Deconstructed warm taco salad (free from gluten, grains, dairy and nightshades)

Okay. This is a bit of a weird shot in the dark that worked out super well. Instead of the usual taco salad that is full of all kinds of things I'm not supposed to be eating (more to come on my elimination diet soon), I created this in a pinch and it was really tangy, creamy and good. The taco filling you would usually stuff into a corn tortilla was laid out on some beautiful sauteed kale, then leftover meat was reused the next day in a romaine salad. TWO meals in one- my favourite kind!

Deconstructed warm taco salad (gluten, grain, dairy and nightshade free)

Ingredients:
For the meat:
1 lb of ground antibiotic-free chicken or turkey (sub beluga lentils for a vegan option)
1 cup cooked sweet potato (sub canned pumpkin or whatever you have on hand)
2 medium carrots, grated
1/2 large sweet onion
juice of 1 lime
1 TB grapeseed oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
sea salt and pepper
1/2-1 cup of unsweetened milk of your choice (I used So Good unsweetened coconut milk)

For the kale:
1 bunch organic kale
1 TB grapeseed oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
all-over sprinkle of garlic powder

Directions:

1. Chop onion, grate carrot and saute both in the grapeseed oil over medium until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the chicken/turkey, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and lime juice. Saute the meat, breaking up the chunks until most of the pink has disappeared.
3. Add the sweet potato and the milk to make it creamy.
4. Cover and simmer on low until cooked (another 5-10 minutes).
5. While simmering the meat, wash and chop the kale into fine pieces (postage stamp sized).
6. Heat a second pan on high and add the grapeseed oil. Once the pan is hot, drop in the kale, salt, pepper and garlic powder and saute until slightly wilted. This will take mere moments (a minute or two).
7. Arrange a "bed" of kale on each plate then spoon the "taco" meat on top.

The next day, you can use your leftover meat as an add on to a big romaine lettuce salad. Mine was romaine, cucumber, radish, celery and a peppery lemon vinaigrette (1 part lemon juice to 3 parts olive oil with tons of pepper and a dash of salt). Marvelous!!

Deconstructed warm taco salad (free from gluten, grains, dairy and nightshades)

Healthier chocolate coconut macaroons (vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free)

These are so yummy. Sticky, gooey, and even though I made mine with carob, surprisingly chocolatey. My mother can’t tolerate chocolate so I can’t wait until she has a taste of these! I served them at a party and they were gobbled up; time to make another batch. J

Healthier chocolate coconut macaroons (vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened coconut (shredded)

3 cups uncontaminated GF oats

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup Earth’s balance vegan margarine

1 ½ cups coconut sugar

6 TB of cocoa or carob powder

½ cup of milk of your choice (I used homemade almond milk)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut, oats and vanilla. Set aside.
2. On the stove in a small pot, combine the rest of the ingredients on medium-low heat.
3. Once the pot’s contents are melted, allow them to bubble on med-low heat. This might take a few minutes to reach. Resist the urge to jack the temperature as you can scorch it.
4. Once the mixture has been bubbling for 2 minutes, take it off the stove and pour it over the oats/coconut/vanilla mixture.  Mix well.
5. Drop a spoonful in piles on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Now bring the cookie sheets someplace cool to harden.

Mine usually end up in the garage on top of the car until they harden, then you can stack them in a container. Keep them in the freezer if possible, or at least the fridge. Enjoy!

Healthier chocolate coconut macaroons (vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free)

Herbed turkey & chicken meatloaf with gravy (gluten free, nightshade free)

Wow. I wish I had the wherewithal to have taken a better picture before we packed up the leftovers, but here she is, in all her glory:

Parents- she even contains hidden veggies!!

 Herbed turkey & chicken meatloaf with gravy (gluten and nightshade free)

Ingredients for the meatloaf:

•  1 onion, diced

•  1 zucchini, diced

•  1 tsp tarragon

•  1 tsp rosemary

•  1 TB grapeseed (or other) oil

•  1 TB gluten free soy sauce

•  1/2 tsp garlic powder

•  1 egg

•  3 stalks celery, chopped

•  2 lbs ground turkey or chicken*

•  1 TB grainy mustard

*I used 1 lb of each (Note: use organic meat where possible, or at least hormone and antibiotic free)

Directions:

1.  Combine the onion, zucchini, tarragon, rosemary and oil in a frying pan and sauté on medium/low until onion is clear.
2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. Mix all ingredients together.
4. Add all ingredients to a bread pan lined with parchment paper (easy cleanup!).
5. Bake at 375 for approximately 1 to 1 1/4 hours until internal temperature reads 160 Fahrenheit.
6.  Lift the loaf out of the pan (it should be pretty full of drippings- quite watery even) and place it on a baking sheet (again on parchment for easy clean up) and return the loaf to the oven until the temp reads 165-170 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the gravy...

At this point, you can pour the drippings from your loaf pan into a small pot on the stove, and add:

•  1 cup worth of organic chicken bouillon (mine is 1/2 cube)

•  a slurry of 3/4 cup water and 2 TB brown rice flour

Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until it thickens.

Serves: 6 hungry people, or 8 people with lots of side dishes

Now serve, to a chorus of "oohs", "aahs" and even a high five or two. You are a culinary superstar.  

Herbed turkey & chicken meatloaf with gravy (gluten free, nightshade free)

Tangy lentil soup (easily vegan, gluten free)

I recently spent a week with my sister and acted as chef while she tended to her new baby. With an inherited ability (our mom's) to produce meals out of scraps, and inspired by Red Lentil Soup by "Dance while you cook", I came up with my own version.

Tangy lentil soup (easily vegan, gluten free)

 Ingredients
1 1/3 cup red lentils - soaked for at least 1/2 hour, then drained
1 onion
3 stalks celery
1/2 large sweet potato, grated
1 box low sodium organic chicken broth (sub veggie for a vegan option)
1 cup orange juice
1 tsp tarragon
1 tsp rosemary
Splash grapeseed oil (or other)
Pepper to taste 

 Directions
1- sauté chopped onions and celery in oil on med/low until translucent (approximately 5 mins)
2- add pepper, tarragon and rosemary to the pot and sauté one additional minute- mix well 
3- add lentils and sweet potato, mix well and stir for one additional minute. 
4- add 3/4 of the broth (approx 3 cups) and orange juice
5- bring to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer on low for approx 40 minutes. 
6- blend using an immersion blender or by pouring into your regular blender. 
7- return to pot, add in last cup of broth and stir. 


 So simple. So ridiculously creamy and good.

Tangy lentil soup (easily vegan, gluten free)

Kale chips (vegan)

Sorry it's been a while. I have been cooking up a storm and have a few items up my sleeve to tell you about over the next week or two. Today, I'd like to share my triumph with making Kale chips.

First of all, please don't assume that just because you don't know what kale is, or because you don't like "green stuff" that you won't like this. Au contraire my friend.

All about kale

Kale is a gorgeous leafy green veggie that is packed with tons of goodness. You can chop it and eat it raw in something like cole slaw (it's chewy, and rigid rather than soft and floppy like boston lettuce for instance) steam it, or add it to a stir fry or soup right at the last minute. The longer you cook something, the more you reduce its nutritional value. That's one of the reasons why either eating it raw, or cooking it very quickly, or at very low temperatures is ideal (really, that's the ideal way to eat any produce). This recipe calls for a temperature of 200 degrees. If you want to maintain a "raw"state you should keep to less than 180 degrees so that it "dehydrates" more than "cooks" but at 200 degrees you're still doing okay. See how low your oven will go...

Kale is an anti-oxidant powerhouse, strongly anti-inflammatory (illness equals inflammation, so anything anti-inflammatory that you can add into your diet will help combat illness) and is very high in vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron.

So, on to the recipe.

Cheezy kale chips

Ingredients:
1 bunch of organic* kale
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 large garlic clove or two small
2 TB nutritional yeast
1/2 red bell pepper
1 TB maple syrup
1 TB apple cider vinegar
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper (I did about 3 cranks on mine)
*Greens are one of the fruits and veggies that become most contaminated by pesticides (i.e. you cannot wash it off). Go organic with greens if you can.


Directions

1. Soak the cashews in warm water and set aside while you work on everything else. If you can soak in advance, this recipe will be easier to make (2 hours is probably ideal). 
2. Wash the kale carefully as it can trap dirt in its many folds. Remove the tough spines and tear the leaves into bite sized pieces. 
3. Spin in a salad spinner to really dry the leaves then dump them into a big wide bowl.
4. In your blender- combine cashews (drained), nutritional yeast, garlic, red pepper, paprika, salt, pepper, maple syrup and cider vinegar.
5. You will have to blend then scrape down the sides a bazillion times before this blended properly. The longer you soaked the cashews, the less scrape downs you'll need. But trust me- eventually, the mixture will combine and look like really chunky peanut butter.
6. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees (or less if desired).
7. Pour the mixture, a third at a time, on the kale and use your hands to coat all the leaves.
8. Prepare two or three sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Separate the prepared kale onto each pan trying not to bunch it up. If it is all separated, it will dry quicker than if left in piles. 
9. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then flip all the leaves. Repeat this process until they are dried out. It took me three times (roughly an hour) to get them all dry and crispy. They will get to the point where they are very fragile and can be crushed to flakes. That's when they are EXQUISITE. :)

Enjoy!!!!

Kale chips (vegan)

Gourmet chocolate french toast (gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free)

Hold on to your hat. This is going to blow your mind...

This is a french toast sandwich, filled with chocolate frosting. 

Decadence without guilt. Bring. It. On.

In recent months, I have made cupcakes for birthdays a few times. This is definitely my go-to recipe for icing/frosting and I highly recommend it- unless you have a party guest with a hidden cashew allergy. Then I'd say you'd be best to avoid it...like the plague...or head lice...

In any event, for those cashew-eating folks, this is an awesome recipe. It is inspired by the Spunky Coconut's Clementine frosting recipe. I recommend you start by making a half batch which will give you enough for several breakfasts...or you could make a whole batch and then bake a cake to use it on also- your call. :)

1) Make the frosting

Chocolate frosting (dairy, gluten and refined sugar free)
1 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup raw honey
2 mountainous tablespoons of raw cacao powder (use the spoon as a scoop)
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup of your preferred milk (coconut, rice, almond, soy...)
1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed to liquid format-not hot)

Blend all ingredients on low in your blender. This will required patience and many "scrape-downs" of the sides of the container. You may even need a tiny extra splash of milk to get it moving.
Once you're done, pour it into a small glass jar. If you put it in the fridge, it will harden slightly (which is what makes it SO good on cake) but it will be difficult to spread so you'll need to put the jar into a warm water bath to loosen it up again if you're using it straight from the fridge.

2) Make the egg mixture

This morning, we made 10 slices of french toast. Here is the recipe:

French toast (gluten free, dairy free)
8 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
6 hefty shakes of cinnamon (I'm going to guess between 1-2 tsp)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup of your preferred milk (coconut, rice, almond, soy...)
Whisk together ingredients in a dish with a flat bottom suitable for dipping your bread (no sense in dirtying two dishes...). I used a giant mixing bowl.

3) Dip, flip and pan cook your french toast. I used Udi's bread for this one, but any gluten free bread will do. I also put a dollop of Earth's Balance spread in the pan for grease.

4) Assemble "sandwiches" with chocolate icing inside then cut into "dip-friendly" halves or strips. Serve with a small dish of maple syrup for dipping (this uses SO much less syrup than pouring over top).

Enjoy!!

Gourmet chocolate french toast (gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free)

Adopt a gluten free blogger: Aran of Cannelle et Vanille

As you may already know, this is my first adoption during the monthly "adopt a gluten free blogger" round up. I'm super pumped to be participating and glad for the opportunity to adopt Aran Goyoaga's blog Cannelle et Vanille.

Aran’s blog looks like it's right out of Martha Stewart’s magazine (it’s no wonder they’re affiliated). The artistry is stunning- the layout, the rustic beauty, the lifelike intensity in every photo. It’s all just amazing. It’s how I would imagine a non-chaos version of myself and my own blog…in a dream…totally far away from reality…

I basically used this adoption as an excuse to take the time to poke around in Aran’s blog. I almost feel badly for dragging her recipe to my little corner of chaos... But then I remember that's why you're here. You already know about the chaos and disorder and you still come and visit. So all in all, I'm just glad for the company and your continued faith in me.  Now on to Aran's recipe.

I will admit to being slightly intimidated by some of her more complicated recipes. I love food, but I'm certainly not a chef. I combed through a zillion of her recipes and eventually settled on her Spring English Pea, Potato and Rice Soup. I will also admit to trying very hard to get this done amidst weekends away at the cottage and not much time for myself. But I did get it made last night, and it was simple and good. 

Note to self: I obviously have a very skewed idea of what a "small" potato is, because my pot became a veritable minefield of potatoes. next time, don't do that...

Here's a photo of my helper discovering fresh peas:

The beautiful produce I scored at the local market

Here is a photo of what I looked like when it was done:

Next time: makin’ it Dropsie style

So once I get a chance to try the recipe again (as I always futz around incessantly with everything) I think I would use a splash of lemon juice and maybe some red pepper flakes in the broth to make it more "me". I would also also use teeny baby potatoes - maybe even the purple ones - to avoid the mountain of potatoes I put in my pot. I love these fresh peas so much I think I'd probably double the amount and simmer for less time- maybe 15 minutes to keep them brighter green.

Thanks Aran for providing me with an excuse to take the time, sit down and feel like a guest in your beautiful kitchen. I look forward to visiting again (maybe in the fall when trips to the cottage are no longer my singular focus in life) and sinking my teeth into another one of your beautiful dishes. Bonne appétit!

Adopt a gluten free blogger: Aran of Cannelle et Vanille

I'll have my smoothie to go, please: necessity is the mother of invention

I have one of those pesky day-job things. Now, I actually do LOVE my job, but the major drawback of schlepping there every day is that it takes me out of the house and away from my beloved kitchen. So how do I cope? I make a transportable smoothie that I can blend in the quasi-functional blender at work. How does one do that?

You take a cloth napkin, spread it on the counter.

Add your little bed of greens (here I have organic spinach and some weird reddish stuff we grew in our community garden).

Then you add your fruit which today is an organic pear...

...then throw on some fresh herbs (curly parsley today) and a peeled lemon...

...then you change your mind (okay maybe that's just me) and add another piece of fruit. I added a green organic granny smith apple...

...then some kind of fun little "extra"- today it was ground flax seeds (you could also just keep these separate to avoid the inevitable mess it makes when it sticks to the napkin...whatever). :)

Wrap up that little bundle of goodness like a burrito...

...then slip it into a ziplock bag that you can reuse over and over again...

The next morning, you unwrap the green goodness, toss it in said quasi-functional work blender (much to the chagrin of your coworkers who just LOVE the noise) with 1/2 cup of water and wrestle with the blender blend till as smooth as possible. Add a handful of ice, blend again and you have a delicious breakfast that will give you all the energy you need to get moving. Plus, even just at breakfast, you'll have had 5 or 6 servings of fruit and veggies. I'd wager that's more than most people get in a day and you're just getting started.

You have no idea how much happiness that little bag of goodness inspires in me. I love knowing I'm all set for the next morning.

Seeing these come out of the oven after my little burrito was tucked away also makes me super happy. My little wee lass turns four tomorrow and she will be thrilled to see these chocolate cupcakes ready to roll. 

Happy eating, folks!
Kirsten

I'll have my smoothie to go, please: necessity is the mother of invention

My weakness (ok, one of them): grown up, gluten & dairy free "Zoodles"

You remember Zoodles don't you? Those canned white pasta noodles in sugary, salty tomato sauce?? There was a time I was working for the local hardware store (okay that was high school but let's pretend it was recently) where I ate a microwaved can of Zoodles every break time with a can of Five Alive. I know...trust me.

Well, there is something about that whole thing that brings back awesome memories. But Zoodles are made with glucose, enriched wheat flour, and cheap dairy. Yuck. I wish I could list the actual ingredients for you but I can't seem to find them anywhere! Coincidence? Probably not!

Now let's look at the alternative. This is Imagine's Organic reduced sodium creamy garden tomato soup. Ingredients: filtered water, organic tomatoes, organic onions, organic brown rice syrup, organic celery, organic expeller pressed canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or sunflower oil, salt with potassium chloride, organic spices, organic garlic powder. It is dairy and gluten free, and SO yummy. Simmer this with a solid handful of brown rice noodles, and bam- you've got a healthier version of zoodles. No, it's not kale and chia seeds, but this stuff is AMAZING, and I could seriously eat the entire thing. So when you're jonesing for a happy little slice of your childhood, give this option a try. You will NOT be disappointed!

My weakness (ok, one of them): grown up, gluten & dairy free "Zoodles"

Pasta salad with creamy curried mango sauce (gluten and dairy free)

Ever since concocting my refined-sugar-free spicy mango chutney, I've been on the lookout for other ways to use it. When I make it, I'm getting a few jars worth and they seem to keep forever in the fridge, so having an easy recipe like this one is the best way to showcase the flavours of the sweet, spicy and tangy chutney.

Salad ingredients:
1 bag cooked brown rice shell pasta
1 each chopped red, yellow and orange pepper
3 stalks chopped celery
1 cup halved red grapes (I was out so I used 1 cup raisins and soaked them in hot water before adding them)
Other options: chopped chives, sprouts or pineapple, shredded cooked chicken (for a non-vegan option)

Dressing ingredients:
1/2 c sunflower seeds
2 large chives
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 cup mango chutney
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp fresh grated ginger

Directions:

1. Cook pasta till al dente, then combine with chopped veggies/fruit. Refrigerate if possible to serve cool.
2. Right before serving, blend the dressing ingredients in your blender. You will probably have to scrape down the sides several times but eventually it will be lovely and creamy.
3. Mix and serve.

Note: Once the sauce chills, it loses its creamy texture. That's why I recommend going straight from blending to mixing to mouth table. Enjoy!

Kitchen tip: Keep ginger in the freezer for grating right from frozen whenever you need it.

Pasta salad with creamy curried mango sauce (gluten and dairy free)

What's up in my kitchen lately: chocolate (or blueberry) cake/cupcakes (gluten free, dairy free)

Once again, so sorry for not finding the time lately. It seems that whenever I find the time to anything, I end up flaking out in pure vegetative state, trying to convince myself that sleep is indeed more valuable than the semblance of a "life" outside of work and kids.

I've been trying a few recipes lately. This one- Lightened up protein power goddess bowl - from Angela at www.ohsheglows.com will absolutely knock your socks off. My wee lass had 2 bowls (kale people, my child scarfed down a meal full of chopped KALE). It is okay cold, good filler for a wrap or as a salad topper (in addition to just straight up) but warm, from the pan, is one of the best things I've ever tasted!

Second, I have found the perfect balance for almond flour baking. Inspired by a similar recipe from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, here's how I have whipped up the following:

Chocolate, chocolate chip cake/cupcakes (gluten and dairy free)
Alternative flavour for the non-chocolate loving: Blueberry cake/cupcakes

Ingredients (organic whenever possible):

2 cups almond flour

1/3 cup plus 2 TB cocoa* 

1/4 cup arrowroot powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon*

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup dark dairy-free chocolate chips (skip this for a "no refined sugar') option

2 squashed ripe bananas

2 eggs

25 drops of vanilla liquid creme stevia

1/8 cup maple syrup

Directions

1. Start by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees. Scoop out 1/4 cup of coconut oil and put it into a glass measuring cup. Place it on your stove over the hole that the oven heat escapes from in order to soften it while you work.
2. Grease a small square pan with coconut oil or if using muffin tins, insert your paper liners.
3. Combine dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Mash bananas then combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl including the warmed-up coconut oil from the stove top.
4. Mix contents of both bowls together and stir well.
5. Bake the square pan for approximately 30 minutes, cupcakes will require less time. Start them at 20 minutes and check with a toothpick to see that it comes out clean. Add 2-3 minutes at a time if not yet done.

*Blueberry option: While mixing dry ingredients, omit cocoa powder, double cinnamon (1 tsp), add 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp ground ginger. Also gently fold in 1/3 c blueberries right before pouring into pan.

What's up in my kitchen lately: chocolate (or blueberry) cake/cupcakes (gluten free, dairy free)