Category Archives: Recipes

August 5, 2011 · 5:38 pm

Cookout… no I mean, CookIN

The summer is primetime for grilling… except that I don’t have a grill.  Doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy cookout food!  This week, I made three different types of burgers and pasta salad… for my own little cookIN.

Using 90% lean meat, I made:

Sun dried tomato basil burgers (using finely chopped sundried tomatoes and freshly chopped basil)

Cilantro chili lime burgers (using finely chopped cilantro, lime zest, and chili powder)

Barbeque bacon onion burgers (using cooked turkey bacon cut into very small slices and chopped onion).

Talk about taste explosions!  I love my red meat, and if I can’t have cheese on my burger (or a bun for that matter!), I am going to turn up the burger flavor.

To make each burger, I put each set of chopped ingredients in bowls and mixed in the meat with the flavor combinations using my hands, until well incorporated.  Then form into patties.  Instead of a grill, I simmered the burgers in my Giada pan with a dash of olive oil, covered, for just a few minutes on medium heat.

For a side, I made corny confetti pasta salad.  I cooked gluten free pasta al dente and let it cool for a few hours.  I then added frozen corn kernels, chopped cherry tomatoes, and red, yellow, and orange pepper slices.  Toss with basil seasoning, olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, a dash of sugar, salt, and pepper.  Let the flavors combine in a bowl for a few hours in the fridge and then enjoy!

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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August 3, 2011 · 6:15 pm

Movie Snacks

Tonight, I went over a friend’s house for a good ol’ girls movie night in.  Of course, we needed snacks!

I have never been a big fan of popcorn (I know, I am so un-American!), so I made a couple of alternatives…homemade potato chips and fried green beans.  The perfect combination of crunch to munch on in between giggles.

For the homemade potato chips, I washed a few small to mid sized potatoes, both white and red potatoes.  Keep the skin on!  Using a mandolin, I thinly sliced the potatoes several times for (what seemed like) a million slices.  I then spread them out on a cookie sheet so that none of them were touching (very important), sprayed them lightly using olive oil in a mister, and sprinkled sea salt.  Bake at 375 for about 10-15 minutes or until they get crispy.  They start to get crispy when they marbleize brown and white.  You can also add a variety of spices to top these off, including chili powder, paprika, or cumin.  You may have to play with the timing, temperature, and thinness of slices to get your favorite crisp.

 

My mandolin… for perfect potato slices.

Potatoes before crisping in the oven…

Potatoes after crisping in the oven.   Marbleized!

For the fried green beans, I referenced a recipe I found on Twitter from the Gluten Free Goddess.  She used zucchini, but I adapted green beans.  Once washed and trimmed, I dipped the green beans in an “egg” mixture (I used EnerG Egg Replacer and water… it was like the perfect food glue!) and then a mixture of rice flour and ground walnuts (about three quarters of a cup of each).  In an inch of hot oil over the stove, I placed the coated green beans in the oil until they crisped.  Careful, hot oil sizzles!  I then let them cool on paper towels.  To dip these fried veggies, I made Cool as a Cucumber Sauce.  Crispy, fresh, and delicious!

The green beans all dipped and ready to sizzle!

Action shot of green beans a’frying!

Fried Green Beans

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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July 29, 2011 · 4:14 pm

Creative Salad Spins

I have eaten so many salads recently that I think I might turn into one.  Salads have become very trendy, as well as very creative, in restaurants.  Instead of the boring tomato, cucumber, lettuce routine, restaurants are always using unusual ingredients to try to get us to eat our veggies while they market a healthy menu item.  Well, I have had a couple of salads recently that are worth mentioning and are worth recreating.

In Australia, I had one of the best salads I think I have ever eaten.  It’s lettuce base was rocket… that is Australian for arugula… and was topped with avocados, green beans, smoked salmon, and a basic lemon vinaigrette (white wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, herbs).  There was something about the combination that was just so refreshing.  So, naturally loving a challenge, I tried to make it myself when I got home.

Here is the restaurant salad:

Here is my salad (with cucumber instead of green beans):

Ok, so my salmon wasn’t nicely twirled as it was in the restaurant, but the flavor was pretty similar!  The smoked salmon was such a great change from the usual chicken that I put on salads for my protein fix.

The other noteworthy salad was served at a friend’s house the other night.  She took it from a Top Chef cookbook.  Over mixed greens, there were chickpeas, kidney beans, green beans, beets, artichokes, and grilled chicken.  All the ingredients were marinated in a vinaigrette that had olive oil, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, and mint.  The combination was so hearty that it really was a meal instead of a dinky side salad.  And, it actually required little chopping… you can get some of these ingredients in a can if you are in a rush!

Here is the Top Chef salad:

No boring tomato, cucumber, lettuce combinations here!  These combinations inspire me to get creative with my veggies… and they make all the peeling, chopping, and slicing worthwhile.

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July 24, 2011 · 5:59 pm

Punchy Pistachio Pineapple Salsa

In the summer, I have a field day in the grocery store.  For someone who eats fruits and veggies for half of her diet, fresh summer produce is exciting!  Tonight, I took some of that fresh produce and made chicken fajitas with a punchy salsa.  Instead of the usual cheese and sour cream that I would put on fajitas, I stuffed them with this flavorful salsa and spiced corn and beans. What a healthy alternative!

I baked chicken tenderloins seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin, and lime juice.  You can use a traditional fajita season packet, but those tend to have a big salt content (there is enough salt in my margaritas, thank you very much).  I baked the seasoned tenderloins at 375 for about 20 minutes, until done.

To make the salsa, I bought bulk pistachios (so that I only had what I needed) and shelled them myself (money saver!).  I put the pistachios in a bowl, along with fresh sliced pineapple, chopped red onion, fresh squeezed lime juice (about one whole small lime), and freshly grated ginger.  Stir together and let the flavors sit together for a few minutes while the chicken is cooking.

I then also took a can of black beans and a half of a bag of defrosted frozen corn (ok, so this part wasn’t fresh!) and mixed them with fresh squeezed lime juice and chili powder.  I put some corn and beans in the fajita, and ate some in a bowl on the side.

In a corn tortilla (gluten free!), put a piece of chicken, some punchy salsa, and corn and beans.  Fresh, summery, and delicious!

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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July 21, 2011 · 2:31 pm

Searching for Spices

I really believe that spices make a dish go from good to great.  I am always looking for spices to add to my drawer… anything unique or just different from what I already have.  So, during my recent travels, I was on the hunt.   In Napa Valley, I found some rich and unique spices at the St. Helena Olive Oil Company.  In a place where fruit comes directly from the land, I knew this store was going to be a winner.

I bought four spices… fresh herbs de provence (which my mother swears by, and I do now, too), poultry spice rub, beef spice rub, and truffle sea salt.  The truffle sea salt is something I have never seen before, and the rubs were intriguing to me because everyone puts something different in their own meat rub.

(there is also another salt/spice packet from Australia under there)

This week, I couldn’t wait to try out the new spices.  I cooked chicken breast simply… I put the chicken rub on the top of each chicken breast along with a slice of lemon, and baked for about a half hour at 375 degrees.  The spices were so flavorful, I didn’t need to do anything else to the chicken.  The ingredients are sea salt, garlic, onion, sugar, paprika, mustard, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, cayenne pepper.  So, even if you can’t make it to Napa Valley, you could make your own spice rub with these basics.

As for the veggies… I cut up a summer squash and an orange pepper.  I baked the slices on a baking sheet, with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of the truffle sea salt (also at 375 degrees).  I then toasted some pine nuts and celery seed in a pan over low heat for just a couple of minutes.  Pour the nuts over the veggies, add a squeeze of lemon juice, and serve.  Delicious!  It was a unique combination, and very tasty!

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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June 22, 2011 · 6:09 pm

Steak with a kick!

Not having a grill, I am always looking for great ways to cook steak.  I recently fell in love with flank steak.  It’s so easy to cook and so tender.  To add some kick, I made a horseradish sauce to put on top… and the sauce made its way on my veggies, too!

To cook the flank steak, I marinated it in some red wine, red wine vinegar, chopped garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.  A good marinade always has an acid (vinegar) to tenderize the meat, and some strong spices that will infuse into the meat.  I then cooked the steak in the oven at 375 for about 8-10 minutes, for a rare taste.

To make the sauce, I combined 3 tbsp. horseradish, 3 tbsp. dijon mustard, 1 tbsp coconut creamer (remember, it has NO coconut taste!), 1 tsp. agave nectar, and a pinch of salt.  Mix together well, and adjust the spice to your taste by adding more spice or more sweet.

Pour the horseradish sauce on the meat and some on your veggies (here I have beets and mushrooms) for an extra kick!

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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June 19, 2011 · 4:03 pm

Pulled Chicken

First ingredient in bottled barbecue sauce: high fructose corn syrup. If I am what I eat, I certainly don’t want to be a processed sugar. If I’m going to have sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, it’s going to be one I make and can feel good about. So here goes!

Pulled Chicken

In a crockpot, put 3-4 chicken breasts or 9-12 tenderloins.
Add one quarter cup natural ketchup, one half cup cider vinegar, one quarter cup brown sugar, 3 tbsp olive oil, and one half of an onion (chopped).
For seasoning, add a few shakes of chili powder, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin, and salt.
Turn crockpot on low and cook 4-5 hours.
When cooked, use two forks to pull the meat apart into shreds.
Serve on a sandwich or in a bowl.
(I also served corn on the cob with fresh orange juice and ginger shmear, just like chili lime shmear. Yum!)

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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June 16, 2011 · 5:53 pm

My Big Fat Greek Salad

Salads have become my lunch routine.  I especially love a big salad at a restaurant not only because someone else made it, but also because there are all kinds of great ingredients beyond just lettuce and tomato.  So this week, I decided to be my own restaurant.  I made a Summer Greek Salad for my lunches… I added strawberries and basil for some summer flavor.  (And no feta cheese, of course… but honestly, I didn’t really miss it because of the other flavors.)

Summer Greek Salad

(You can really take your liberties here with your favorite ingredients… my measurements are just approximations!)

A bunch of your favorite lettuce (I prefer Olivia’s Organic Lettuces)

Some chopped grilled or baked chicken

One quarter cup chickpeas

Some chopped up cucumber

5-6 kalamata olives

One half cup chopped up strawberries

A few torn basil leaves

For the dressing, combine 3 parts red wine vinegar to 1 part olive oil, chopped garlic, oregano (and any other of your favorite herbs), the juice of one half of a lemon, salt, and pepper.

Toss to combine, and enjoy!

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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June 9, 2011 · 5:49 pm

Kick, Spice, Flavor

Oh, there are so many things you can do with a meatball and so many different spice combinations.  My recent ambition was to add some kick and some spice to chicken meatballs.  I used Asian flavorings for something different, and was very pleasantly surprised.

In a large bowl, add one pound of ground chicken.  Then add 2 tbsp. coconut creamer, 3 tbsp. red curry paste, 1 tbsp. fish sauce (you can find in the Asian section of your grocery store), juice of one lime, 2 tbsp. chopped garlic, 2 tbsp. celery seed, 2 tbsp. rice vinegar, and 2 tbsp. ginger.  Mix together with your hands, making sure all the ingredients get combined.  You can adjust the seasoning to your taste.

Here’s the fun part.  I made meatballs out of the chicken mixture by rolling them into balls and sauteing them.  You can also just as easily make the mixture into chicken patties and bake them, or even make it into a meatloaf.

To add some extra kick, make a dressing of fish sauce, lime juice, red pepper flakes, agave nectar, cider vinegar, and rice vinegar.  You can add as much or as little of each ingredient as you want… get creative!  I added about equal portions of each.  Pour over the cooked meatballs and enjoy.  So much kick, spice, and flavor!

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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June 5, 2011 · 6:36 pm

Another superfood

Edamame.  I know I’ve written about it before, but I can’t get enough!  It really is a superfood.  Low calorie, low fat, high protein, and high fiber literally make it a perfect food.  Especially for those trying to increase healthy foods in their diet, or those losing weight, or those with allergies.  One serving has 120 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 9 grams of fiber, and 11 grams of protein.  What a perfect little bean!  A recent article made me think more about how I could increase its use in my kitchen.

So, I made edamame salad to round out my lunches last week.  This edamame salad can be completely made in the microwave in a tupperware container!

In the tupperware, pour one half of a bag of frozen shelled edamame, one half of a bag of frozen corn, and microwave for about 2-3 minutes.

Then add carrot matchsticks (you can get them in a bag in the produce section, precut).  To dress the salad, add the juice of one lime, about 2 tbsp. agave nectar, 4 tbsp. cider vinegar, 4 tbsp. white wine vinegar, sprinkle of salt, and one tsp. hot mustard.  Put the lid on the tupperware, shake, and serve!

Note:  I also added a can of drained black beans for extra protein and fiber, but they did make the texture a little mushier than I originally wanted it.  Good nutrition, but I think it would taste better without the beans.

Happy Allergy Free Eating!

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