Posts

Deliciously Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free French Toast

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F

1 cup raw cashews or mix of raw nuts and or seeds of your choice
1 cup rice milk or milk alternative
1 1/2 tablespoon flax meal
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract
4 slices gluten and egg free bread
  1. Lightly oil the bottom and sides of an 8×8 baking dish.
  2. In a food processor or high power blender combine the above ingredient, placing the bread to the side for later. Blend until smooth.
  3. Pour half the batter on the bottom of the baking dish and smooth evenly with a spatula. Place the bread in the dish and pour the remaining batter over the top of the bread and again smooth evenly covering the bread.
  4. Place the French toast in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown. Serve with all fruit jam and or maple syrup.

 

Vegan Lasagna

Vegan Lasagna

I love this meal for many reasons.  The rich and savory flavors from the robust marinara, the pesto and the mushrooms that infuse into the sweet and creamy cashew cheese are delicious.  I usually make extra and freeze a couple for quick meals in the future.  The cashew cheese is rich in good fats and minerals.  The mushrooms will pack an extra immune punch with their antiviral properties, not to mention they are also rich in chromium, a nutrient that helps to balance blood sugars.  Pesto is an excellent way to eat your greens.  Leafy greens are a great source of calcium, magnesium and potassium for healthy muscles, bones and blood pressure to name a few.  The zucchini replaces the pasta, so relax and enjoy this low glycemic, heart healthy dish!  I did not have a picture of my vegan lasagna so you get a sweet and savory picture of my Etta instead.

Serves: 6

4 cups marinara sauce (see recipe below)
2 cups pesto (see recipe below)
3 cups cashew cheese (see recipe below)
4 medium zucchini, peeled into thin strips
¾ lb mixed mushrooms, crimini and shiitake mushrooms, sautéed (see recipe below)

  1. Preheat oven to 375 ⁰ F.  In a 9 x 13 baking dish, begin layering lasagna beginning and ending with the marinara sauce. Use a quarter of each ingredient per layer.  After the marinara sauce, next layer with the cashew cheese, pesto, zucchini, and then the mushrooms.  Repeat process four times ending with the marinara sauce.
  2. Place the lasagna in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until bubbling and hot around the edges.

Robust Marinara Sauce

Yields: Approximately 8 cups

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 large cloves garlic, diced
1- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1- 28 oz. can tomato sauce
½ cup oil packed sundried tomatoes, diced
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

  1. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the olive oil, onions, garlic, thyme and oregano for approximately 3-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until evenly blended.  Reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Pesto

Yields: Approximately 2 cups           

2 cups fresh packed basil
2 cups packed arugula, kale (stems removed) or Italian parsley (stems removed)
2/3 cup walnuts
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large cloves garlic
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

  1. In a food processor or high powered blender, pulse the walnuts, garlic and greens until coarsely chopped.
  2. Add the lemon juice then slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream while the food processor or blender is on.  Scrape the sides of the processor occasionally until the pesto is evenly blended.
  3. Sprinkle the salt and fresh ground pepper in the pesto to taste.

Cashew Cheese

Yields: Approximately 1 ½ cups

1 cup raw cashews
¾ cup water
¼ cup nutritional yeast
½  teaspoon sea salt
3 cloves garlic

  1. In a food processor or high powered blender, combine all ingredients and blend until the consistency of ricotta or until somewhat smooth.

Sautéed Mushrooms

Yields:  Approximately 4 cups

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ pound mixed mushrooms, crimini and shiitake (washed, trimmed and cut into ¼ inch slices)
4 cloves garlic, diced
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

  1. Over medium heat, sauté the garlic and olive oil for 1-2 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and sauté for approximately 8-10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.  Remove from heat and set aside.

 

 

Amaranth Pudding

Amaranth Pudding

I love to make amaranth for a quick breakfast or dessert.  Amaranth is a gluten free whole grain that is native to Peru and was used extensively by the Aztecs.  According to the Whole Grains Council, amaranth has one of the highest protein contents among grains as well as being rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron.  I suggest amaranth to my patients for its rich source of protein to help with blood sugar control and as a good gluten free alternative.  I like to use organic canned coconut milk to make it more like a rich pudding after the amaranth has been cooked.  I suggest this to parents when their children need to gain weight or for prevention of weight loss in patients with such diseases as cancer.  To make a lighter version, just use light organic canned coconut milk or any other milk alternative such as almond, rice or hemp.

Enjoy!

Serves: 4

2 1/2 cups water
1 cup amaranth
1 cup canned coconut milk
3 medjool dates, pitted
fresh berries, apples, pears, nuts, seeds or unsweetened shredded coconut to garnish

  1. In a medium covered saucepan, bring the water and amaranth to a boil then reduce to simmer.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until the amaranth has absorbed the liquid.  Remove from heat.
  2. In a blender, combine the coconut milk and medjool dates and blend until smooth.
  3. Pour the blended coconut milk into the amaranth and combine until evenly blended.
  4. Garnish with the desired fruit, nuts,seeds or shredded coconut and serve.
Honey and Cinnamon Baked Pears

Honey and Cinnamon Baked Pears

This is a delicious and nutritious dessert.  It only takes a few minutes to prepare to boot!   The cinnamon is warming and great for blood sugar and digestion.  I leave the peel on the pears for extra fiber and texture.  If you have difficulty with yogurt, I like to substitute with a nut butter like cashew or macadamia.  For baby food, I would leave out the honey and just bake a ripe pear with a little cinnamon and orange juice.  I made this for Etta and she loved it!

Serves: 4

4 ripe Danjou pears, destemmed, cut in half and cored
4 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 Tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
½ cup orange juice

  1. Preheat oven to 350 ⁰ F.  In a 9×13 baking dish, place pears face down.
  2. In a small mixing bowl combine the honey, cinnamon and lemon and orange juice and mix until evenly blended.  Pour over the pears and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pears are tender.
  3. Serve face up with a dollop of Greek yogurt and honey and some raw walnuts.
French Lentil Soup

French Lentil Soup

This is a deliciously hearty soup.  You will not miss the meat with this meal and it is very cost effective.  Lentils like all beans are rich in fiber, which is great for lowering cholesterol and preventing constipation.  In addition to being a great source of fiber, lentils and other beans are rich in magnesium, folate, iron and protein.  The high fiber also helps to stabilize blood sugars after a meal, and are low in calories per cup (about 230).  Another reason I love to cook lentils is you do not need to soak them before cooking.  Therefore, an easy pick for a fast meal.  I double the batch and freeze half for later meals.  I shared this soup with a couple of my friends, one of them suggested using this recipe as a meat alternative in burritos.  Great idea, Aimee!  One suggestion would be to have the  burritos the day after you cook these lentils as they will absorb the remaining liquid and will thicken perfectly for burritos.  I also want to thank another foodie friend, Doug, for introducing me to the delicious combination of spices that make up Garam Masala.

Serving: 8

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Garam Masala spice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups French lentils or lentil of your choice
8 cups organic chicken or vegetable broth
1- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

  1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent (approximately 5 minutes).
  2. Add the carrots, Garam Masala, cumin and oregano and saute an additonal 5 minutes.  Sauteing the spices in the oil really helps to bring out the flavor within each spice.
  3. Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes, salt and fresh ground pepper and bring to a boil then reduce to simmer.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the lentils are soft.  Serve with a large green salad or baked leafy greens.

 

 

Leafy Greens with Lemon and Olive Oil

Leafy Greens with Lemon and Olive Oil

This is a very simple way to add more leafy greens to your diet.  Leafy greens such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens and bok choy, to name a few, are rich in magnesium, potassium and calcium.  I love to suggest more greens in my patients diet because they help with muscle spasms, can lower blood pressure,  are high in fiber, and are very low in calories but rich in nutrients.  I baked spinach tonight and put it over lentil soup I made last weekend.  I loved the vibrant green next to the French lentils.

Enjoy!

Servings: 4

5 ounces or approximately one small container of spinach or leafy greens mixture
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh sqeezed lemon juice
fresh ground pepper and dash of sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place greens on a large cookie sheet.  Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over the greens and lightly toss.  Sprinkle sea salt and fresh ground pepper over the greens and place in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or until the greens are lightly wilted.

Arugula and Pomegranate Salad with Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette

Arugula and Pomegranate Salad with Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette

I love the peppery bite of arugula.  This leafy green is a native of the Mediterranean and Southern European countries.  It is very rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron and vitamins such as Vitamin A and K.  If you have tense muscles or need extra iron in your diet, arugula is a great addition to any dish.   Make it your main dish by adding fish, chicken, grass fed organic steak or tofu for extra protein.  The lemon in the vinaigrette will enhance the absorption of the iron in leafy greens.  Iron from leafy greens does not absorb as well as heme iron and therefore the acid in lemon can improve iron absorption.  Add grapefruit  and oranges for more flavor, color and Vitamin C during this cold and flu season.

Enjoy!

Serves: 4-6

Arugula Salad

5 ounces arugula, about 6 cups
1/2 pomegranate, seeded
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Vinaigrette

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey

  1. In a large salad bowl, combine all salad ingredients.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, combine all vinaigrette ingredients and whisk until evenly blended.  Drizzle and toss the salad until the desired amount of dressing has coated the greens evenly.
  3. Finish the salad with fresh cracked pepper and a dash of sea salt and toss once more.

 

Cashew Stuffed Mushrooms with Pesto

Cashew Stuffed Mushrooms with Pesto

I made this appetizer for my work Christmas Party.  This is a simple recipe with rich and creamy flavors.  I used the pesto cubes I froze last week.  I make cashew cheese to replace dairy in many of my savory recipes.  Cashews are an excellent source of magnesium, copper, manganese, tryptophan and mono-unsaturated fats.  Magnesium is great for bone and muscle health preventing muscle spasm and low bone density.  Copper is used for antioxidant defense, energy production and bone and vessel health.  Tryptophan is an amino acid that is particularly important in serotonin production for mood stability.  The mono-unsaturated fats found in cashews are very healthy for your heart.  The particular mono-unsaturated fatty acid found in cashews is called oleic acid, which is also found in olive oil.  Research has found these to be extremely cardioprotective, particularly in people with diabetes.  The nutritional yeast I used  is a rich source of Vitamin B12, essential in preventing anemia particularly in the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles.

Enjoy!

Servings: 30 Mushrooms

1 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 cloves garlic
30 mushrooms
1/2 cup pesto
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  For the cashew cheese, in a food processor, combine the cashews, water, nutritional yeast, sea salt and garlic and blend until evenly combined.
  2. Remove the stem from the mushrooms and put them cavity up on a lightly olive oiled baking sheet.  Spoon the cashew cheese into the cavity and then dollop pesto on top.  Drizzle the olive oil over the prepared mushrooms and then place in preheated oven and bake until mushrooms are tender and filling is light golden, approximately 20 minutes.
  3. Serve hot or cool.  I thinly sliced basil and sprinkled it over the mushrooms and then drizzled olive oil over the baked mushrooms to garnish.

 

 

 

 

Pesto

Pesto

Pesto brings back so many summer memories from my  childhood.  Grandma Schilter taught me how to pick the basil so I wouldn’t uproot the plant.  Our fingers would stain green and had the delicious and fresh aroma of basil.  I started making her recipe and now I have modified it to remove dairy and add a variety of different herbs and greens.  I like to add kale, arugula,  and Italian parsley in addition to the basil.  I will also make pesto with just parsley and arugula for the greens.  Use what you have on hand to make it easy.  I often encourage my patients to eat more green leafy vegetables.  These vegetables are rich in calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin K, which are great for bone and muscle health.   I will use pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans or cashews depending on the nuts and seeds I have on hand as well.  Nuts and seeds are rich in omega 6 fatty acids, Omega 3 fatty acids, found mostly in walnuts, and vitamins and minerals. This recipe is a great way to incorporate more greens into your diet.  Dollop it over fresh baked cod, halibut, chicken or tofu.  I will also add it to quinoa, rice, or vegetables.  I typically quadruple this recipe and will freeze the extra in ice cube trays for later use.   Have fun with all the ways you will enjoy pesto.

Enjoy!

Yield: 1 cup

1 cup fresh packed basil
1 cup packed arugula, kale (stems removed) or Italian parsley (stems removed)
1/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large cloves garlic
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

  1. In a food processor or high powered blender, pulse the walnuts, garlic and greens until coarsely chopped.
  2. Add the lemon juice then slowly add the the olive oil in a thin stream while the food processor or blender is on.  Scrape the sides of the processor occasionally until the pesto is evenly blended.
  3. Sprinkle the salt and fresh ground pepper in the pesto to taste.

 

Lemon Basil Cod

Lemon Basil Cod

Tonight we walked down to Northern Fish Company on Ruston Way.  I love to buy our seafood from them because it is always fresh and delicious.  I wanted to buy some cod for a quick and healthy meal for our friends who were coming over.  I had just ten minutes of preparation time before they arrived.  I turned the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for the fish.  I quickly put 2 cups of organic quinoa and sprouted rice mix  from TruRoots into four cups of water with a dash of sea salt and covered with a lid.  I placed it on the stove to bring to a boil and then reduced it to a simmer for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile,  I pulled the cod out and began its quick preparation while the oven preheated and the grain simmered.  Who says healthy cannot be in minutes!  I love cod because it is not as expensive as other white fish such as halibut, it cooks within 20 minutes, and it is a great protein source without being high in Mercury.

Enjoy!

Serves: 4

2 pounds cod, rinsed and dried
1/4 cup fresh basil,  removed from stem and sliced into thin strips
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil
1/ 2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Place rinsed and dried cod on parchment paper or aluminum foil on a baking sheet with sides.
  3. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil evenly over the cod.  Sprinkle the sea salt, pepper and basil evenly over the cod.
  4. Place the cod in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.  The cod should easily flake but not be dry when done.