat oven to 400*F. Sprinkle with chipotle powder and course salt, if using. Bake 20 minutes, or until dark golden brown all over and crisp on bottom. Serve immediately.

*Will add photo soon! :-)

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Update

Just wanted to throw a little update out because I've developed new allergies since I started this blog. So here is a list of foods that are off the list for me...

Meat (including seafood!)
Dairy
Eggs
All grains (not just wheat, barley and rye...corn, rice, millet, teff, sorghum, etc too!)
Garlic (I know!)
Onions :-(
Potatoes
Cabbage
Beans/legumes (no more hummus!)
Soy
Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans
Sweet Peppers
Maple syrup
MSG
Artificial sweeteners (including the ones that are 1/2 real sugar!)

I may have missed something as there are sooooo many! I know the first thing your probably thinking is how do you get enough protein, right? Typically we are taught that protein comes from animals (meat, dairy, eggs), soy, wheat/grains, and beans/legumes. Cross them all off the list, and where's the protein? Well darlings, protein is in everything! That spinach salad you had for lunch with avocado dressing had a few grams of protein! ;) I add hemp seeds to my smoothies. Hemp is a wonderful food with all the omegas and it's so versatile! Sprinkle on salads, add to smoothies, use in place of cheese...the ideas are endless and the health benefits are great!
Then there are quinoa and amaranth, which are often sold as whole grains, but they are really seeds! They are also packed with lots of protein! And so versatile! Try replacing rice with quinoa in recipes for a more filling and healthier meal! You can stuff veggies like squash or tomatoes with quinoa or amaranth. You can even make bread sticks/pretzels (recipe coming soon) with amaranth! Yes, finally something to satisfy that bread craving! ;-)
So the answer is I get more than enough protein! ;-)

Strawberry Banana Parfait


Started with So Delicious Coconut yogurt~vanilla flavor. (You can see the container in the background.) Then I sliced up a banana and 4 strawberries and layered them on top my yogurt. Quick, simple and delicious! You can add a sweetener if you think it needs to be sweeter, but I prefer it as is! I think there is enough sweetness in the fruit and the yogurt as is! :-)
This is a nice idea for a dessert in place of cake and ice cream. Especially if you have diabetics, food allergics and people trying to watch their weight, which is the case every time I have a party! Simple treats like this make everybody happy! The kids love it, the diabetics get a treat, the dieters don't have to worry, and us allergics don't have to miss out! ;-) It's a win-win all around! Of course, for a party, you'd want to make enough to go around. To find coconut yogurt in your area, check the store locater on the companies website... http://www.turtlemountain.com/locator/locator.html

Enjoy!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Eggplant Parmesan and Spaghetti











This was my dinner tonight...a revamped version of Eggplant Parmesan and Spaghetti! My noodles are made out of zucchini. (Check out... http://www.amazon.com/Joyce-Chen-Saladacco-Spiral-Slicer/dp/B0000DDVYE/ref=pd_sim_k_54 ) You can eat the noodles raw or steam them. I chose to steam them this time because I wanted a hot meal.
I pealed and sliced my eggplant lengthwise. Grilled the eggplant and a portabello cap. Ground up some sesame seeds (about 2 TBLS) in my mortar & pestle (this was my cheese! Try hemp seeds if sesame is a problem or if you want to up the protein!) My sauce is simply a can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes. I also used a little sea salt as I'm addicted to it! lol
Once everything was cooked and ready to assemble, I layered some of my "cheese" between the eggplant slices. Cut up my mushroom to mixed in my spaghetti. Added some sauce over everything and sprinkled the top with the rest of my "cheese". Delicious! :-)