Category Archives: Cooking

Vegan Curry – Chick Peas, Spice and Everything Nice!

Snowy days and windy nights have arrived! Winter season has clearly rolled in for the next three or four months and with that, I’m craving warm and spicy meals.

This dish can really spice up your week. It’s a light protein-packed meal that can be made heartier with a side of rice, quiona, couscous, or even a baked potato. If you like heat, go heavy on the cayenne pepper. I hope you enjoy it!

Mock Cod Cakes (A vegetarian fish cake!)

Among other things, I’ve missed drives out to the coast this year, so I wanted something to remind me of the ocean. Whether it’s the taste or the scent of these fish-less cakes, this dish was a nice little escape to the sea from my home kitchen.

This video is part two from my previous video on YouTube where there’s a little bit of spirt-talk. I’m focusing on light and love and I hope you’ll join me.

Enjoy!

Spicy Homemade Granola (Reaping the benefits of Mother Nature the Tasty Way!)

This is my first attempt at homemade granola. Once you have a basic recipe, adding ingredients you love makes it a little more special. It’s simple, quick to prepare, gluten free, and delicious!

Lately, I’ve been reading up on the health benefits of incorporating various herbs, spices, and essential oils into our lifestyle and diet. Little by little, I’ve been making small changes that are improving my health and well-being in big ways. Keeping this in mind, I picked some healthful spices for my first batch of granola. I hope you enjoy!

Here in New England, high humidity has been a daily occurrence so I’ve been working more anti-inflammatory ingredients into my diet whenever I can. Here’s the scoop:

The basic recipe:

2 1/2 cups of gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup all-natural unsalted smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup raw creamed honey

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, warm the peanut butter and honey, add the oats and vanilla and stir until mixed well.

A few add-ins to boost the health benefits:

1 tsp. cinnamon (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, may reduce the risk of heart disease)

1 tsp. ground powdered ginger (anti-inflammatory, digestive aid, boosts metabolism, may lower cholesterol, may lower risk of cancer, may improve brain function)

1/2 tsp. nutmeg (anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant)

2 tbsp. organic unsweetened shredded coconut (heart-healthy antioxidant rich in iron, protein, and manganese – essential for healthy bones)

1 single-serving box of raisins (good source of fiber, iron, and calcium)

Single layer on a sheet of parchment paper and bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring half-way through.

Bake up a batch and your house will smell divine!

There’s so much nutritional goodness available to us from mother nature and it feels good, both physically and mentally, to utilize what is given to us naturally to protect our bodies and our health.

I hope this inspires you to become more aware of how we can stay healthy the natural – and tasty – way!

 

I slightly modified the basic recipe found at http://www.kristineskitchenblog.com (Thank you, Kristine’s Kitchen!)

If you want to do your own research on the health benefits of herbs and spices, one of many websites available at our fingertips is http://www.healthline.com.

Vegetable Soup – Protein Packed (vegan, gluten-free)

I’ve gotten back to my intermittent fasting again and, after two days of water and smoothies, this vegetable soup is light but filling enough for a meal. I added a can of pureed cannellini beans to boost the protein and thicken the soup just a bit.

I hope you try it and add it to your recipes of healthy soups!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil

½ medium onion, chopped

1 medium summer squash, chopped

1 large portabella mushroom, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped (I like off the vine)

½ cup frozen peas

1 can of low sodium cannellini beans, 15.5 oz.

4 cups vegetable stock

If you follow me, you know I don’t measure so feel free to add the following to taste:

A handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Garlic powder

Oregano

Rosemary

Black pepper

4 cups vegetable stock

Gluten-free soy sauce, optional

Sauté the onion, summer squash, mushroom, and tomato in the olive oil until onion is translucent and veggies are softened. Stir occasionally and while the veggies are cooking, prepare your stock. Drain, rinse, and puree the can of beans with about one cup of warm vegetable stock.

Add the herbs and seasonings to the veggies. Stir in the pureed beans plus the remaining 3 cups of stock and the frozen peas. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or soy sauce.

Enjoy!

Portobello Pizza – GF (Guilt-Free!)

At the start of 2020, I ditched the tradition of listing resolutions and instead jotted down a few intentions. I, of course, included a couple that focus on nutrition and self-care.

If you’ve stumbled upon my previous posts, you probably know I have celiac, I’m vegetarian, and reluctantly need to follow a gluten-free diet while missing the pastas and crusty breads of my childhood. Well, I’ve decided to take this one step further and eliminate flour from my diet completely for at least 99% of the time. I am human after all and the occasional gluten-free cupcake won’t kill me!

I started 30 days ago – just before the holidays, because why make things easy? So, here is one of the dishes I made for the first time. These personal-sized pizzas remind me of the bagel pizzas I made as a teenager for a late-night snack. They’re a little lighter and a little more grown-up with a selection of cheeses I would have never chosen over my beloved mozzarella back in the day.

I hope you enjoy! 

First up: The portobello mushroom caps. I tried to find large ones, but the baby ones can be used for small bites. I like to peel mine before eating just because I think they’re cleaner. Remove the stems which can be added to your marinara or used as a topping when building the pizzas. I brushed the caps liberally with extra virgin olive oil on both sides for browning and a flavor boost.

Next: The big three. These are my favorite cheeses at the moment. Fontina is my go-to whenever I want a gooey-melty cheese in a recipe. I’ve used it in lasagna, baked mac-n-cheese, quiche, and now pizza. I just love the texture and the flavor; it’s pretty much replaced mozzarella for me which I find bland next to fontina. I also used two types of Havarti: aged and creamy. The aged is a hard cheese that could substitute Romano or parmesan and the creamy is a softer cheese with a buttery flavor. 

The toppings: The cheese is thinly sliced and accompanied by one of my favorite pizza toppings – sundried tomatoes.

Building: A generous amount of homemade marinara sauce covers the caps with the sundried tomatoes on top. I wanted the tomatoes underneath all that cheesy goodness!

And then: Layer the cheeses. YUM!

In they go: I baked them at a pre-heated 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

All dressed up: A little fresh parsley is a nice touch.

Mangia!

Vegetarian Three Bean Chili

Spicy, vegetarian (if you’re watching dairy, this one’s vegan) and, of course, gluten free! This recipe can be adjusted according to your liking in heat, spice, texture, and thickness. Meat lovers won’t miss a thing with the addition of crumbled veggie burgers giving it not only the look of ground beef, but the texture as well.

To start – dice scallions and onions and chop mushrooms and bell pepper. I prefer red peppers for the sweetness and baby portobello mushrooms for their intense flavor.

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Sauté until all is soft and the mushrooms start to give off their juices. I always cook with extra virgin olive oil because I love the fruitiness!

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A crumbled veggie burger or two will up the meat factor and boost the flavor. I used a portobello veggie burger here.

Sauté together with oregano, cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper.

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And finally beans: I used cannellini, red kidney beans, and black beans. The protein in this dish is through the roof!

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3-1 water and vegetable stock finish it up. Use less liquid for a thicker consistency.

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Let simmer for about 30 minutes.

 

I hope you try this dish. Spoon into a pretty bowl with a couple slices of jalapeno pepper and a dollop of sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!