Healthy Breakfast

I love cereal for breakfast.  Of course, I have GF cereal and soy instead of milk – It still tastes yumilious to me.  But, since I have been trying to eat healthier, I was searching for a more nutritious and more substantial alternative.  And I came up with this concoction.  It doesn’t have a name because I have no clue what to call it.  I wanted something not too high in fat (obviously), but also something low in sugar, since I am insulin resistant.  I find that sometimes I get hungry quickly after having my fav cereal breakfast, whereas this has been pretty filling and keeps me going longer.  (I don’t like having savoury dishes for breakfast too much, so that’s why I stay away from eggs and such.)  BTW, this tastes like you are eating ice cream!  For breakfast!!!

On a side note, I tried my first attempt at low fat, low sugar banana bread.  It tastes good, but is so dense.  And it looks like I used too much wet ingredients in comparison to dry ingredients.  It’s good for toasting, so I will try again…

Breakfast Without A Name

2 cups frozen blueberries

3-4 tablespoons apple juice

2 teaspoons lemon concentrate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine the above ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and then lower temperature and simmer for 15 minutes.  The sauce is runny.  Cool and refrigerate.

1/3 cup yogurt or soyogurt (I use strawberry)

1 banana

Put the yogurt in a cereal bowl, slice the banana on top.  Top with about three heaping tablespoons of blueberry sauce.  Eat! 

The blueberry sauce would taste great on my vanilla cake recipe, along with ice cream or whipped cream!  Not that that’s healthy, but it would be very yummy!

Fresh GF Pasta

On Friday, I had a little shopping adventure — at Whole Foods.  The closest Canadian Whole Foods is over 4 hours away, so I decided to check out the one in Troy, Michigan, which is only 30 minutes away.  What I was really looking for is finding yummy stuff from the Gluten Free Bakehouse.  (They don’t supply the Canadian stores.)  I must have looked like a starved, strung-out lunatic in that store.  Minus that fact that I ran over 2 people with my cart (seriously), I was grabbing every gluten-free item and tossing it in my car.  Like it was going to spoil within seconds, left on the shelf!  I was in my gluten free glory!

And then I saw fresh GF pasta!!!  I was told it couldn’t be done!  But, yet here is was before my eyes.  Like an Easter miracle!  There were two types of gnocchi and a linguine.  With one reach, I grabbed all three packages.  I felt like I was looting the place! 

It’s by RP’s Pasta.  On their website, it doesn’t say anything about their gluten-free products.  But on the package it says ‘Gluten Free’ and it’s made with brown rice flour.  But for those very sensitive to gluten, it’s not made in a dedicated factory.  They also make evil wheat pasta.  I’m not that sensitive, so I decided to stuff my face with it!

My (Italian) mother-in-law makes fresh pasta pretty regularly and it’s like a 5 star hotel, while dry pasta is only a 3 star.  I was so excited about trying this pasta and so was my mother-in-law.  She gave me a fresh batch of wheat pasta so Dr. T and I ‘could have the same dinner.’  (Actually, I wasn’t even thinking about him, I just wanted to get to my kitchen!)

I was worried that all this ‘hype’ would let me down.  That the pasta would taste like wet cardboard dipped in Elmer’s glue.  Or like strings of gelatin sprinkled with salt.  But it didn’t.  It tasted like — pasta!  Real pasta.  Better than dried pasta.  Better than homemade fresh wheat pasta!  It was so good, that Dr. T actually eat out of my plate!  He kept eyeing my pasta reminding me how good it looked.  Like I’d forget!

Here is the sauce I made with it…

PASTA ALLA VODKA

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pinch hot red pepper flakes

1 can diced tomatoes (I used the herbed one)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 tablespoon dried basil

5 tablespoons Vodka (As far as Vodka goes, Smirnoff Red Label isn’t expensive and is gluten-free. It is made from corn rather than wheat.)

1 cup cream

In a large skillet heat oil and butter.  Saute the onion until soft.  Add garlic and pepper flakes.  Cook on medium for two minutes.  Add tomato sauce, broth and oregano.  Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add vodka.  Simmer for another 10 minutes.   Add cream and heat through.  Serve over pasta.

Chili

In early February, while Canada is one big icicle, I had a little ’shindig’ at my place.  I don’t know what to call it, it wasn’t a ‘party’ and gathering sounds like we were knitting or something.  It was all friends and food.  Everyone brought a little something, which end up being a lot of everything.  Most of it was GF.

And as you can see, I had my finest Styrofoam stemware out.  Only the best for my gals!

I decided to make a pot o’ chili, because it was cold outside and because chili is naturally GF.  I normally would have used ground chicken.  But on hearing that, Julie’s classic and familiar gagging solo started.  She thinks ground chicken is just too gross.  So, just for her, I made beef chili.  That’s love!  (She also agreed to bring veggies, which I find to be way too much work.) 

I did make it again last week, using ground chicken and black beans.  It tasted more ‘Mexican’ if that makes any sense. 

I personally, think it tastes better with chicken, and black beans are just cuter than kidney beans.

This chili is super easy to make and you can change the ingredients to suit what you prefer and what you happen to have hanging out in the fridge. 

Alex, I know this recipe is a long time coming, but here it is!  Finally.

MY CHILI

1 onion, chopped

1 cloves garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 package ground meat

1 can beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup salsa

1 bouillon cube

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper, to taste

With a little oil, fry the garlic until fragrant.  Add the onion.  Saute until softened.  Add the meat and cook well.  I drain off the excess fat, at this point, just so I feel healthier after I slather my chili in cheese and dip tortillas into it!  Put the meat into a crock pot.

Mix the beans into the meat.  Add the diced tomatoes.  You can drain some of the liquid from the tomatoes, if you like your chili to be less watery. 

Add the salsa, bouillon and seasoning.  Cook on low for 5+ hours.  The longer it simmers the better the flavour.  You can adjust your spiciness by using mild to hot salsa.  I’ve added frozen corn at the last hour of cooking, to have some more veggies. 

My favorite way to serve chili is over rice and topped with grated cheddar cheese.  But it tastes good straight up, too!

I had a great time with the gals.  I truly enjoyed the impromptu pajmina fashion show that Kari and Karen put on! 

Moussaka

Moose Kaka!  The Greek Shepherd’s Pie.  Why is it a pie?  It’s more of a casserole.  Hmm…Dr. T and I are trying to not eat red meat, because of the Mad Cow occurrences here in Canada.  So I tried making moussaka with ground chicken.  Way better!  So yummy!  I recommend you make it with chicken.  I added a ‘chicken-friendly’ alternative at the bottom.

We eat meat about once or twice a week.  And one of those times is when we eat at our parents on Sundays.  Neither of us a big meat eaters, so we won’t even notice avoiding red meat.  But those poor chickens…

This was a huge hit with Dr. T, who really doesn’t like eggplant and HATES zucchini.  The flavours just melt together, mmm…I could eat some right now…As you can see, we ate it before I could get any pictures of what it looks like inside!

 

Moussaka

5 medium potatoes

2 baby eggplants

4 baby zucchini

olive oil 

2 medium onions

basil

2 packages ground chicken

1 cube chicken bouillon

1 large can of chopped tomatoes (drain out some of the liquid)

3 tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup if you are too lazy to go downstairs to the pantry to get the paste

salt and pepper

2 cups grated cheddar

1 cup heavy cream

Boil the potatoes and make simple mashed potatoes, for the topping.

Thinly slice the eggplant and zucchini.  They taste best grilled, but I don’t have an indoor grill and it’s -8°C today, so I just roasted them in the oven.  I laid them on parchment paper and sprinkled them with a bit of oil, black pepper and oregano.  The eggplants roast much quicker – I had to remove them and let the zucchini roast a little longer.

Heat the oil and fry the onions until soft and a little golden.  Season well with oregano.  Add the meat.  Once the meat is cooked through, add the bouillon, tomatoes and the paste/ketchup (for us too lazy to go get the paste).  Simmer for 15 minutes.

In a casserole dish spray with cooking spray, lay the eggplant to cover the bottom.  Add half the meat.  Layer the zucchini over and add the rest of the meat.  Gently spread the mashed potatoes over top.  Cover with grated cheese and pour the cream over top.  Sprinkle with black pepper. 

Bake for 45 minutes at 350°F.  It will be bubbly and browned on top.  So good!

NOTE:  If you want to try a vegetarian version, double the amount of zucchini and eggplant.  And add either thinly sliced tofu, grilled with oregano and olive oil or thinly sliced, parboiled potatoes.

Basil Stir Fry

I first tried this recipe, years ago, when I went to ’cooking class’.  A chef in the are had her house designed like a cooking studio, and she would give classes out of her home.  I learned a lot about cooking and gathered some great recipes.

This calls for ’fish sauce’.  You can buy it at any grocery store and stinks something horrible.  But it makes food taste great and the smell goes away after you cook it.  (Thankfully!)

 

BASIL STIR FRY 

6 Tbs. chicken stock

2 Tbs. Asian fish sauce

2 tsp. firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cornstarch

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced or chopped

1/2 large red onion, chopped in wedges

3/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, preferably Thai basil

3 green onions, cut into 3-inch pieces

2 handfuls bean sprouts

Cooked jasmine rice for serving

In a bowl, whisk together the stock, fish sauce and brown sugar. Add the cornstarch and whisk until the cornstarch and sugar are dissolved. Set aside.

In a large wok over high heat, warm the oil. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until juices start to release, add peppers and onion. Stir in the basil and green onions and stir-fry until the onions are barely wilted, about 1 minute. 

Whisk the sauce mixture and pour into the pan. Cook just until the liquid comes to a boil.  Add the bean sprouts.  Spoon the rice onto individual plates and top with the stir-fry and sauce. Serves 4.

This tastes great with chicken, too.

Chili Cheese Dip

This is a super easy dip that always goes over well.  And it’s warm, which is great because it’s -13°c here.  Brrr!  I keep looking for ’warm’ food.  I have potatoes in the oven baking, to make double-stuffed potatoes.  Yumm…that recipe will follow!

1 brick cream cheese

1 can of chili

1/4 cup of salsa

1 cup cheese

Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of a pie plate, it’s a bit easier to do if it’s not straight out of the fridge.  Spread the chili on top, you can use homemade chili if you have leftovers.  Top with salsa and then with the cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F, or until the edges are bubbly.  Serve warm with chips.  This is a picture before I baked it.  After it was baked, we ate it too fast to remember to pick up the camera! 

Rice Crust Pizza

I like pizza.  But I don’t really like the store bought crusts and I don’t like making things with yeast.  I’m scared of yeast.  It’s finicky and not my friend.  Obviously, I don’t have pizza often.  But this is easy (well, I first had to make a few mistakes and learn a few lessons) and for someone who hasn’t eaten pizza in looong time, it tastes like pizza! 

1 cup Arborio rice (uncooked)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 Parmesan

1 cup mozzarella

basil, oregano, garlic, black pepper

2 tsp cornmeal

Cook the rice and let it cool to room temperature.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the cornmeal.  Important:  Use a non-stick sheet and spray with cooking spray.  (I didn’t, not a good idea).  Sprinkle the cornmeal on top (I decided to add this as I was ever so gently trying to remove a slice from the tin foil.  Did you know that rice is actually sticky?  Duh!)  Add the rice mixture on top and smooth out so it looks like pizza dough.  Bake for 15 minutes, on 425° F, on the lowest rack in the oven.

Spread 1 cup of pizza sauce on top.  Sprinkle with 1/4 of Parmesan and 1 more cup of mozzarella and add your toppings (mushrooms, red onions and red peppers are my favs).  Sprinkle another 1/2 cup of mozzarella on top and bake on the same lowest rack for another 20 minutes or until the bottom of the ‘crust’ is golden.  Another important note:  Let the pizza stand for 5 minutes before serving.  It’s much easier to slice and serve.  If you hurry it, like say I did, it’s kinda more like a casserole than pizza.  But the pieces that cooled were more like pizza and not a casserole.  The joys of trying new things in the kitchen!

Lasagna Rolls – without egg

All the lasagna roll recipes I’ve come across have eggs.  My nephew, J2, is allergic to eggs.  So, every now and then I am inspired to try something egg-free for his benefit.  Like, Thanksgiving is egg-free, nut-free, gluten-free and mostly lactose-free.  I feel that everyone should be able to eat everything if they are dining at my house.  So I wanted to come up with a recipe for J2.

The reason you’d use egg in a roll recipe is to keep the innerds from spilling out.  I thought cream cheese could help with that problem.  And it did.

Ingredients

Dry lasagne noodles

1/2 tub herb and garlic cream cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan

1/2 package frozen spinach, cooked in the microwave

1 cup shredded chicken breast (or ground chicken, cooked)

Black pepper, oregano and basil to taste

2 cups spagetti sauce (that your mother-in-law made from scratch and gives you every September, after a sauce making-a-thon in her garage)

1 cup Mozzarella

Parmesan

Directions

Cook the lasagna noodles.  Once they are cooked and floppy, transfer them into a bowl of cold water.  This stops them from cooking and lowers the temperature so you can actually handle them.  I cook my noodles in groups of four, just to make it easier to work with.

Combine the cheeses, chicken, spinach and spices in bowl.

Spray your casserole dish with cooking spray and add a spoon full of sauce and spread it out over the bottom.  Lay out a noodle, add a generous tablespoon of ‘innerds’, about 2 inches in from the end and fold the noodle end over.  Add another scoop of mix.  Roll up and lay in your casserole.

If you have any mix left after, just lift a roll and stuff some more in.  Pour on the sauce and top with cheeses.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Dr. T HATES spinach and he ate this.  A big game in my kitchen is masking the taste of foods that he doesn’t like.  He mostly doesn’t like ‘green stuff’.  And I love ‘green stuff’.  So if I want to eat it, I have to make sure it’s flavourful enough for him to fork it down.

(PS.  I ran out of mozzarella, so I used cheddar.  That’s why the top is orange in the picture.  Use mozz, it will taste better!) 

~ Liz

Mexi Chicken and Potatoes

 

I’ve never cooked with foil-steam method, but this is a great way to have the chicken and the potatoes done at the same time — without pots and pans to clean up.  Another thing I like about the foil trick it that you can make a meal for 1 or 10.  (And still not have all those pots and pans!)  The chicken was tender and juicy.  

Meal for Two: 

2 chicken breasts

Mexican spices – cumin, coriander, chili, garlic, onion, salt and pepper; is what I used

2 good sized potatoes, sliced thin

salsa

cheese

sour cream

Lay out two pieces of tin foil, spray with cooking spray. 

Place the potatoes on top.

Season the chicken and lay atop the potatoes.  Slather with salsa and then cheese (I like salsa!).

Close up the foil and double fold the top and both ends.  Remember to leave room for heat the circulate inside (don’t squish the food).  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 400 F.  Pierce the foil before open to release the steam.  Serve with sour cream and corn (I like corn, too!)

Bok Choy Stir Fry

I was having my bro over for lunch and he likes food.  So, I know I can try anything in the kitchen when he comes over.  And I had frozen shrimp that I wanted to use.  This was simple and yummy.  You can use what ever veggies you want, but bok choy is a nice change every now and then for me. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon garlic

1 bunch chopped (1-inch) green onions

1 cup broth

4 tablespoons GF soy sauce

4 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

crushed chili peppers (depending on how spicy you like it)

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 head bok choy

shrimp, thawed

WHAT TO DO:

Heat the oil, saute the garlic.  Add the green onions.  Saute for a minute or two.  Add the broth, soy and sweet chili sauce.  Boil for another minute or two.  Add the chili peppers.  Turn off range.

Heat the other oil.  Add the bok choy and saute until wilted.  Add the shrimp and heat through.  Pour on the ’sauce’.

Serve with rice or rice noodles.